University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, October 19, 1988
5
Sandy Merrifield, Baldwin resident, and Steve Mason, Lawrence resident, enjoy a waltz during Saturday's barn dance.
It's a barn dance
Stony Point Barn is about five miles south of Lawrence
city noise spruced the quiet
But within this setting, Stony Point Barn, about five miles south of Lawrence, housed a furry of activity
Inside, about 100 people clapped, stomped and shouted as they square danced, some for the first time.
"We're different than the square dance clubs," said Carl Graves, a member of the board of the Lawrence Barn Dance Association. "Anybody
can walk in off the street, and we teach them to dance. "It be one-third new people."
No one realized that more than Diane Burton, who has been calling dances for 15 years
She carried a stack of note cards, each one containing the necessary steps to transform a word into a number.
Although she didn't have to refer to the cards on Saturday's dance began, Burton did shuffle through them during a 15-minute break when she needed to find some easier舞es.
"I had 16 dances lined up," she said, "but there a lot of beginners here."
But the beginners weren't there just to dance
'It's a great place to meet people.' Graves said.
"Don't get too intrigued with that partner,
because you're not going to be keeping them longer."
Each frontier whirl and promadeon could lead to another partner.
That type of informal meeting is what the association is all about. Even the association's
"It's more like a planning committee than a formal board," said Ravi Bhuaker, a member of the board and a post-doctoral student at the University.
The association has been going since September 1982, when Catherine Baer, a former KU student, moved from Chicago to Lawrence and decided
that the city needed a square dance group, said Bayliss Harsh, a member of the board.
Bauer began the association, Harsh said, and she even called the first few dances, although she never had called a dance
Eventually, it caught on
"It just sort of kept happening and evolved into an established thing." Harsh said.
This roadside sign welcomes the
This roadside sign welcomes the square dancers.
Now, the dances are conducted once a month on the third Saturday,
except during September, when the dance corresponds to Baldwin's Maple
Leaf Festival, Graves said.
Each dance attracts people from around the state.
Helen Murphy, Holton resident, said, "I'm really glad that they have something like this."
Although this was Murphy's third time at an association sponsored dance, it was the first one he did.
And Stony Point Barn was the right one to have it in, Graves said.
He said that the barn recently had its floor reinforced, which made it perfect for the swinging house. "They just have a lot of space," he said.
The owner of the barn, Pat Olkowski, said that he'd had about six or seven dances in the barn but that this dance would be the first in an annual series.
Okowski didn't waste time playing the host. He joined in on the fiddle with the band, Lyman Enbe Knee and Gareth Reed.
The dancers took pride in learning the moves.
During one dance, Burton taught progression, or the movement of a dancer up or down the line.
After a successful attempt at the move, Burton said, "Everybody has progressed."
The Lyman Enloe and Friends Band played for the square dancers.
And cheers of pride at accomplishment filled Stony Point Barn.
by DAVID STEWART photos by STEPHEN WADE
Nearly 100 people danced on the wooden floor of the barn.