Great way to Start the New Year!

What a great way to kick off the 2013 dance season!
It may have been cold outside last Friday but the Chicopee AMVETS was on fire with the joint hopping till closing!

We started off the night at 6:30 with a full floor of dancers for the lessons. It was great to see the new folks and make a bunch of new friends as well as seeing a few of the Circa 1997 Lighthouse Line Dance crowd. For the Partners  we reviewed Sassy Shanay and taught a favorite of ours from a few years back, Hick Lake Lick to the Song Hickory lake by Bekka & Billy. Great song, fun dance.

Later in the evening Radio Ranch did a great rendition of Party Crowd that had half the place on their feet singing  and doing all the animation that go with that song., (BTW That chair dance has been around since at least 1996)  Check out the video at a Club Vance venue.

The Ranch did as they always do and made sure a good time was had by all, 1st band of the month, Every Month. We'll see them back in February.

This Friday, Brian and the Troubadours will be back playing that 4/4 foot stompin' two steppin', house rockin', diesel truckin', beer drinkin' music in true Honkytonk style. They'll get the place moving and we'll be reviewing Hick Lake Lick and teaching a brand new Circle Partner dance (Same footwork) to a song the you will love and be singing on the way home! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, January 19 is a Ham & Bean Country Gathering  at the SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH 589 Granby Rd (RT202) South Hadley)from 5-8 pm. We'll be there to introduce folks to beginners line and maybe couples dancing. For dinner they'll be ham, beans, coleslaw, rolls, beverage and dessert  from 5-6:30 pm.   Tickets are $5 in advance and $8 at the door.  Children under 5 are free.   

Tickets are available from Jen Crafts at 413-552-4140 or in person on Friday Nights at the Chicopee AMVETS 

EASTHILL FARM!! Book now rooms are going fast!   East Hill Farm Country Dance Weekend March 15th-17th  ** Click for Info** . Tell them you're with Randy, Doreen and the One Eyed Parrot Dance club when you book!  

MISHNOCK BARN RHODE TRIP

It's Time to Book your Room for our 5th Annual Rhode Trip to the Mishnock Barn!! May 25th 2012. We will be heading back down almost a year to the day from our last trip ROCKED!!  

         CLICK FOR MISHNOCK FLYER

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Happy 2013!!

Wow!! What a great year! 

2012 saw lesson attendance records being broken, great new additions to the band lineup and even better,  Wonderful new friends to dance with every week! There were more Road-trips, more Barbecues more dance events that we were invited to then ever before  and more great new dances that we’ll be doing for years to come! So let’s take a look back at 2012… 

2012 PhotoHighlights CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT!!!!   

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OEP Line Dance of the Year!

1st Place A Tie: “Baby Dance with Me” “OLLY”  &   “Shotgun Jenny”

2nd Place “1452 beers Ago”

3^rd Place “Summer Sun”

OEP Couples Dance of the Year!

Colorado Girls 

Followed by Heartstrings

OEP Song of the Year!

The Wind by Brad Paisley

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2012 Bands

Radio Ranch! I can't say enough about what great performances the Ranch gave last year and as previous stated I'm tired of trying to find new adjectives that mean Awesome. Take away the fact their performances were "AWESOME". Take away the fact that they're Great Musicians and Singers. Take away the fact they play a Great all around country mix and genuinely relate to the crowd. When you do you'll find that you're left with 5 of the nicest people you'll ever want to meet. Good Times, Good Friends. Looking forward another year of making memories with these guys in 2013.

Just N Kase – Just N Kase you didn’t know, this band was a new addition to the line up in 2012 making their debut performance on March 23^rd. Great Musicians and all around nice folks, they entertained us all by mixing it up with a Little Country / a Little Rock and Roll and a drummer that never missed a beat. This Premier Rock & Roll Band consistently delivered great up-tempo tunes to keep us dancing all night. Deb and the guys will be back in 2013!

