Your Vincennes Colonial/Contra Dance Group will hold another Contra Dance Friday Feb 10 from 7 to 9:30 at the Old Town Players Theatre, 5th and Broadway in Vincennes.
Your attendance would be most graciously appreciated and hopefully you will have an enjoyable experience and all for FREE!
At our last dance we welcomed back Larry and Sandy from Lawrenceville and hope to see many more this time that we haven’t seen in a while.
A different dance instructor was picked for the Mardi-Gras dance on Feb 18 and that’s ok, if you do plan to attend stop in here this Friday for a Cajun 2 step or two so you can be prepared, we love Cajun dancing.
Ron Ackman

I just called the Mayor’s office and talked to his secretary about fsbo on Pace houses. She says houses must be sold and the money given to the Feds who sends it back through the State and then back to Bicknell to finish the building process.

Says the city would not get the full million just part of it and until something sells things are on hold.

Ron Ackman

Im wondering what readers on this web are thinking about the controversial right to work legislation likely to become Indiana law which removes mandatory union payments from non union members in the work place. I remember when I was a member of the Laborers union long ago that health insurance and retirement and I think some other benefits were part of the package and I was happy to be a union member because of that. Why cant union membership be voluntary? Just wondering.

Ron Ackman

Yes we have a dance this Friday night at Old Town Players Theatre, 432 Broadway in Vincennes starting with some instruction at 7 pm and then leading into waltzing and then Contra dancing. Admission is Free! Singles, couples or the whole gang , all are welcome! No smoking or alcohol. If you wish to bring snacks or something and are willing to share feel welcome to do it.

We have been asked to lead some Cajun dancing during the Mardi Gras Celebration and I replied that we would but dont have confirmation on that yet. That is on Sat Feb 18 at the Fortnightly Club building on 6th St. We have had Cajun Dance sessions during our Contra Dance and many of you are familiar with Cajun Dancing. Its very simple. Would be good if some regular contra folks would be there and we could do a contra like 'Lucky Seven' along with two steps, swings and waltzes. They will also be having a music session at Fortnightly on Friday Feb 17 with Dennis Stroughmatt with history, music and dancing.

Our dance schedule through June at OTP is as follows. Jan 27; Feb 10; Mar 9 and 23; Apr 6 and 27; May 11 and 25; and June 8 and 22.

Be sure to come dance with us as often as you can!

From Ron Ackman

Your local Contra Dance Group is holding a free Contra Dance Friday Dec 30 at the Old Town Players Theatre and Arts Center, 432 Broadway in Vincennes starting at 7 pm.

Help us celebrate the coming New Year with some great music and dancing.

Remember the more contra dancers there are the more fun it is since you dance with the other dancers in addition to your partner.

Contra is danced all over the world and has been danced for about the last 400 years. Not heard of it yet???? Hmmmm! Well I guess the media is kind of slow to pick up on some things anymore.

No partners are necessary and you can bring as many friends and relatives as you wish! For more info visit vincennesdancers.com.
 

Here is a picture of Paulita and I and Charlie and Ruthie who were happy to come from Corydon to meet her and to dance.

By the way Paulita loves Contra dance on her first try and with her and all of you we could have some terrific dances starting this Friday.

Hope to see you here at 7 pm , 5th and Broadway in Vincennes. We also have another one a week after this Friday, on Dec 2. Sorry to say we dont have another one then until Dec 30.

Dont be afraid to come if you think the crowd might be a little weak, we can do contras with as few as 4 people. And if less a lot of good practice .

What----- Free Contra Dance, open to the public.


Where------ Old Town Players Theatre, 5th and Broadway


When----- Friday, Oct 14th, starts at 7 pm.


Why---------Because folks need recreation and exercise and a chance to meet new friends and to hear good music and to do some enjoyable dancing and share a lot of laughs and good times.


Who------- Anyone who can hear the music and walk and can count to 4 will enjoy contra.


How much?----- Absolutely free


How much drinking and smoking can I do?------ None, nada.


