"Rip Van Winkle's" Blog

January 17, 2026

Today my new Caller badge came in.  SqDini Badge made it for me.  I told them how I had been branding myself as Square Dancing's Rip Van Winkle and they ran with it.  It is a little gaudy, but then that's who I am sometimes.  I told them about the primary colors I wear to square dances and they even matched up colors for my color choices in clothing.  They were patient with the design phase and made sure every thing was correct and to my liking.  Once the design was finalized the turn around time was extremely fast.  I can't say enough good things about these folks.

January 17, 2026

I thought about a memory that I wanted to share.  Back in the 1970s one of the best square dance festivals in the south was held in Biloxi, Mississippi.  This festival was held in August each year and ALWAYS had Marshall Flippo calling on Friday night.  Saturday night would feature two more of the top callers in the nation.  It was a weekend each year I would refuse bookings so I would be able to attend.

I have a lot of great memories about this festival (Including my first kiss from the woman I would marry).  This memory is from when Ronald Reagan was president and there was an air traffic controllers strike going on.  At this particular Biloxi festival Dick Jones and Beryl Main were booked for Saturday.  Due to the air traffic controller strike a lot of flights were being delayed.  The flight Dick and Beryl were both on was one of these delayed flights.  This meant they would not be there on time to start the Saturday afternoon workshop.

In a frantic effort to get the workshop started on time the festival organizers looked at the list of 30 or so callers who were registered on Friday night.  For some reason the person they decided to ask to call the workshop until the big boys arrived was me.  Understand I was probably 21 at this time and had only been calling for 4 years.  This was quite an honor considering about 30 other regional callers plus a couple national caliber callers were there for the weekend.  I received a phone call in my hotel room explaining they had called 5 hotels already trying to find me.  The person explained the situation and of course I was glad to fill in.

What I have said up until now was first hand information.  What follows is what I was told by other people including the person who picked Dick and Beryl from the airport and others.  When Dick and Beryl were picked up they apologized for the unpreventable delay.  They were told the organizers understood and had arranged for another caller to kick off the workshop and call until they arrived.  Beryl or Dick one asked who they had gotten.  The driver didn't remember my name but told them I was one of the best callers in the south.  When they walked into the Gulf Coast Colusium Dick looked at the festival chairman and said "I should have known it would be Tim".  Dick Jones had faith in me I didn't have in myself.  He had faith in me no one else did.  Even today I miss Dick Jones who left us way to soon due to an aneurysm.

January 10, 2026

Today I finalized the design for my personal badge.  The people at sqdini.com have done a remarkable job creating something that fits with the "Rip Van Winkle " identity.   I have also ordered 100 dangle badges for an idea I have concerning a singing call from back in the 1960s.  When these come in I will post pictures and explain the dangles.

January 4, 2026

The lists from Callerlab are now out for both Mainstream and Plus.  To be honest what calls are on what list in the short term are irrelevant.   What is relevant is the decision clubs need to make.  Do we dance Mainstream?  Do we dance Plus?  Do we dance a "lite" version of Plus?  Does the club dance split tips for the different levels?

I believe it was in the 1950s that square dancing discovered it needed standardization.   This idea led to the 50 basics then the 25 extended basics.  Then came the "big boom" in available calls.  Callers all over were creating new calls.  A lot of this was purely garbage.  Burleson's encyclopedia of square dancing blew up to over 4,000 calls.  CallerLab's first great decision was to implement "Quarterly workshop calls".  They would choose 2 new calls per quarter for us to workshop.  After 3 months these calls were to be dismissed and two more be used for the next quarter.  Problem...some of those calls were continued to be used so we increased the number of calls.  These were not basics or extended basics so they were called Plus calls.  There got to be enough of them it became Plus 1 and Plus 2.  One problem solved but another created.

The move to the new list is another effort for standardization.  This time it is not about the calls really, it is about the teaching time.  Lessons had grown to 30 weeks and then another 20 weeks of gaining confidence.  At this time, clubs need shorter lessons to get people in.  So the clubs are faced with the problem of Mainstream, Plus, or split tips.  Our future lies with bringing in new dancers so this needs to be thought out carefully.

I would like to caution clubs about "Plus Lite".  If you go this route, when you go to dances advertised as Plus you will not be able to dance.  If you go Plus...go Plus and commit to it.  Clubs need to dismiss egoes about their dance level and make a plan for where they want to be.  If they want to be Plus, that is fine, just create a plan to make it happen.  The lists aren't the problem.  Choosing which one you want, implementing it, and sticking with it is the problem.

December 31, 2025

Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about how I dress when in front of people.  I was taught to take care of your appearance and present yourself as a professional.   My mentor even emphasized to me the importance of not having anything in your pockets when you are calling.  I have NEVER, that I can remember, called with bulges in my pockets.