 

 

 Truck Stop Troubadours.  Brian and his gang  have become a staple of the Country Music scene in Western Mass with their  4/4 foot stompin' two steppin', house rockin', diesel truckin', beer drinkin' music in true Honkytonk tradition. 2012 saw them adding several new songs to their standard repertoire and on performance after performance they never fail to deliver!  Besides making a point to call out the dances we do to specific songs they worked in some off our favorites like Runaway and Act Naturally, Nice Touch Guys! Looking forward to 2013.

True West – Well sad as it was, June 14^th 2012 was the last time anyone will get to see this band perform at the Chicopee AMVETS. These folks have been playing the Chicopee AMVETS since they blew us away with their debut performance on Jan 25, 2008. Known for Modern Country played to perfection; this band will be sorely missed. Good News? Look for John Kelly and Jim Pederson coming back in 2013 to the New England Music scene in a newly formed band! Yeah Buddy!!

Chickenwire – Wow! Another great new 2012 addition to the band Line Up at the Chicopee AMVETS. Making their debut performance on October 19^th. this local band with one of the coolest logo's around is also one of the areas coolest bands! Yes, this local band out of the Greenfield, Massachusetts area really Rocked the House in 2012. Playing mainly upbeat rhythms, they entertained the crowd with a mix of Country, Rock n Roll, Southern Rock etc that kept people up on the floor and dancing all night. They worked well with the Line dancers playing songs they knew dances to and they also threw in a few Buckle Polishers and Hopping Swing Tunes for the Freestylers and Swing Dancers. Nice Guys, Good Musicians.

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Happy New Year to All! Looking forward to a wonderful 2013 dancing with all our friends!

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, January 19 is a Ham & Bean Country Get Together at the SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH 589 Granby Rd (RT202) South Hadley)from 5-8 pm. We'll be there to introduce folks to beginners line and maybe couples dancing. For dinner they'll be ham, beans, coleslaw, rolls, bev. and dessert  from 5-6:30 pm.   Tickets are $5 in advance and $8 at the door.  Children under 5 are free.   Tickets are available from Jen Crafts at 413-552-4140 or in person on Friday Nights at the Chicopee AMVETS 

The first 15 people who ask Jenn for tickets this Friday will get theirs FREE!!

New Info Page for the East Hill Farm Country Dance Weekend March 15th-17th . Check it out and Book NOW! Tell them you're with Randy, Doreen and the One Eyed Parrot Dance club when you book! 

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Looking for places to Dance on other days?

Vance Reed has Lessons every Wednesday Evening starting at 7:30 at Tommy D’s in Westfield

Millie Gagne has Sunday Night Dances at the Scout Hall Youth center just off Rt 5 in East Windsor on Jan 6th & 27th / Feb 10th & 24th and another one on St. Patty’s day March 17^th.

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See Ya on the Dance Floor!

Christmas Surprise!!

BAD NEWS: Last week the band that was schedule to play couldn't make it 

GOOD NEWS: Instead we were treated to a wonderful Christmas surprise, RADIO RANCH! Yup the guys stepped up, filled in and provided us with a wonderful early Christmas present, a great night of  music, dancing and fun with one of the finest Country bands around. BIG BIG Thanks to Joe, Matt, Justin, Art and Jim for making our 2012 Christmas Party one to remember!

Many thanks to all who brought in the eats and goodies of all sorts. What a smorgasbord!

As a Christmas thank you to all OEP’s we had a free all request dance session till the band started. We had a nice crowd  and it was great to see an inner circle necessary during the partner dances. How cool is that? Besides our regulars we also had a treat of seeing a lot of  friends we don’t get to see as often like Dave & Shelly and Sherry & Tim. More early Christmas Presents.... ;-)

Doreen & I also need to take this opportunity to thanks everyone for the wonderful Shirts and Gift card we received. They’re beautiful and you guys are way too nice! We are truly blessed to have met and be fortunate enough to count you all as friends. Thank You So Much!!!

MORE GOOD NEWS:  Word is that Marybeth is on the mend, sounds wonderful and doing great. Can’t wait to have her back dancing with us.

GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS / GOOD NEWS : 

• The Good news is the World didn’t end.
• The Bad news is you will have to pay off all the things you charged for Christmas.
• The Good News is that we get to close out 2012 by dancing our butts off all night to the uptempo 4/4 foot stompin' two steppin',house rockin',diesel truckin', beer drinkin' music of the Truck Stop Troubadours .  Don't miss 'Em!