Will I need to sign a contract of membership?----------HUH? Might be nice but no!


Can we do some of my favorite other types of dancing?---------Yes if you mean waltzing, Swing, Cajun, Country, Ball room, Disco, salsa, and a few others not coming to mind. Upon request. We don’t know Indian war dances, jungle dances or break dancing. Sorry!


Check vincennesdancers.com for more info.

Ron Ackman

This Friday Sept 30 will be a FREE Contra Dance put on by the Vincennes Colonial/Contra Dance Group at the Old Town Players Theatre at 5th and Broadway in Vincennes. And you can surely get some great exercise with Contra Dancing and have a great time while you are doing it! Starts with some practice at 7 pm and will run until 9:30.

In addition to Contra Dances we also waltz for warm ups and the last dance (it is traditional at most Contra Dances across the country).

So if you like to dance and would like interactive Contra dancing be here at 7 pm this Friday.

We are also bringing snack food and drinks for all to share in case you missed your supper!

Ron Ackman

Yes, I just checked the schedule that Ruthie Strong has set up for us and this Friday at OTP 5th and Broadway in Vincennes is a regularly scheduled contra dance for us.

7 Pm to 9:30 .

Beginners welcome, no partner needed, bring your friends and relatives too! The more the merrier!

Free admission, no smoking or alcohol. Carry in snacks and drinks to share are welcome! Visit our website at vincennesdancers.com for lots more information.

Hope to see you at the dance this Friday, we need you and you will be pleasantly surprised.

The schedule through January 2012 is Sept 9 & 30; Oct 14 & 21; Nov 11 & 25; Dec 2 & 30 and Jan 13 & 27.

Remember be here and bring friends and relatives, no age limits up or down!

From Ron Ackman

Friday May 6th at 7 pm will be another Contra dance doing really fun group contra dances to outstanding music while dancing with your partner and most of the others in the group.

Contra is called from a pre choreographed dance instruction and folks often have the dance memorized part way through the dance. So it is exercise for the mind as well as the body. And you will meet great new friends.

No smoking or alcohol. And the dance is FREE.

This is really different from the 'do your own thing' type of dancing. It is really not hard as at one of our recent dances youngsters under 10 were able to master the dance and had a great time while doing it.

View vincennesdancers.com for more information.

Ron Ackman

To complete the projected change would assure that every district was represented by a district council person; a person that would be mandated by law to represent his or her own district voters with no obligations to anyone else. To complete the projected change would also assure the council member that they would only be required to campaign in their own district. When voters go to the poles to vote only the names of the candidates running to represent their district would appear on their ballots.
This would assure less cost to run for a district council position and a lot less walking prior to Election Day.
Our four current districts are simply a square in each corner of the Bicknell map and each district contains part of two precincts.

The 1st district is in the bottom right hand corner;

the 2nd district is in the bottom left hand corner;

the 3rd district is the top left hand corner:

the 4th district is in the top right hand corner.
All four districts appear to meet at about West and East 4th Street and Main Street.
John R. Stanczak

(Reply)
Re: Proposed Bicknell District Thursday, February 03
Well, since I live is the "proposed" district 4, I guess I have more of a say in what goes on it the city than say someone who lives in district 1.
As district 1 would be the largest and district 4 is the smallest. The ONLY way to make this work and be fair is to split District one up and make it almost equal to district 4 making 5 districts instead of 4. But then you would have the problem of having six people on the council, what would happen if sometime the vote on something was 3 to 3? But this is my humble opinion.

M. Brough
(Answer)
This is a good question or point and I will try to explain or answer it.

You would not have any more say in the operation of the city because all councilpersons would only have one (1) vote at council meetings regardless of the size of the district.

You would be able to argue that you would have more access to your councilperson than a larger district but Bicknell does not have big enough districts to make that so; besides it is unlikely that any council member would be too busy to see any voter within the month between meetings; in Bicknell districts the councilperson could probably see every voter in their district within the month if the need arose.

To split a district and retain individual district representation would require the changing of precincts and that would be costly.

