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Singles 0. good place to laugh
(By (By Len Pizzey)
The insistant beat of a polka
drifts through air filled with the
faint smell of perfume. in the
centre of the darkened hall,
couples whirl and swing, carried
along with the swift pace of the
music. Some talk as they dance,
and others merely smile.
At tables around the sides of
the dance floor, people sit,
sipping quietly at their drinks,
watching the dancers. Others talk
intensely to friends and acquaint-
ances, heedless of the motion
swirling by them.
The people range, in age from'
late teens to 70 or more. There
are long dresses and slacks, men
in ties and men in jeans.
There is laughter among those
who wait at the bar for another
drink. And there is a feeling of
open friendliness that makes the
room seem smaller than it is.
The place is the Seaforth arena,
but the scene would be the same
in other places on any Saturday
night when the Huron Country
Singles get together.
Lively Group
The Country Singles are a lively
grap, and none who come to the
dances are livelier than the three
women who started the club and
who remain its guiding lights.
Betty Cardno, Irene Okahashi
and Vicki Horbanuik started the
group a little over two years ago.
They had tried a few of the
singles dances in. London, and as
Betty Cardno explains, "We got
fed up with going all the way
down there, so we thought we'd
start our own."
It took a lot of work and a lot of
energy, but the three approached
the challenge with the same
combination of liveliness and
good humour that have become
characteristic of the dances.
First, they had' to find out' how
many single men there were
around, and if there was an
interest in a singles group.
"We surveyed the single men
at die Curling Club- first," they
said. "Then we sent 'them all
letters inviting them to come
out."--They talked to people
whenever they had the chance,
and placed ads in' the paper.
The first Huron Country
Singles dance was held February
22, 1975. Because they had
nvited so many men, "We were
afraid we wouldn4 have enough
women." It didn't turn out that
ay thought, and so many people
came out to the first dances that
ome had to be turned away.
The attendance at the dances,
which are held every Saturday
()potation Lift,tyle
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Never store poisonous, caus-
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ces in such containers as
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LONGSTAFF
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Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
9:00 - 6:30
Wednesday, Saturday
9:00 12:00
CLINTON 482-7010
Monday 9:00 - 6:30
By Appointment
night in various places in the
county throughout the fall and
winter, averages 170 people. As
many as 280 people have been at
a single dance. The whole* idea
has turned out "better than we
expected" the women say.
Not New
Singles dances are not a new
idea Betty Cardno says. Years
ago, dances were much more
common than they are now.
Young people would come to
those dances in groups, she says,
sometimes pairing off and some-
times not, But then things
changed. Television came, and a
lot of people stopped going to
dances, or went to fewer of them.
Today, there is a lot of pressure
for people to go to things in
couples, she says, especially to
the fund raising dances which are
so common. So the Country
Singles fill a definite need in the
community. ,
The three women stress that
the dances are not simply, or even
primarily, a place where people
come in search of a wife or a
husband. "People come thinking
`if it happens, it happens' " they
say, "but basically everyone
comes , just to have fun and
companionship."
Still, there are ways to increase
your chances of finding the right
one. One young man, who says he
has been coming to the dances
since they began, explained the
technique. "You have to pick a
good table when you first come
in" he said. "If you pick one in
the middle of the room, then you
can see the people as they walk
by. You can see them at the bar
and when they go to the
washroom." He hasn't found the
right one yet, but he says he'll
keep trying.
Occasionally, people meet
someone interesting at the first
dance they attend. "When
they're going steady, you don't
see them for a while," the women
say, "That's how you know."
But they generally come back
again, after a few weeks together.
Though the three don't keep
figures on the number of people
who have been married because
of the club, they estimate that 70
couples have met at the dances
and married.
Not Everyone
Not everyone who could benefit
from the club has yet given it a try
the women say. "Lots of people
who should be coming, don't."
"It talkes people a long time, to
get up the nerve to come. There
are a lot of bachelor farmers who
have never been out." Vicki
Horbanuik says.
Between 75 and 100 people who
attend the dances regularly, and
new people come every Saturday
night: The $3 admission fee
makes you a" member and there
are 1000 ,names in the record
book.
People have come to the dances
from far away, and the group
often gives a prize to the one who
has come from the farthest place.
One person at the last dance in
Seaforth was a native of Florida.
And a man from Nassau, who
worked on a ship came regularly
last year whenever his ship was in
Goderich.
Though the Country Singles is
not a formal club, and dees riot
elect officers, it does have a
constitution. There are ten rules.
listed on a huge piece of cloth
which the three women liken to
the ten commandments. One
commandment is that no one is
allowed to be a "wallflower."
Another states that no one may
refuse a dance. People dancing
with the same person all night are
supposed to be subject to heaVy
fines.
A fourth says that women may
ask men to dance. The most
important rule of all though, and
one that is enforced is that only
single people are allowed to come
to the dances. If someone leaves
their wedding ring off and tries to
slip by unnoticed, they are
usually found out and asked to
leave.
Buffet
Each week, the three women
prepare a buffet meal to be
served after the dance, 'and the
food is excellent. As Betty Cardno
explains jokingly, people at the
dances are all single, and they
might not get as good a meal at
home. They may serve chili, or
chow mein, or barbecued spare-
ribs or cold cuts, and there are
always salads and bread to fill up
on. Dessert and coffee rounds out
the feast.
Besides providing an 91)130.C., •
tunity for a social evening that
might otherwise be missed, the
Huron Country Singles benefit
the community in other ways.
Proceeds from the bar are
donated to various organizations
and charities. Last year the group
gave away nearly $5,000. to such
things as ARC Industries, the Van
Egmond Foundation and the
Vanastra Recreation Centre and
fire relief funds.
And, too, the group organizes
trips each year. Last year a
busload of Countty Singles lived
it up in Nashville, and a trip to,
Wheeling, West Virginia this
year already has a long waiting
list. For some of the people who
take advantage of these trips.4it is,
the first chance to travel that they
have ever had, Vicki Horbanuik
'says.
Above all, the Huron Country
Singles, and the three women,
who make it a success are
dedicated to the idea that life
should be as enjoyable as
possible, and that people need a
break from seriousness. If the
Club has a motto, Irene Okahashi
sums it up. "We always have a
laugh or two at night, and that is
all that matters."