With this in mind, I take seriously what I wear every time I get behind a mic.  Building a wardrobe takes time and effort, at least it does for me.  A blazer can cost $150-$250, western pants (if you can find them) are $80, shirts run $60-80, belts can run $130-$200 depending on the buckle, nice bolos are anywhere from $80-500, and boots...I don't even want to talk about it.

I have been back calling for 8 months now and have not been comfortable with my attire at all.  First I bought some shirts and a couple bolo ties.  Next I bought a nice western blazer and a pair of boots.  I could not find nice western pants in any of the western stores though.  I have been forced to be satisfied with standard dress pants.  The western stores all tried to push jeans of one color or another on me.  I do have an idea how I can work with jeans, but that will come down the road.

I found Circle S brand online that actually has dressy western pants.  Finding size and color match ups for me (and anyone for that matter) from them is difficult though.  Combine that with the reputation Circle S has for sizes to be off and I have been very leary.  I finally found the color I wanted in Circle S and after checking forums concerning the fit I pulled the trigger.  They came in today and my caution was well founded.  Based on what I learned online I purchased one size larger than what I would normally get.  The pants came in today and fit really nice.  Now I need to find a reputable place to adjust the length.  Oh Karen, I'm sorry dear, but now I need a new belt and boots to go with these pants and my new blazer!

December 27, 2025

Christmas has come and Christmas has gone.  It's time to start working on expanding my choreography again.  Part of that is evaluating the new suggested teaching order from CallerLab.   I will be teaching a new class in Laurel each Tuesday night starting January 6th and I need to be as prepared as possible.  It has been a long time since I taught a full set of lessons.  I have always enjoyed teaching new dancers.  There is a unique challenge in each class.  Seeing people learn how to square dance is so fulfilling I can hardly wait.

There will be challenges involved in these lessons.  The lessons will run on same night as the club dance.  Basically we will be swapping tips.  The temptation is always there to teach more, but when the lessons will get only 3 to 4 tips each night you have to be careful.  You must be disciplined to not confuse things by throwing too much out in one night.  This also means the club tips will have to be spot on each time as their dance time will be shortened.  Each tip for club members will have to be special.

I am ready and looking forward to it!

December 22, 2025

It is amazing what you can learn just watching another caller sometimes. I watched a video of Ted Kennedy doing some patter calling the other night. I was amazed at what I saw. I went looking for more videos of his patter calling and wasn't disappointed. He reminded me of something I knew years ago that hadn't filtered into my mind yet. I won't go into detail about my short comings that his calling pointed out to me. Let's just say he pointed me one more step towards getting back where I was 36 year a ago.

I know I will never be the caller I once was and I have accepted that. There are some skills, such as memory, that I will never get back. Then again, there are things I can relearn but I just don't remember what some of are. It is amazing the things I don't remember and am discovering by seeing someone do. Then I think "I know that...or I used too"! It is like trying to put together memories that are hidden in the back of your mind.

December 17, 2025

Appropriate clothing in square dancing seems to be a hot topic for some people today.  Some think the traditional square dance attire is the way to go and some believe we need to have a looser dress code.  Personally I can see both view points.  There is simply a special feeling being in a square with well dressed men wearing long sleeve western shirts, some type of tie, and boots.  There is something magical about circling left and the women are swishing their skirts with the full petticoat underneath.   Add to that the skirt work the women may do while they are dancing...it is just special.  It catapults a dance to another level.  On the other hand, we are so short on dancers today the casual wear may be the difference in new dancers deciding to join or not.  Western wear can be a significant expense.

Me...I always dress as nice as I can when I am calling.  The first special dance I went to after returning to square dancing gave me a little culture shock.  The caller was a regional caller who has a significant level of popularity.  It was an afternoon session so I was aware the dancers might not be in full Square Dance attire.  What I was not ready for was seeing the caller wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes.  That night the dance was more "formal" with most.dancers wearing full Square Dance attire.  The caller was better dressed but it still looked like he was dressed more for a football game than a square dance. 

While callers should understand and be accepting of how the dancers choose to dress, I do believe the callers should dress as professionals.   The dancers deserve to see us at our best and we owe it to them to dress accordingly.

All this being said...I have been shopping for nice looking clothing ever since I started back calling.  It is not always easy to find "special" looking clothing.  I have been searching for another dressy blazer in my size, everything I have found looks nice but it did not have the special flair.  The look that says "I am a professional caller and I am proud to be one".  I finally found one in my size with tasteful embroidery on the yoke.  I asked the sales person at the western store if she could help me find some dress pants that would coordinate with the blazer.  She showed me jeans!  I banged my head against the wall and paid for the blazer!  Thank God for the internet.