I have spoken to Brenda Hall and was told that many of Vincennes? Districts are of different sizes and this does not affect city affairs and it is legal.

The purpose of the change is to give the voters of each district a council person that is not influenced by the voters of any other district and is therefore mandated but law to represent only their own district.

Should your councilperson not respond as the voters wish they would have the option of voting on Election Day and replacing their councilperson with someone that they feel is a better choice; you do not have that option today.

Today the other three districts would out vote you because the three districts will always out vote the one district just as they have been doing for the last 15 or 20 years, maybe even longer.

John R. Stanczak
(Reply)
I think some of the confusion on this is the fact that people don’t know which district they are in now which is different from the precincts. As a matter of fact I didn’t know the current acting districts were different from the precincts until the Bicknell Volunteers meeting this week.
Ron Ackman

Its getting to be really good fun again with enough people to really make it go. Im talking about us having around 15 last night with some more new ones and all doing some of our favorite contra dances includig waltzes and even a swing toward the end of the dance. We welcomed back members of the swing dance lessons from VU and their high energy level as well as that of the teenagers really kept things going. This is a special invitation to the folks who havent been here for a while to come back and enjoy the bigger numbers of contra dancers with us.

Our next dance will be a week from tonight, SATURDAY February 19th from 7 to 9:30 and we will do CAJUN dances to Cajun music only. Cajun instruction will be provided and if you have ever watched Cajun dancing on 'you tube' you know you want to be here to enjoy it with us. This will be a good kick off for the Mardi Gras season and will give you a head start on dancing at the Vincennes Mardi Gras the following week.

Our dances at OTP are scheduled through the month of May and here is the schedule. Feb 19th; Mar 11th and Mar 25th; April 8th and 29th; and May 6th and May 20th. Since we schedule around OTP activities we are not always in the same position of the month. We can even vary the night of the week. Be sure to write down the dates.

A new idea was brought up last night with favorable response and that is to hold some dances when the weather is warmer on the balcony of the OTP building on the Broadway Street side. Im sure we would be noticed and might even gain some new dancers. Its plenty big enough to hold many dancers and is plenty strong enough.

Remember Cajun Dancing Sat. Feb 19th at OTP, 5th and Broadway in Vincennes, 7 to 9:30 pm.

From Ron Ackman, visit vincennesdancers.com

The Vincennes Colonial/Contra Dance Group invites the public to a free Contra Dance.

On Feb 11th at the Old Town Players Theatre,

5th and Broadway in Vincennes.

Starting at 7 pm until 9:30.

No experience necessary, good music and dancing, no partner is necessary to attend, dances are called and are easy and fun.

Eight days later on Saturday Feb 19th the group will host a dance with all Cajun music and all Cajun dancing.
Instructors will give free instructions for really enjoyable Cajun dancing to Cajun music.
Admission is free to this event too.
For more information go to vincennesdancers.com.

Saturday, January 22, 2011
With a cold snowy night last night prospects of a successful Contra Dance weren't very good in spite of the advertising and the emails. But to my surprise two families with home schooled children and Jack an myself were able to have a very good Contra dance. It was almost like it was when the Reynolds family and their 5 children were the backbone of our group. The Reynolds now live in Michigan and are promoting Contra and other types of family dancing there.

Our next Contra Dance will be 3 weeks from now on Friday Feb 11th 7pm at the Old Town Players Theatre, 5th and Broadway in Vincennes; then 8 days later on SATURDAY Feb 19th we will hold a CAJUN dance starting at 7 pm with free admission and also at OTP. Be prepared for the Vincennes Mardi Gras Cajun dancing one week later on Feb 26th.

We will be announcing our spring and summer dance dates as soon as they are set and will email them to you so you can make note. For more information visit our website at vincennesdancers.com.

From Ron Ackman

The Vincennes Colonial/Contra Dance Group invites the public to attend the following FREE dances held at the Old Town Players Theatre and Arts Center, 5th and Broadway in Vincennes.