Last time they played the AMVETS they kept it up tempo and made it a point to call out the dances we do to specific songs they know we do. They worked in some off our favorites like Runaway, Act Naturally and several others and even added some Travis Tritt into their repertoire.  Nice Touch Guys! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, January 19 is a Ham & Bean Country Get Together at the SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH 589 Granby Rd (RT202) South Hadley)from 5-8 pm. We'll be there to introduce folks to beginners line and maybe couples dancing. For dinner they'll be ham, beans, coleslaw, rolls, bev. and dessert  from 5-6:30 pm.   Tickets are $5 in advance and $8 at the door.  Children under 5 are free.   Tickets are available from Jen Crafts at 413-552-4140 or in person on Friday Nights at the Chicopee AMVETS

New Info Page for the East Hill Farm Country Dance Weekend March 15th-17th . Check it out and Book NOW!Tell them you're with Randy, Doreen and the One Eyed Parrot Dance club when you book! 

See Ya on the Dance Floor!

Yuletide Salad with Cool Ranch Dressing

What can I say? Last Friday was AWESOME! Our OEP Yuletide Season started off right with a combination of a packed dance floor , Great Friends (New & Old) and One of the finest country bands around Radio Ranch! I can't say enough about what a great performance they gave and quite frankly I'm getting tired of trying to find new adjectives that mean Awesome. 

Take away the fact their performance was "AWESOME". Take away the fact that they're Great Musicians and Singers. Take away the fact they play a Great all around country mix and genuinely relate to the crowd. When you do you'll find that you're left with 5 of the nicest people you'll ever want to meet. Good Times, Good Friends. Great Job Guys..

We started off the lessons doing a review of the easy line dance Givin' it Up to the Song 15 Minutes by Rodney Atkins  and then taught a Beginners Partner Dance called Jazz It Up . Since we had a little extra time, we also did a quick review of the Western Barn Dance Mixer since we had so many couples in attendance. 

REMINDER! During this holiday season remember our Veterans.  There are currently 300 Veterans (approx. 275 men & 25 women) at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke. We need your help and support to make sure each and every one of them has a Merry Christmas. Bring your gifts (unwrapped) from now until December 14, 2012 and join us and the AMVETS in bringing smiles to OUR Veterans. They will know we haven't forgotten them and them and what they have done for all of us.  

THIS FRIDAY IS THE LAST FRIDAY TO DONATE!!

CLICH HERE FOR SOLDIER'S HOME WISH LIST

As you heard last Friday we got an invite to teach at the Country Dance weekend at the East Hill Farms this coming March. For years now, Alan & Marge & Bill & Linda, Bill & Doraine have been telling us what a wonderful time they always have there and we really need to our butts in gear and go. Well, we are, and really looking forward to it! Ask them or Don, Pauline or Joe about what a great time they had when they went. Terriffic response to this on Friday, all the flyers we put out went IMMEDIATELY! We'll bring more next Friday. In the meantime you can check out their website here East Hill Farm Country Dance Weekend March 15th-17th I'll fill you in on more details about how to sign up and make reservations next week. THIS IS GONNA BE A BLAST! Keep an eye out as I'll be sending a link with Pictures and a flyer on line. BTW, Really want to thank Paula Frohn & Michael Silva from Caddy for asking us and the couples that attended their December event for recommending us. You guys rock , You know that? ;-)

This coming Friday JUST-N-KASE is back at the AMVETS with a mix of country and Rock and Roll to get your butt rocking and knees knocking. So mark your calendars and start your weekend off right to a night of good music, dancing, throwing down a couple of cold ones and scuffing up some hardwood with all your friends!

Kissing November Goodbye!

We ended November 2012 by dancing our butts off all night to the uptempo 4/4 foot stompin' two steppin',house rockin',diesel truckin', beer drinkin' music of the Truck Stop Troubadours.  Brian and the gang were  spot on all night nailing song after song after song. Besides making a point to call out the dances we do to specific songs they worked in some off our favorites like Runaway, Act Naturally and several others and it wasn't lost on us that they added some Travis Tritt into their repertoire. Nice Touch! 

