On Friday 05 July 2002 Four Season Squares hosted the Second Annual Square Dance to Kick Off the BearRiver Cherry Carnival. This was held at the Bear River Fire Hall and the Guest Caller was Ron Lowe of SaintJohn, New Brunswick. There were fourteen squares in attendance and quite a number of spectators. Dancerscame from all over Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Half-waythrough the evening a number of "Cherry" related prizes were drawn. George Heming, husband of CallerPalma Heming, from Alberta, received the prize for the "Out of Province Dancer". Bob and Inge Ruohoniemi,Presidents of the Square and Round Dance Federation,presented dangles to the four couples visiting from theother Provinces.
Before serving the lunch a blessingwas given by Bill Troupe. The evening concluded withthe Friendship Ring. Everyone then socialized andenjoyed a bountiful lunch which ended with "CherryPie" and "Cherry Vanilla ice Cream".

Plans for a Third Kick Off Dance are in the works forFriday 11 July 2003. Check your Calendar of Eventsfor details as they become available.

        Dancers from Mary's Islanders Dance Troupe have been kept busy practising and polishing their art forseveral performances over the past few months. Costumes glitter, toes tap, pipers pipe and the sound of thefiddles rang out, as the troupe performed Irish, Clogging, Highland, Acadian, Maritime Step Dancing, Hip Hopand Square Dancing throughout the Maritimes.

        A few highlights of their busy summerperformances include the Multicultural Festival inDartmouth, the Cape Breton Exhibition, FestivalBy the Sea in St. John, New Brunswick, Dancingfor Nova Scotia's Lieutenant Governor, MyraFreeman, A book signing celebration for worldfamous author, Diana Gabaldon, Canada DayCelebrations in Prince Edward Island, A DanceReview in Fredericton, New Brunswick, theirfifteenth consecutive year performing at theBridgetown Fiddle Festival and for the openingceremonies at the National Convention 2002 in St.John, New Brunswick, where they received astanding ovation from more than two thousandspectators.
        As well as travelling out of Province, the troupe also enjoy performing locally at fundraises and benefitssuch as, The food Bank, The Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society, Middleton's Palliativecare unit, and for our seniors at Mountain Lee Lodge, Haliburton House, Annapolis Royal Nursing Home, andDykeland Lodge.
        The troupe were proud and extremely excited recently by the arrival of a letter from Disney Productions,offering them the opportunity to perform in Disney World on March 11, 2003.
        Needless to say, Mary Dunlop, Artistic Director for the Troupe, as well as a square dance caller forHightide Twirlers in Hantsport and the Fundy Squares in Torbrook will be kept busy choreographing andputting the dancers through their many routines during the next few months.
        Congratulations to the Troupe as they continue to serve as proud ambassadors of the Annapolis Valleyand Nova Scotia.

1. All clubs and dancers are reminded that the deadline for nominations for the "MAYFLOWER" award is 31 December 2002 tothe Federation President.
   
   
2. The survey of NS dancers to determine their dancing levels shows that 50% dance Mainstream, 40% dance Plus, and 10% danceAdvanced levels. Therefore, the Board will recommend that the "Guidelines for the Federation FESTIVAL" be changed toincorporate dance levels to reflect this information.
   
   
3. The Board members agreed to recommend to the next AGM, that Annual General Meetings be held on the first Saturday ofOctober each year. This will permit co-ordination with ANSSRDT. This year, AGM 2002 will be held on Saturday, 5 October,at the EH Horn School, #248 Highway 2, Enfield, with Registration at 1:30 and the Meeting at 2pm.ANSSRDT will behosting a special dance at the South Woodside Community Centre, Everett St., Dartmouth at 8pm on the evening of Saturday, 5October. As directed in the bylaws, a Board of Directors meeting will be held immediately after the AGMeeting.
   