December 16, 2025

Tonight I had the pleasure and honor of calling the Christmas dance for the Laurelaires in Laurel,  MS.   Everyone was dressed in festive attire and was ready for a party.  This is a wonderful club and I am honored by them booking me to call for them.

The Laurelaires have been booking callers on a rotational basis, but this is changing, at least for a little while.  The club is planning on starting lessons in January.   Experience has taught them having rotational callers coming in and trying to teach lessons is not the optimum choice.  The club seems to like the way I teach so they asked me if I would take on calling for them each week while they have lessons.  I believe this would be a good arrangement for both the club and myself.  I accepted the invitation and am now scheduled to call for the Laurelaires each Tuesday in January and February.   We will look at and evaluate the situation at the end of February.   This does not mean I am now their club caller.  It simply means I will call for their club while they are having lessons so the lessons will have continuity.  If the lessons work out I am sure my schedule with them will be extended beyond February to continue the lessons.

I think this will be a good move for both the club and me.  I am looking forward to teaching this lesson set and calling for the Laurelaires. 

December 9. 2025

Tonight I attended the Yellow Rockers Square Dance Club's Christmas party.   Lots of good food, people dressed in Holiday attire, and Harry Case behind the mic.  All the food was delicious and Harry called a great dance.  There was definitely a holiday vibe going on.

Next week on Tuesday, December 16 I will be calling for the Laurelaires in Laurel, MS.  I need to be at my best for this dance.  I don't want to let anyone down.  Let's see..."Grandma got runover doing Scoot Back?"  I'll have to work on that!

December 4, 2025

Today I heard from one of the organizers of the Louisiana State Square Dance Convention.   I have been invited to attend and call at their convention and have accepted the invitation.  Their convention will be April 10-11, 2026 at the Hotel Bentley in Alexandria, LA.  (EDIT...The location for the Louisiana Convention has been changed.  It will be held in Pineville instead of Alexandria)  I am very excited about this opportunity and fully intend to make the most of this opportunity. 

I would like to thank Ted Kennedy for mentioning my name to the organizers.  I appreciate all the help he has given me thus far.

December 2, 2025

I have been having a lot of problems navigating and putting new songs in my computer.  The program is called squareview and it is what the majority of callers are using.  I was able to move some of my music into the program but have not been able to add more songs to it.  I have been totally frustrated with the effort and was about ready to give up on the program.

Yesterday out of the blue I received a phone call from a caller in California I have never met.  He wanted to help out with the issues I was having with the program.  We talked for about an hour with him on his computer and me on mine.  We started from scratch and created new files for all my music to be organized in.  He then guided me through setting up the program to accept all the music in the files we set up.  I rebooted the program and all of a sudden all the songs I wanted in that program were there.

I want to thank Rick Hampton of California for the help.  Rick is a full time traveling caller and the owner of the following square dance labels producing square dance music...Fine Tune, Sharpshooter Music, Happy Tracks, and Gold Wing Square Dance labels. 

November 30, 2025

Clubs canceling dances around Thanksgiving has got me jittery and eager to call again.  My next scheduled dance to call is still two and a half weeks away.  I am ready to go just no where to go to.

November 21, 2025

It is official.  I am now a member of the Alabama Square Dance Callers Association.   I just got the email welcoming me to their association.  I am looking forward to getting to know some of these fine callers.  I met a few on my recent trip to Guntersville and was impressed with what I saw.  They only meet once a year as a state association.  You can bet I will be at that meeting!

November 18, 2025

In the past couple weeks I have come to realize a truth.  That truth is, I will never be the caller I once was.  There is no need in me trying to recapture that bolt of lightning again.  That flash of light is gone and will never be back again.  36 years ago when I quit calling I had 18 years of experience and a 35 year old mind.  I am not feeble minded by any means but I do understand my 71 year old mind could never keep up with my 35 year old mind.  Add to that 12 years ago I was in a coma fighting for my life.  My body was shutting down before the medicine took hold.  During this time while my body was literally dieing,  I lost some mental capabilities and mental acuity but as I said I am by no means feeble.  At this age I have no delusions about calling another 18 years.  If I did how could an 89 year mind compete with where I was with 18 years experience and a 35 year old mind.  I will never be that caller again.

