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News For April 4 - 10, 2005
Contents
Club of the week: Rafter Rockers
The Rafter Rockers club will be celebrating their 50th anniversary
in April, 2005. They dance on Wednesday evenings in Campbell.
Caller Gary Carnes will be retiring at the end of April.
Rafter Rockers will merge with the Jokers starting May 1, 2005. The new
club name will be
Rockin' Jokers.
Club History
The Rafter Rockers Club was organized in 1955 by Jack and Neva Johannes,
with Neva as the first club caller. Callers through the years include:
- Neva Johannes (1955-1967)
- Herb Jackson (1967-1974)
- Bob Tripp (1974-1980)
- Ken Kenmille (1980-2000)
- Gary Carnes (2000-2005)
The club started with 17 couples but grew to about 30 couples
during the 1960's. They eventually reached nearly 100 couples and
maintained that level through much of the 1980's and 1990's.
Activities
Rafter Rockers has a rich history of social activities that have
continued to the present time. These activities have included campouts,
picnics, mystery trips, theater parties, progressive dinners, house
tours, sailing on the bay, hiking, whale watching, ice cream socials,
and more. The Club has also been very active in supporting square
dancing. In addition to attendance and participation at local hoedowns,
these activities have included membership for many years in SCVSDA,
participation in festivals and special events such as the Jubilee,
Winterfest, Silver State, Napa, and the Nationals at Anaheim and
Portland, and demonstrating square dancing at the Fair and other
locations.
The Club has also been involved in many charitable activities over the
years. These have included, a Rafter Rocker booth at the De Anza Flea
Market to raise money for the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Marathon,
volunteer nights at Second Harvest Food Bank, and annual visits to (and
performance at) local convalescent homes.
Rafter Rockers sponsors the Circus Circus hoedown every year in April.
This year, the dance will take place on April 9, 2005 at John Muir
School
in south San Jose.
Jokers
The Jokers square dance club also dances on Wednesday nights in
Campbell. The club started dancing in October 1951 an unfinished store
in the Quito Shopping Center. The first caller was Johnny White. Callers
through the years
include:
- Johnny White (1951-1978)
- Dick Lawrence (1978-1980)
- Johnny Robertson (1981-1982)
- Kip Garvey (1983-1987)
- Scott Slocum (1987-1990, 1992-1996)
- Doug Davis (1991-1992)
- Gary Carnes (1996-2000)
- Bob Elling (2000-2003)
- Roger Smith (2003-present)
The Jokers sponsor the Hawaiian Luau hoedown every year in May.
This year, the dance will take place on May 21, 2005 at John Muir
School.
Rockin' Jokers
Gary Carnes is retiring at the end of April. Roger Smith will be the
caller for the new Rockin' Jokers club. The new club will be a great
place to dance, and they hope to
have 8 to 10 squares dancing.
The new Rockin' Jokers will dance at the American Legion Hall in
Campbell where the Jokers now meet. Allen Glesser, the current
Jokers president, will continue as
president of the new club starting May 1.
Rockin' Jokers will hold elections in the fall.
The Rockin' Jokers will continue to sponsor the Circus Circus hoedown
and the Luau hoedown.
For more information:
Rafter Rockers has a web page at
www.rafterrockers.com/
Rafter Rockers has a club history posted at
www.rafterrockers.com/History.html
Jokers has a web page at
www.thejokers.org/
Jokers has a club history posted at
www.thejokers.org/info.htm
Dance of the week: Circus Circus
Rafter Rockers sponsors their annual hoedown Circus Circus to be held
on April 9, 2005 at John Muir School in San Jose. John Muir School is on
Branham Lane in south San Jose, near the intersection with Almaden
Expressway.
This is always a fun dance with great rounds and squares, zany costumes
and decorations, and great food.
Rafter Rockers has a web page at
www.rafterrockers.com/
Last updated Saturday 8 December 2007
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