You know you're having a good time when they announce the last song and you look at your watch in disbelief wondering where the time went. Great Music, perfect pitch, not too loud, sincere band interaction with the crowd made for great night for everyone. Great Job! The Troubadours will be back at the AMVETS on December 28th to help us dance off some of the extra good food we ate over the holidays.

For the lessons last Friday we taught the easy line dance Givin' it Up to the Song 15 Minutes by Rodney Atkins which we'll be reviewing this coming Friday December 7th along with teaching a new partner dance. Speaking of next week ...it's the first Friday of the month and that means that Radio Ranch will be back at the AMVETS. Radio Ranch always packs the place with their ability to mix it up with a perfect blend of Swings, Cha-Cha's Two-Steps Waltz's etc, etc, etc that will keep you up on the floor and dancing all night long! . Great Band, Great People, Great Friends. Don't miss them, you'll have a great time! Note the warning from their facebook page below.... 

Reminder - All RED Text are Dance Links all Blue Text are Music / Band / Artist Links

REMINDER! During this holiday season remember our Veterans.  There are currently 300 Veterans (approx. 275 men & 25 women) at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke. We need your help and support to make sure each and every one of them has a Merry Christmas. Bring your gifts (unwrapped) from now until December 14, 2012 and join us and the AMVETS in bringing smiles to OUR Veterans. They will know we haven't forgotten them and them and what they have done for all of us. 

CLICH HERE FOR SOLDIER'S HOME WISH LIST

Black Friday Mixer

Last Friday was Randy & Dor's first Friday back after their Long Weekend Excursion to Newport. Many Many Thanks to Jenn for filling in! We started off the lessons by doing a quick review of Shotgun Jenny, (man that song and beat is additive) we then taught the Western Barn Dance Mixer, which was lots of fun. Love that Song too.

The band that was scheduled to play the day after Thanksgiving cancelled so Stratos filled in for them. It gave us the opportunity to get to know Carol better (Female Lead singer with the band Stratos). We showed her a couple of our line dances (She picks up quick) and found out what a phenomenal voice she has. Once the band turned the music down and placed a monitor in front of her the vocals were  absolutely SPOT ON all night. Great rendition of some country classics. Really Nice girl, great talent!

Next week,  the Truck Stop Troubadours will be back on stage playing the Classic outlaw country sound mixed with hints of Rockabilly and Americana that you love. So come out and join us for a night of 4/4 foot stompin' two steppin',house rockin',diesel truckin', beer drinkin' music with a definite uptempo beat.... Lessons Start at 6:30 and the Band at 8PM.  facebook event  See ya there!

Reminder - All RED Text are Dance Links all Blue Text are Band / Artist Links

Friday November 9th - Birds of a Feather!

What a Great night at the Chicopee AMVETS! We followed up a record breaking attendance on the 2nd with another record breaking attendance on the 9th! That record didn't last long! The floor was packed to the rug on all sides and it was GREAT to see that it was a good mix of brand new faces, Friday Night Regulars and old friends we haven't seen in a while!

We started off the night with a teach of a new beginners dance Shotgun Jenny which received rave reviews. A big shout out to our friend  Ernie Bastarache  for turning us on to that one. 

This weeks review was the Partner dance Long Long Way and we even got to do a quick Re-Teach of Huli Huli Chicken in honor of last nights band, Chickenwire . Speaking of Chickenwire, what an outstanding performance they gave.   Definitely a 3 Bandanna Night!   Great Musicians and all around great down to earth people. If you ever get a chance to see them, DON'T pass it up! Excellent addition to the band rotation for the Chicopee AMVETS.

Next Friday, November 16th will be an all request practice session from 6:30 till 7:45 to give everyone a chance to practice the dances we've taught in the last month of so. Just N Kase will be back on stage with a playlist of good Heel Slapping, Boots Tapping gotta get up and dance tunes that will keep you on the floor all night!

Reminder - All RED Text are Dance Links all Blue Text are Band / Artist Links