So, why go on calling?  No, I can't be the caller I was but I can be a new version of that caller.  I have discovered I have new things to offer in my calling.  I will never tell anyone I am a great singer, but I am better vocally than I was 36 years ago.  I have a better understanding of how to use my voice than I did back then.  I understand more nuances about choreography than I did back then.  No, I cannot site 10 squares as I once could.  Shoot, I have trouble remembering who is with who in one square now let alone 10!  However, I have learned I can lean more on modules and understanding the mathematics of calling.  Example...once you go beyond 40 calls before square resolution the chance of dancers failure goes up.  What I have come to understand is not to waste calls frivolously.  Don't do repetitive zero movements to fill time.  Make the calls count for something, after all once I go beyond 40 the chances of a breakdown grow with each call.  I may never catch that bolt of lightning again, but I can turn a light on without getting electrocuted.

November 16, 2025

Today I sent off my application to join the Alabama Square Dance Callers Association.   Why the Alabama association and not Mississippi's?  Good question.  It is quite simple.  I was invited to join the Alabama association.  I have asked about the Mississippi Callers association, but there didn't seem to be any interest in me joining it from the Mississippi callers.  I don't think I was being snubbed, I honestly believe their association is so beat down the members see no point in it continuing.   This breaks my heart as it was once as fine an organization as you would find anywhere in the nation.  I hope the callers of that association will one day decide to make the most of what they have and not pretend it doesn't exist.  If they do, I will be first in line to join them!

November 8, 2025.

Today I had the honor of calling at the ASARDA Fall Dance in Guntersville, AL.   It was a great dance the other callers were fantastic and the dancers were sharp and lively!  The Master of Ceremonies Skip Cleland did a phenomenal job of entertaining the dancers as he introduced each caller.  The scenery in Guntersville was absolutely breathtaking.   It is one of the prettiest towns I have ever seen, and I have been in atleast 40 of the states in our great land.

This was an important trip for me.  It gave me an opportunity to gauge my calling skills farther.  It is vastly different calling to people who know you and support you than it is calling to an entire floor of dancers who have never seen you or even heard of you before.  They do not know your calling or your voice and you don't know how well they can dance nor what they can dance.  If I am to call in other areas I must be able to size up dancers quickly and adjust to their abilities.  I believe I accomplished this goal at this particular dance.  It was not a whole dance.  It was just one tip, but the dancers responded well and danced without breaking down.  Goal...show the dancers they COULD dance to me and I would be FUN to dance to.  My goal had nothing to do with dazzling the dancers with complicated choreography.   Just let the dancers have fun dancing to a caller they had never heard. Based on the dancers responses and reactions I would say, goal accomplished.   Now I need more challenges.

I would like to thank Ted Kennedy for helping to facilitate me calling at this dance.  I have already marked it on my calendar to attend the Alabama State Festival next year in August.  I will look forward to seeing some of my new found friends then if not before.

November 3, 2025

Today Karen had her knee replacement surgery.  Everything went well however they decided to keep her in the Hospital over night.  She is doing well and in good spirits, she just needs to get a little more mobile before they let her go home.

October 23, 2025

Today I received a couple significant pieces of information.  First, we finally have a date for Karen's knee replacement surgery.   She will have it on Monday, November 3.  Second, I heard from Ted Kennedy, president of the Alabama Callers Association.  I will be welcome to be one of the callers at the Fall Dance, put on by Alabama's square dance association, in Guntersville, AL.  Problem is this dance is on November 8.  This is only 5 days after Karen's surgery.   On the good side, this is an afternoon dance so I could come home that night and be home before midnight.  Also on the good side my oldest son, Jonathan, has said he will be glad to come and spend the day with her.

The decision about going...yes I want to attend the Alabama dance.  I think it would be good for me to get the exposure.  However, anyone who knows me understands how devoted I am to my wife.  I seriously feel it is more important for me to be with her during this time.  Ultimately I guess it will be a last minute decision based on how she is doing.  I will not sacrifice the good of my wife for my own personal desires.  I quit calling to be the Dad I felt I should be.  I can put off getting more exposure to take care of my wife if necessary.

October 14, 2025

Tonight I was blessed once again to call for the Yellow Rockers Square Dance Club in Brandon, MS.   This group was really dancing good tonight.  They are such a special group of people.  If it was not for this club I would not have re-entered Square Dancing.   They have been so supportive and encouraging to me, there is no way I can ever show them my appreciation. 

The dance went really well.  I concentrated the first two tips on reestablishing the ART of calling back into my calling.  I honestly believe those were the best two tips I have called since returning.  After the second tip I went into workshop mode working on variations of calls they had been doing and did not concentrate on the ART as much.  But in those first two tips, I felt like I did calling 36 years ago.

October 9, 2025

My wife, Karen, has had a set back involving her knee surgery.  The knee replacement was to be on the 10th of October.   We recieved word on the 9th the surgery would have to be pushed back.  We don't have a date for surgery at this time.  We are hoping she can be put back on the schedule in a week or two.

