WHAT's A "SPECIAL" DANCE?
         At the Federation AGM, there was a discussion regarding the problem clubs have with finding an open date fortheir "special" dances. It is apparent that some dancers, callers, &: cuers are not familiar with the Terms of Reference regarding the listing of special dances in the Federation Calendar of Events. The following paras. are quoted from theFederation By-laws Appendix 3:

Appendix 3: TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE CALENDAR OF EVENTS

1. The Calendar of Events produced by the Publications Officer shall normally be received by the first of the months of September, October, November, December (for December and January), February, March, April, May, and June (for June, July, and August) of each year. The Events shall be in chronological order and include all future events received by the 15th day of the previous month and subject to the guidelines below. The dance year for the purpose of the Calendar of Events will be from September 1st to August 31st.



2. 1. The events listed will be of two categories, "Special Events" and "Ordinary Events". All events shall be considered Ordinary unless specified to be a Special event by the originating organization. Special Events shall be designated by a star(*) or some other means, indicating their importance.
      
   2. Only one Special Event scheduled in each dance year shall be accepted for publication for each Atlantic Province (Nova Scotia) Club, ANSSRDT, MCCA, each N. S. Association or equivalent group of clubs, the Federation and the National Society.
      
   3. Notwithstanding paragraph (ii) above, Nova Scotian Associations and the Federation may list in addition, their annual meeting as a Special Event. The Federation Executive may approve individually as Special Events any other event, such as "Dance for Heart" etc, as they see fit.
      
   4. For mailing purposes, preference shall be given to posters describing Special Events. Ordinary Event posters will be included in months when postal weight allows without an extra charge.
   
   
3. If a Special Event has already been published and an organization designates other events in one dance year to be Special Events, events other than the first published shall be regarded as an Ordinary Events. If none have been published, the organization shall be contacted as to which event they wish designated as their Special Event.



4. Calendar of Event information should be submitted to the Publication Officer using the Information form or by e-mail. The standard information is: Date, Host Group, Name of Event, Location, Dance Hours, Admission Price, Type of Dance, Dress, Refreshments, Callers and Cuers, and Contact Information.

WHY SHOULD YOUR CLUB BE A MEMBER OF THE SRDFNS?
          Each year, some dancers, callers, & cuers ask or are asked why their club(s) should pay for membership in theSquare & Round Dance Federation of NS. To assist in answering those queries here are a few reasons:

1. Membership in the NS Federation provides:
   • The club with the Federation Newsletter, the Dance Calendar, and posters from other clubs.
   • Membership also permits club members to participate in planning Federation activities. eg. NS FESTIVALsand the Canadian National Convention to be held in Halifax, July 2010.
   • It also entitles the Caller, Club, & club members to receive awards & recognition from the Federation andother members of the Federation.
2. The Federation can provide support in: recruiting new dancers, publicizing the club's activities, and encouraging Federation members to visit and support the club.

NEWS FROM THE CANADIAN SQUARE & ROUND DANCE SOCIETY (CSRDS)
          The CSRDS held their Annual General Meeting on 6 October in Saskatoon, SK.

• To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Society, the CSRDS Board has decided to honour all Canadian dancerswho have attended all 15 previous National Conventions and will be attending the 16th in London, ON. To-date,the Society NS Directors have found two couples who qualify: Ron & Dot Connell and Leslie & Maxine Cross.If you qualify or know of any other NS dancers who do, please advise Bob & Inge Ruohoniemi.
• The Society awarded 13 Caller/Cuer Bursarys this year. Several NS Caller/Cuers received them.
• The Society has a supply of attractive red lapel pins for sale to the NS Federation. These can be obtained fromRalph & Barb MacDonald 783-2731 ralph.macdonald@ns.sympatico.ca
• The Society's Publicity Committee arranged for advertisements in National magazines and on Cable TV channels.The Society provided free copies of the dance recruiting DVD - “Dancing Keeps You Young” to all provinces.Nova Scotia needs to appoint a Federation Publicity Officer to join the other provinces on the Society PublicityCommittee. Meetings are held by teleconference twice per year. If interested, contact: Ralph & Valerie Brown,543-5278 rwvjbrown@eastlink.ca
• The Society provides special awards and certificates to its members. Details for Society awards are shown here:Society Certificates have been produced for use for special recognition and presentation:
  

  * to Clubs, Associations and Federations on 20th anniversaries and at 5 year intervals;
  * to Callers, leaders and instructors on 20th anniversaries and at 5 year intervals;
  * wedding anniversaries every 10 years starting with the 50th;
  * send certificate requests to Bob & Inge Ruohoniemi,at least one month before the presentation date.

