COBEQUID TWIRLERS

The Cobequid Twirlers held a Halloween Dance on October 26th. Ones without costumes were the judges. They were assigned the task of selecting the three best costumes. Prizes were given. In November the Cobequid Twirlers danced at the Johnson Manor. They also danced at the Lions Club for the Heart and Stroke Foundation in December. The annual meeting was held December 8th following the Christmas potluck supper with dancing after. Barry Bendle, our caller, Hilton MacIntosh and Ed Giles did the calling. Dancing started up in the new year on January 11, 2000.
A Tulip Festival Dance will be held May 13, 2000 at the Bible Hill Junior High School with dancing from 7:30 to 10:30. Kerry Fletcher will be calling with assistance from Barry Bendle and Hilton MacIntosh. Refreshments will be served.
The Lobster Jamboree is June 3rd. with Nelson Labor from the valley region guest caller with John and Valerie Pink cueing rounds. Georges' Square Dance Shop will be in attendance. Submitted by Leota & Malcolm Perry

STRATHMOR STRUTTERS

The Strathmor Strutters consisting of thirty-one couples, including five couples in beginners, have had a busy and enjoyable past three months with Mainstream on Mondays, Plus on Wednesdays and Class on Thursdays. We hosted the Square & Round Dance Federation of Nova Scotia Annual General Meeting in October followed by an entertaining evening of square & round dancing. Many of our dancers attended the MCCA convention in Charlottetown, PEI in November. We have managed to acquire several banners from various clubs, danced at least once a month for senior residences etc., had a great time at our Halloween party and a super time on Dec. 31^st to bring in the New Year dancing until 3 am. All our members are looking forward to an active and enjoyable year 2000. Submitted by Murray & Jean Berry

CUMBERLAND TWIRLERS

A Halloween Party with guests from the Tantramar Twirlers and our Class was held in October. On Nov. 25, some of our members attended the Kerry Fletcher Birthday Party in Dartmouth and reported back that it was "the best time they ever had". In December we danced for the residents of Victoria Manor, and we held our Christmas Party with Pot Luck, Dancing, entertainment, and presentation of gifts to the "Toys & Tots" for Christmas, which we do instead of an admittance fee for the party. We had an enjoyable time at all our activities. Submitted by James & Dorothy Trueman

HUB TRACKERS

Hub Trackers held their Christmas party on Dec 10^th. There were nine squares attending. One of the many highlights of the evening was the appearance of the "Spice Girls". A Christmas present was presented to our Club Caller an wife, Jack & Dolores MacArthur by Deb & Norm Lee on behalf of the dancers.
A New Years' Ball was also hosted by the Hub Trackers. Callers for the dance were Jack & Dolores MacArthur, Hilton & Vi MacIntosh, and with Alex Ritchie & Bernice Thurber as the Round Dance Leaders. Through the evening there was much laughter at the skits and jokes. The singing of "Auld Lang Syne" ended at the stroke of midnight and then the New Year began with the "Friendship Ring" into which the bouncing millennium baby appeared. A buffet lunch was consumed and then the dancing continued. This was the final Club dance for the Winter. The Club will resume dancing in the Spring on Friday April 28, that's the first Friday after Easter. Submitted by Jack & Dolores MacArthur

NB-NS BORDER ROUNDERS

The Christmas season proved to be a good one for the Border Rounders. A number of us went to the Charlie's Angels' Xmas party on Dec. 4^th where a great time was had by all. After that everyone had their own square dance parties to attend. Then it was our turn! Dec. 9^th was the date for the party which began with a pot luck dinner at 6:30 p.m. hosted by Erma Black and the club ladies. It was delicious! This was followed closely by dancing and fun. Entertainment consisted of three readings, "The Night Before Y2K" read by Frank O'Blenis, "Young Albert" read by Beth Dickinson, and "The Newfie Xmas Story" read by John Dickinson. Margery Nelson made us all laugh with her hat story--it was a perfect game for our small group. There was also the presentation of children gifts to Erma Black who accepted on behalf of the Sackville Xmas Cheer program. The rest of the evening was taken up with dancing, spot prizes, and carol singing. We were very pleased to have some of our 'retired' members join us for our party…..Laurence & Alice Harrison, Erma Wheaton, Ernie & Gwen Sears, and Fred & Bex Phinney. The latter two couples provided music (guitar and mandolin) for our carol sing. We all agreed it was a great way to celebrate the Christmas season. Submitted by John & Beth Dickinson

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE METRO ASSOCIATION
by Dottie Welch

Metro was founded in 1968 as the Metro Square and Round Dance Council (Usually called "Metro Council" and still referred to that way by some "old-timers"). The name was changed in 1979 to be the Metro Square and Round Dance Association in order to conform with the guidelines of the Canadian Square and Round Dance Society (National level is "Society", Provincial level is "Federation", Regional level is "Association"). In 1987 the membership area was enlarged from metropolitan Halifax and Dartmouth to include all of the Central Region of the province making us one of six regions recognized by the provincial Department of Tourism and Culture and used by the Square and Round Dance Federation of Nova Scotia. Prior to about 1982 meetings were usually held in the home of the chairman and always included a lunch. One of the most contentious issues of the early days was the formation of clubs dedicated to dancing the "higher levels". The first version of the Plus Program was agreed upon by CALLERLAB about 1978 but the idea that some dancers might want to be challenged more than others was only gradually accepted. Each spring for many years Metro hired a "big name" caller from outside the Maritimes to call for the First Year Round Up (Friday evening) and Atlantic Jamboree (Saturday workshop and dance). Several times these were held at Saint Peter's High School in Dartmouth. Eventually the number of dancers declined making it financially impossible.
After the 1982 National Convention in Halifax, Metro fell on hard times because the dancer leadership was tired. We had several tiny meetings at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church hall while we revised the constitution and struggled through a year with no chairman. (Necessary actions were dealt with by Dottie and Gary Welch who were then chairman of the Federation.) We organized a Phoenix Dance held at Oxford Street School to rise from the ashes. That dance involved all the local callers and cuers and the concept proved to be so popular that it eventually became the January Jig. Since 1987 the meetings have been held at Saint Mary's University and thankfully the size of the Executive has returned to a comfortable operating level. Metro Matters was first printed in November 1988 under the editorship of Judy Caborn Skaling. Dottie Welch became editor in January 1992. We have always sponsored Summer Dances to encourage new graduates to hone their skills. Initially they were held in the Halifax Shopping Centre in front of Eatons. Later they moved to Penhorn mall by Woolco (now Walmart) and finally to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Hall. Two other projects have been on the agenda every year and sponsored by Metro whenever there was sufficient interest. These are the presentation of a float in the Natal Day Parades of Halifax and Dartmouth and the sponsorship or support for a club sponsorship of a New Year's Eve Dance.

Our chairman's gavel now contains a long list of dedicated dancers who have wielded the power.
Several of these couples are still dancing and surely deserve a word of thanks.

BURSARIES