October 4, 2025

I think I have made a break through in regaining my skills as a caller.  No, I am not instantaneously the caller I was 36 years ago.  I will never be that caller again.  I do not have the same concentration levels that I once had.  I am not going to state here how many squares I could remember and site on back in the day.  Other callers didn't believe me back in the day until I would demonstrate it to them.  Choreography will probably never just flow from my 71 year old brain the way it did from my 35 year old brain which had 18 years of practice.

However, in creating this website I looked deeply into my past and realized I was so busy learning the mechanics of calling again, I had forgotten about the art of calling.  What I am about to say troubles me in just saying it.  The reason for that is I was known for being extremely arrogant when I was younger.  I don't want to be that person again and this may sound arrogant.  Really it is not arrogance it is simply an inconvenient truth.  In the past I  could call to a floor where another caller had problems and I would not.  The dancers could dance to me if I called the same thing another caller couldn't get them to dance to.  It is the ART of calling.  I could excite a floor where another caller couldn't.   It is the ART of calling.  At a dance with 10 squares in attendance a fellow caller could get 8 up to dance, but when I would call all 10 would get up to dance.  It is the ART of calling.

Back 36 years ago I understood the ART of calling.  It is such a complicated process and so many nuances to it many callers never get it.  They may be good callers but they never understand the ART of calling.  Today I must say my return to calling has been void of the ART.  In building this website I have been reminded of that.  Self evaluation has made me understand I still have that info locked in my brain.  I just have to find a way to pull it out while I am calling and put it into practice again.  Now that I am aware of it maybe my skills will start coming back quicker.  I just need mic time!  Anyone want me to call for them?  I'm ready to go!

October 2, 2025

Tonight I saw my first report on how the website is doing.  In the first 72 hours it had 300 visitors.  I realize that is not a lot for online stuff, but it is a lot to me.  Especially when you consider I don't even have the key words put in for internet search engines to find it.  The biggest shock I had was a person from Australia remembered me from the 70s and 80s and reached out to me.  I am eager now to see how I can improve this site now.

September 30, 2025

Tonight I was honored with the opportunity to call for the Laurelaires in Laurel, MS.   We had some visitors from Meridian, MS join us.  It was a great night, we danced Mainstream and Plus.  We even workshopped some Plus moves in one of the tips.  I appreciate these people more than they will ever now.  They have no idea how much I am honored that they have now had me call for them on 3 occasions.

September 29, 2025

Tonight I launched this website.  I had been working on it for about a month.  It is not where I want it to be, but I figured sooner or later I was going to have to launch it.  So, it is up and running.  I think I even have the "contact me" part working.

September 29, 2025

Today we received the approval for my wife, Karen, to have her much needed knee replacement surgery.  This operation will take place on October 10th.  I am really looking forward to her recovery.  I have always enjoyed walking with her holding hands, just like we did when we were young.

After her recovery she should be able to use a clutch in a car again.  She has never driven my sports car and I really want her to have the opportunity. 

September 27, 2025

Tonight I was privileged to take my son, Patrick, to his first special dance.  It was the Mississippi Square Dance Association's North Council Dance.   I am pleased to report he had a great time!  Nick Hartley was the caller and not only did he do a great job, but I believe I made a new friend.  I am looking forward to one day possibly sharing the mic with him at a dance somewhere.  Our philosophies in dancing are close enough to work together while our techniques are different enough to enhance each other's efforts.  I believe it would be a really good dance.  Who knows, maybe some day it will happen.

September 24, 2025

Today I had a much needed eye examination.  My eyesight has deteriorated to the point where I try to have someone else drive for me at night when possible.  The opthomologist informed me he could improve my glasses prescription but it wouldn't be much of an improvement.  It looks like I will have to get cataracts removed.  This makes me very nervous but I know it is done all the time and if others can do this, I can too.  However, I will have to wait on committing to the surgery until we know when my wife, Karen, can have her knee surgery.  Once we have this scheduled we can work in my eye surgery as the calendar allows.

September 20, 2025

Tonight I called for the Belles And Bouys Square Dance Club in Gulfport, MS.   This was a special treat for me.  45 years ago this club tried to book me but I was booked solid for the next year and we couldn't arrange an agreeable date.  This club has a deep and rich history plus some great members dancing at a great level.  It was truly a pleasure to get to call for them.

September 9, 2025

Harry Case is still on vacation so I was blessed to be able to call for the Yellow Rockers once again.  My calling style is different from Harry's and I am sure the club is looking forward to "their" caller returning.  My calling style is a little more aggressive and bolder than Harry's but they always seem to enjoy it anyway.  I appreciate them so much and appreciate the opportunities they give me at this time.  I would never turn away from an opportunity to call a dance for them, but I too will be welcoming Harry back.