• The Society recognizes outstanding contributions to the Canadian square & round dance movement by an
  

  AWARD OF EXCELLENCE or LONG SERVICE AWARD.
  
  The Award of Excellence consists of a Certificate and a bronze medallion (for each recipient).
  Eligibility: any dancer, caller or cuer member of the Society is eligible for this award.
  Nominations: may be made by any ten members from anywhere in Canada to the Federation. The CSRDS Honours & Awards Chairperson must receive this application prior to February 28 of the convention year for presentation at the National Convention.
  Accomplishments can be in any field of endeavour, performed by any individual in the Canadian Square & Round dance movement. Accomplishments could be a single exceptional result over a short period of time or a steady, above average devotion over a very long period of time.
  The standards for this award are very high and therefore a nomination must be fully substantiated with details of the results of the accomplishment to be recognized.
  The Long Service Award consists of a Certificate and Lapel pin. The nominations MUST set out the EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE (non-profitable) the nominees have provided to the activity through involvement in their club(s), Associations, Federations, etc. Such service being beyond that of the average Dancer/Caller/Cuer/Leader. Length of service shall normally be a minimum of 15 years.
  To obtain the detailed forms and criteria for these two Society awards, contact Bob & Inge Ruohoniemi.

WHY SHOULD YOU AND YOUR CLUB BE MEMBERS OF THE CSRDS?
         At this time of year, the question arises: why become a member of the Canadian Society? Here are some reasons:

1. The most valuable benefit is the Liability Insurance provided through the Society membership.
   Your club members and yourself are covered for any damage liability that may occur. Many malls, schools, & churches require evidence of liability insurance on the club before permitting dancing at their locations.
2. The Society also provides:

   *     A 1-800 telephone service for the public & dancers to get information about square dancing;
   *     A Society webpage listing all Canadian club information;
   *     Publicity in the form of paid ads in national magazines;
   *     Public Service announcements on cable TV stations; and
   *     The Society has provided a free DVD for recruiting new dancers.>/blockquote>

NEWS FROM THE CUMBERLAND TWIRLERS(Submitted by Douglas H. Grant)
         On Saturday September 8 the Cumberland Twirlers Square and Round Dance Club playedhost to square and round dancers from 14 clubs from both Nova Scotia and New Brunswickwhen the 33rd Blueberry Dance was held in the E. B. Chandler School in Amherst.This is one of the two major dances that the club holds each year. More that eight"squares" were present. Both square and round dances were performed as the caller,Kerry Fletcher of Dartmouth, is also an accomplished "cuer" for the latter.
         Barb and Ralph MacDonald of the Maple Leaf Whirlaways in Antigonish were present torepresent the Square and Round Dance Federation of Nova Scotia (Vice Presidents).In this capacity they presented longevity awards to several couples who are membersof the Cumberland Twirlers and have completed 20 or more years of dancing. Presentto receive awards were Stan and Ollie Williams, Ormond and Audrey Boss and Austin andShirley Rose. Receiving their certificates by mail were Margaret Fraser, James Truemanand Eugene and Elsie Baxter.

Ormond and Audrey Boss

Stan and Ollie Williams

Barb & Ralph MacDonald (left) - Shirley & Austin Rose (right)

NEWS FROM THE LAHAVE RIVER RAMBLERS(Submitted by paul & Carol Conrad, Presidents)
         The LaHave River Ramblers began their 19th dance season on the 20th of September, 2007.Barry Bendle began his seventh season as the Club Caller. Two new couples came to giveSquare Dancing a try, showing an enthusiasm for the activity.
         Square and Round Dance Federation of Nova Scotia Presidents, Ralph and Valerie Brown,were in attendance to present Stan & Minnie Sarty with the Federation’s 50th AnniversaryCertificate. They were pleasantly surprised when they were called upon to accept theircertificate. Stan and Minnie graduated 2000, and have held executive positions within the Club.They are always eager to assist in Club activities at the drop of a hat.

Ralph Brown, Stan & Minnie Sarty, Valerie Brown

UPCOMING MAJOR EVENTS:

38th Maritime Convention-9/10 Nov.-Old Orchard Inn, Wolfville
16th Canadian National Convention, 17/19 July - London, Ontario - 519-396-9877 www.swosda.ca/2008