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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1977-03-16, Page 5Anstett Jeitvellers Ltd. Watch and Jewellery Repairs — We Sell and Service — BULOVA — ACCUTRON — WATCHES — 3 Stores — SEAFORTH — CLINTON — WALKERTON BRUSSELS TRANSPORT Livestock Trucking and Shipping Serviee Local and Long Distance Phone 887.6122 (Evenings) George Jutzi, Brussels Business Directory BELGRAVE CO-OP For Feed & Fertilizer — Petroleum Products Hardware and Appliances Universal Milker Equipment and Cleaners BRUSSELS WINGHAM 887-6453 357-2711 McGavin's Farm Equipment We specialize in a Complete Line of FARM EQUIPMENT Brussels Sales and Service 'Seaforth 887-6365 ' Walton 527-0245 ' Mrs. Yvonne Knight Agent for Elma Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company R.R. 3 Brussels, 887-6476 Bray Chiropractic Office 197 Josephine Street Wingham, Ontario Phone 357-1224 SWORN ELECTRONICS SALES £ SERVICE •TV • RADIO • HI-F1 • STEREO *Poe 527 11 50 • 17 SPARLING STREET SEAFORTH H&N Dairy Systems Ltd. Sales, Service and Installation of STA —111TE pipelines and Brussels milking parlours Box 159 887-6063 Brussels MerwoodC-$mith,Ltd . RR, 2 LittOwel. 291,4810 TV Refrigeration. Appliance , Service, 'THE BRUSSELS'. POST, MARCH it 1977 11111111n 111.11111. • Pardys Dairy SO„pplies. Brussels 887 ,6644. 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 The sink cupboard in your kitchen is the most dangerous place for your cleaning supplies; keep theM out of the reach of toddlers. Never store poisonous, caus- tic or inflammable ,subStan- ces in such containers as pop bottles or jam jars. LONGSTAFF • OPTOMETRIST - SEAFORTH 527-1240 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."