September 2, 2025

Tonight I was honored with the opportunity to fill in for Harry Case and call for the Yellow Rockers in Brandon, MS.  It was a great night, the club was awesome once again!  I am looking forward to calling for them again next week once again.

August 26, 2025

Tonight I was privileged to call for Laurelaires again.  This time my wife, Karen, was able to travel with me.  We had a wonderful trip and the club was absolutely fantastic.  On top of everything else I was able to meet Carol Hosch who calls for the club in Meridian, MS.  This meant a lot to me.  I'm afraid it meant a lot more to me than it did to her.  Back in the days when I called before I had a really close relationship with the other callers in my state.  I guess I was wanting to recreate that scenario.  These are not the same times or conditions of those long gone days.  I have developed some online friendships with some other callers.  I guess I just need to give it time.  After all, our state callers association is now practically nonexistent.  I haven't even been able to join it because they no longer have meetings.  Who knows, maybe I can help that if I can just get to know the other callers.

August 21, 2025

Thirty-six years ago when I quit calling I sold my sound equipment.  It was a Hilton AC-300 along with speakers, stands, mic, and record box/monitor.  To make it even more special, it wasn't just a normal AC-300, it was one of Jim Hilton's prototypes for the AC-300.  This was very dramatic for me.  Selling my equipment represented to me that I had truly quit calling, which I loved so dearly.  I also knew I would never again own anything which was so perfectly built.  Every time it is brought up in discussion, my wife reminds me that I cried after selling it.

Today through the generosity of another caller, whom I shall not name here, I received a UPS package.   In that package was a well preserved Hilton AC-300.  This caller from another part of the country had read a comment about how much it hurt the day I sold mine.  He had an AC-300 which had been just sitting around so he offered to give it to me.

It is in beautiful condition and I can not wait to use it again.  No it is not one of the new Hilton amps.  It is old and by most people's judgements it is obsolete.  To me it is a thing of beauty and I will use it with great pride.

August 20, 2025

Last night my son Patrick graduated from square dance lessons.  He was taught by Harry Case at the Yellow Rockers Square Dance Club in Brandon MS.  Harry and the club did a great job teaching him and instilling a love of the hobby in him.  It was great seeing a graduation dance again.

Thank you very much to Harry and the Yellow Rockers. 

August 13, 2025

It may sound silly for someone in my position to create a website.  After all, I am not a national caller.  I am not even a regional caller.  I have had a number of inquiries concerning my availability, how far I will travel, and are there any videos of me calling online?  Everything considered and the importance of having a media presence, today I decided to create a website.  The domaine name with my name and .com on the end of it has been registered by a tattoo artist so I got timhendricks.org which you are reading this on.

I am creating this site myself and it will take a while but I believe it will be worth the effort.  From this point forward the blog events will be written on date shown.  Up until now it has been posted from memory and my date book notes.

August 12, 2025

Tonight I called for the Laurelaires Square Dance Club in Laurel, MS.  They were hoping three couples would show up for lessons.  I was informed this would be their first night and the club wanted me to start them off.  They had a little over a square of club members show up plus a couple visitors from Meridian, MS.  The lessons turned out to be one couple but they were very enthusiastic and are looking forward to learning and being part of the club.

In addition to the lesson tips I called a mix of Mainstream tips and Plus tips.  This club was fully aware of my limitations and my history, I don't think they were expecting much.  Everyone seemed to really be surprised at how far I have come in four months.  They enjoyed themselves enough they booked me again on the spot.  I am very grateful to them for giving me this opportunity. 

August 11, 2025

Efforts to start a club in Crystal Springs has come down to us having 3 couples who seriously want to do this.  We have made a joint decision to have another couple beginner nights.   Maybe this will give us enough people to move forward.  I am impressed with the desire of these people.  We have danced with only 3 couples and I have continued to teach more calls to them.  They are doing fantastic, but they really need a full Square.  We have even danced a square with me in it to fill it out.  Here is hoping the beginner nights brings us another one or two couples.

August 4, 2025

I have made the decision to accept the invitations I have received to call in-state.   I hope I am not making a mistake, but if I don't have confidence in myself how can I expect anyone else to either. 

I have had a few out of state inquiries concerning my calling.  I have been in the situation of having people ask me to call out of state before and I fully understand what you are being asked to do and what it means to accept a commitment such as this.  I know my skills are returning but I also know they are not where they need to be if you accept such a booking.  My skills are currently no where near being ready for such a thing.  Will they be at some point in the future?  I feel absolutely confident they will be, just not yet.  I do need to put some thought behind this as I have had inquiries from Knoxville, Branson and Orlando areas.  I have had people ask how far will I travel to call.  I can see the Square Dance world is smaller than it used to be and callers need to be prepared to travel greater distances.  The days of calling in a tri-state area seem to be gone.

