My Square Dance Story

At the age of 14, my parents informed me that we would be taking square dance lessons; I was dragged kicking and screaming. After just a few lessons, I was hooked and began enjoying it. I danced with the Chaps and Petticoats in Aurora, Oregon, beginning in the Fall of 1991 (the Caller was Frank Gonzalez). I met my wife, Lila, at the Mid-Winter Festival in 1992 in Eugene, Oregon. We never stopped dancing together after that. I took a few calling lessons from Frank but had to leave it behind when I left for the Army. Lila and I were married when we turned 18 and raised our four children, spending 8 years in the Army and living in multiple states.

In 2022, after our children were all adults, we began feeling like empty nesters and started looking at activities we could do together. We remembered our enjoyment of square dancing from our youth and decided to give it a try again. We retook lessons in the Fall of 2022, surprised at how easily the moves came back, although we were a bit dismayed that Cross Trail Through was no longer in the mainstream program.

In the Spring of 2023, I began looking into learning to become a Caller. I joined Daryl Clendenin's Zoom class for Callers in May and learned some of the magic behind calling.

In June of 2023, I called my first tip at Lebanon's Strawberry Festival; I also called a tip on the parade float that year. I called my first dance for the McMinnville Braids and Braves in February 2024. In the Spring of 2024, I taught my first mainstream class in Sweet Home. I became the Club Caller for the Lebanon Square Circlers and the Sweet Home Squarenaders in the Fall of 2024.

In the words of Daryl Clendenin, "Callers Call." And I have found a passion for it.