   
4. The Canadian Square & Round Dance Society has raised the price for the liability insurance to 75 cents per club and 75 cents permember. This amount will be included on the 2003 Registration form that will be distributed by the Publications Officer - Alex Ritchie.
   
   
5. The Board will recommend to the 2002 AGM that the words "Easy Mainstream" be used in Nova Scotia to refer to the dancelevel currently designated as Mainstream (1 to 53) and previously called Basic.
   
   
6. The Board has asked the NS Society Directors, Ralph & Barb MacDonald to express their concern with the latest costing thatSOCAN is trying to enforce on our activity. This concern will also be forwarded directly to the President of the Society. Clubs,Callers, & Cuers are encouraged to inform the Federation President if they encounter any difficulties in obtaining SOCANliscences.
   
   
7. The Board will recommend that the Federation support major demonstrations/events in each of the six Regions yearly, instead of taking part in the 50+ EXPO in the Central Region only. Details will be discussed at the 2002 AGM.
   
   
8. As a result of a resignation, the Federation is looking for a volunteer to join the Parade Trailer Committee. Any dancer who couldshare a small amount of their time to help co-ordinate the use of the Federation Parade Trailer is asked to contact the FederationPresident.
   
   

Friday the 13 of September was the start of the Fall Weekend of fun, fellowship and square dancing at Bob'sHall in Lower Onslow. The event was a fund raiser for Festival 2003 and was sponsored by the Festival 2003Committee with caller Bob and Phyllis Fiddes.

It was a grand weekend for a total of 15 couples coming from the Hub City Dancers, Scotia Dancers, OceanWaves and Strathmor Strutters. There was room for more but the couples who did attend had a ball.

The event started Friday evening with M/S dancing from 8:00 to 10:30 followed by a lunch of veggie dips,sandwiches, numerous desserts and different fruits along with tea and coffee.

Saturday morning at 8:30 all the dancers were back at Bob's Hall to be served a breakfast of juice, pancakes,scrambled eggs, and sausages with tea or coffee. The dancers then had time to relax and socialize before thedancing started at 10:00. By 12:00 noon all were ready for a Bar-B-Que lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers, veggiedishes, corn on the cob, blueberry crisp with ice cream and tea or coffee.

At 1:30 the dancers were off on a Hayride down along the Cobequid Bay marsh. Coupled with this was a veryinformative lecture on the early Acadian history of the dikes and how the area was and is presently drained forthe various crops the farmers grow on it. It was a day that the committee ordered special as the sky didn't have acloud and coupled with a slight breeze it was simply a gorgeous day to say the least. We walked along top ofthe dike and as the tide was out we were able to see an aboiteau, the French Acadian name for the gates thatcontrol the water flow, and received an explanation as to how they operated in the draining of the marsh andkeeping the tidal waters out.

We were all back to Bob's Hall by 3:30 and sat outside on the lawn to socialize and participate in the WasherToss games. There was no overall winner but we did have a great time under the beautiful blue sky. By 5:00everyone had headed off to their homes or motel to rest and get ready for the evening of dancing.

Everyone was back at the hall by 8:00 PM for a great evening of dancing. By 10:15 PM we were eating againand just sitting back and reminiscing over what a wonderful weekend we had. After the lunch there were anumber of dancers, those who remembered their bathing suit, who had a good soak in Bob and Phyllis's hot tubto relax those tired muscles that they had found over the weekend.

To sum it up the weekend was a tremendous success and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The food,the caller, the weather were something to behold but one has to admit that the greatest reward one gets from aweekend such as this is the camaraderie and the time spent with friends we didn't know we had. A specialthanks to Tony and Diane Fleck and their Festival 2003 committee, Bob and Phyllis Fiddes for their unendinggenerosity and to our new dance couple, Margaret and Brad Fiddes, who managed the kitchen duties whichhelped to make a "full" fun filled weekend.

                Submitted by Jean and Murray Berry, Strathmor Strutters Club Representatives

During the past 30 years ..........