August 3, 2025

I have been booked to call for the Yellow Rockers again on September 2nd and 9th.  Their caller will be away and has asked me not to accept any other booking on the 16th.  He feels I may be asked by another club for that night and he may want to be out an extra week.  I will be glad to honor this request.  I am so appreciative of what he and this club have done for me.

JULY 30, 2025

People are starting to hear about me being back and I seem to be getting attention.   I don't know if this is good or bad.  I have been asked to call for a club in Laurel, MS and one in Gulfport, MS.  I am not hiding my situation from them.  I am telling them how little current experience I have but they want me anyway.  I have explained to them I feel like Rip Van Winkle.  Hmmm, maybe I have stumbled onto the branding avenue for me as a caller.

I have talked with the caller from the Yellow Rockers, as he sees me call each week, and he is encouraging me to accept.  My fear is my efforts will not be good enough and they will NEVER want me to come back.  Worst of all they might not like me at this point and tell others to never book me.  I would rather put off booking elsewhere until I am ready.

July 29, 2025

Tonight I called the whole dance for the Yellow Rockers again.  This was my 3rd complete dance to call.  Everybody but me seems to be happy with my progress.  I guess I am still trying to compare myself with the old me from 36 years ago.

It amazes me these people of so supportive.   I appreciate them more than they will ever know.  Back 36 years ago I had so many calling opportunities I didn't fully appreciate what I had.  Now I am truly grateful for every opportunity I get.

July 7, 2025

The second beginner night in Crystal Springs was tonight.  I knew from text messages some of the people who were there the first week would not be there this week due to prior commitments. 

At the Beginner night tonight we had 1 Square.  Half of these were not there the first week.  We know from experience that people will often come out for one night and have a good time but not return.  They had their fun but don't want to commit to doing it each week.

This is going to be a tough battle.  But, nothing worth doing is ever easy.

June 30, 2025

Beginner  night.  We had 2 squares participate tonight, we had a total of 21 dancers.  Everyone was in high spirits and had fun.  We even had four of the members of the Yellow Rockers come down to show support.  It looks like it could be off to a good start.

June 9, 2025

I have been working all week getting flyers for beginner nights designed and made.  I have posted on every local face book page I can find about our upcoming beginner nights.   Today I placed an ad in the county newspaper for 2 weeks advertising the beginner nights.  I have walked most of the towns business area putting up flyers.  I am doing all I can to promote the beginner nights.

A lot of people on Facebook are interested in how this effort to start where no dancing currently exists will turn out.

June 2, 2025

If I am to improve in calling I need to call more than one tip a week.  There are no other opportunities so I will have to create my own.  If I could teach lessons it would be ideal.

The town where I live, Crystal Springs, once had a Square Dance club.  Interestingly enough their caller was the same caller who calls for the Yellow Rockers now.  The club was successful but disbanded when the town passed an ordinance banning dancing of any kind within the city limits.

Today I visited the Crystal Springs City Hall.  I asked if that ordinance was still in effect.  The Mayor said no and she thought the town would love to have Square Dancing again.  She even told me how to go about booking the towns community center.  I visited the community center, the same place as the club met 45 years ago.  It was available on Monday nights so I booked it starting the last Monday of the month.

Today I started joining Facebook groups pertaining to Square Dancing.   I made a couple posts and am amazed at how much interest there is in my returning as a caller.

May 20, 2025

Called my 2nd full dance for the Yellow Rockers.   I felt more comfortable but am still a long way from being decent.  The dancers were very encouraging and seemed to enjoy themselves.

Once again I am grateful for the opportunities they are giving me.

May 1, 2025

Today I ordered business cards and started buying Square Dance clothes.  My how prices have gone up!  The business cards are not all that original.  In fact they look somewhat generic, but in time I will come up with a better design more appropriate to me.  I have always been good at creating a brand for myself.  It will happen as I give it a chance.  As for the clothes...this is going to be a job in it's self.  Finding the right apparel is proving to be difficult.  Sure you can find western shirts.  Finding designs and materials that match my personality are not that easy.  I am not the brash young man I once was nor am I a farm hand.  I am looking for clothes that say "yes, I am a square dance caller".  Western suits or dressy western pants are even harder to find.  Bolo ties?  There are plenty around locally but nothing that makes a statement.  I may have to commission some to be specially made...or perhaps maybe I can make some creations of my own.

April 28, 2025

I called the Caller for the Yellow Rockers and had a discussion with him.  I told him if they wanted me to come back into calling I was willing to commit to that effort.  With the following caveat.  I knew he would need to be out of the club occasionally and I was fine with filling in for him, but in no way was I interested in taking his place or even splitting calling duties with him.  However if I was going to be able to fill in for him I needed to call a tip each week for obvious reasons.  He seemed to be delighted at this prospect.

He agreed to help me as much as he could.  My how the roles have reversed!  When he started out I was helping him.  All is good.  I also told him my son would like to learn to Square Dance.   He said they have another person who wants to learn so they could teach them both.

I called the president of the Yellow Rockers and informed her I was committing to come back as a caller.  I did emphasize I was not interested in splitting calling duties with their caller, but would be willing to take his place if he could not be there.  She was delighted.

April 23, 2025

After participating in dancing last night, my youngest son, Patrick, has decided he wants to learn how to Square Dance.  I am thrilled that I was the one who introduced him to square dancing and called his first couple tips.

April 22, 2025

Tonight I called my first full dance in 36 years.  The Yellow Rockers went all out welcoming me back.  They had a throw back night to when they were the Dancing Pirates.   Everyone who still had Dancing Pirates badges wore them.  They had party type pirate hats for everyone to wear.  A large picture of a pirate ship adorned the wall and they had a table covered with pirate's booty.  Plus they had snacks for the night.  I was humbled and flattered that people would make this much of a fuss about me.

The dance actually went better than I expected.  Was I as good as their regular caller?  Emphatically I say NO!  However, as they had said, I was better than not having a caller at all.  My youngest son whom had always heard about me calling but had no memory of it attended just to see me call.  He had no idea how Square Dancers operate.  He had no intention to try to dance.  But, as you can imagine, we had a beginner tip for him to join in on.  As I taught him first night stuff and saw him moving around the square I realized he was hooked just as I was now hooked on calling again.  He loved it.

I want to add this...I am truly humbled by the actions and reception of this club.   I am also grateful for them giving me the opportunity for more mic time.

April 8, 2025

Tonight was the 3rd time I have visited the Yellow Rockers.  The first time I went, I was coerced into calling a tip of patter.  The 2nd time I called patter and a singing caller.  Tonight I did the same.  Wait a minute...I no longer had any square dance music, so how did this happen?  Answer, the club caller, Harry Case, let me look through the music on his computer and find some music I somewhat remembered from 36 years ago.  Needless to say these tips were not practiced at all and I was just winging it.  I do appreciate the club and their caller giving me these opportunities. 

The club president surprised me, if it is possible to surprise me anymore, by asking me to call a whole night for them on March 22nd.  I explained I was nowhere near being able to do that.   She smiled and said that if I didn't call they would have to cancel the night as their club caller could not be there that night.  She said they would rather dance to me than not dance at all (Thank you, I think?).  I mean, that is quite a vote of confidence...you are better than not dancing at all!

I talked with the caller and explained I would need some help with the music as I didn't have what was needed.  He agreed to help so I agreed to call.  After all I had 2 weeks to regain what I had lost over 36 years.  A piece of cake!  Right?

March 11, 2025

Tonight I visited the Yellow Rockers Square Dance Club.   I saw old friends and met some really nice people.  Watching them Square Dance memories flooded back to me.  Memories of friends and happy times were so thick I had to brush them away just to be able to see the dancers.  I was amazed to learn how much Square Dancing had dropped off since I was involved.  Our state festival used to have100 squares, this year it had 4.  There used to be 30 callers in state now there are only 5.  There used to be 50 clubs in the state association now there are 9.  I felt like Rip Van Winkle.

Their caller was a man I always considered dear to me.  I was amazed at his skill in moving the dancers around.  He was SO much better than I remembered!  I guess 36 years of practice I hadn't observed would account for that.  He came over once the tip was over and welcomed me.  It was as if no time had passed, I instantly felt the same friendship for him I did years ago.

The next tip the woman who phoned me tried to get me up to dance.  I resisted as I didn't want to be breaking the square down all the time.  You know how insistent some people can be!  She and the rest of the dancers wouldn't let it go so I gave in.  What surprised me was how much came back.  The calls hadn't changed that much.  Most of them were still the same calls we used decades ago.  I actually danced without breaking the square down.  Mind you some dancers helped a little if I hesitated.  But, I actually remembered what the calls meant, or maybe I was just acting on instinct.

This is a universal truth I have learned.   A caller, even after he quits calling, will always be a caller at heart.  I was afraid the caller would ask me to call a tip.  He did.  I declined the invitation, but the dancers were all encouraging me to do this.  Finally I agreed to call a little patter, if I could.  A retired caller always believes in his mind he can still call.  I found out the mind lies!  To say the least it was clumsy but nobody lost any toes or fingers so we were alright.  I now realize this was a trap!  They knew I would be hooked if they could ever get a mic back into my hand.