The dance group operates on a low budget with the aim being to provide free dances, doing dances like our ancestors did in days long ago. These type dances are done in many cities yet around the US and in many foreign countries.

Contra is the name given to a large cluster of enjoyable organized group dances which enable you to dance with your partner as well as most of the other dancers on the floor.

Dances are called so there is little to memorize and are usually done on a beginner level.

No experience is necessary as well as no partner being necessary.

Dancers of all ages are welcome.

January 7th and 21st and Feb 11th, will be Contra dancing with some practice offered at 7 pm and dancing until 9:30 pm.

February 19th (Saturday), we deviate to offer a FREE dance with CAJUN dancing to CAJUN music.

With the annual Vincennes Mardi Gras held one week later you can have a head start on doing fun Cajun dancing. Again it will be from 7 pm to 9:30 pm.

From Ron Ackman, 812-735-3013

The Vincennes Colonial/Contra Dance Group cordially invites the public to attend a Contra Dance at the Old Town Players Theatre this coming Friday December 3rd with FREE admission.

The Old Town Players Theatre is located in downtown Vincennes at 5th and Broadway.

You can come as singles, couples or the whole family, no experience is necessary and you can be matched up with partners of the opposite gender.

Most dances are partner dances and you are encouraged to change partners often so everyone gets a chance to dance with most of the folks attending. Waltzes are always a part of the program.

Music is Early American, Celtic, Cajun, and others and sometimes modern songs.

Practice of contra moves begins at 7 pm followed by dancing until 9:30 pm. For more information go to vincennesdancers.com.

The Vincennes Contra Dance Group invites the public to attend a Contra Dance on Oct 1st at the Old Town Players Theatre, 5th and Broadway in Vincennes. Admission is FREE, and this dance will have a special session starting at 6 pm with a 50s and 60s record party for an hour then some dance practice (Contra and other if requested) until 7:30, and then Contra until 9:30. You can come as singles, couples, or the whole family and everbody will have the opportunity to dance. Contra itself is historic, going back hundreds of years, and it is easy , fun and great exercise. For more information go to vincennesdancers.com.
 
From Ron Ackman

The Vincennes Colonial and Contra Dancers will be holding another dance with the public invited and FREE ADMISSION.

The place is the Old Town Players Theatre, 5th and Broadway in Vincennes.

Starts at 7 pm and ends at 9:30. No experience necessary, come as singles, couples or the whole gang.

Sorry, no smoking or alcohol.

The bigger the crowd the more fun these dances are, so lets all attend and even bring guests. For a glimpse of what we do go to our website vincennesdancers.com and check it out.

From Ron Ackman

This is info and a picture of the Hawf Family Band that consist of Alex mandolin, Rachel fiddle and guitar, Dylan fiddle and guitar, Tonia bass and Doug guitar and banjo who will play for our contra dance this coming July 9th at the Old Town Players Theatre, 5th and Broadway in Vincennes.

They are willing to play for us for what we might donate by passing the hat. So lets all come out to hear and dance to their music and make them feel welcome. Doug was a part of the Bales of Hay Band that we liked so well.

They will play from 7:15 or so till we close at 9:30 pm.
 
Prior to our contra dance that night we will hold a 50s and 60s record party fro 6 to 7 pm. Listen to music that you loved, we know some of your favorite music will be played.
 
The second dance in July will be on July 30th.

Ron Ackman

It seems we kind of alternate between really good Contra Dances and weak ones due to attendance. Last Fidays dance was a really good one with several couples of enthusiastic dancers who seemed to really enjoy the dancing and even stayed for some bonus dances after closing time. We welcomed 2 new dancers and it was good to see some old friends back again. We did have 3 more men than ladies so in order to get as many couples as possible on the floor I volunteered to be the lady in some of the dances. (Jack was my partner again!). Thanks to the gentlemen who were good natured when it came time to dance with me in the dances. Oh well, its all in fun and everyone seemed to have a great time.

This coming Friday May 21 is our second dance in May, same time and place. (Practice starts at 7 pm with Contra from 7:30 to 9:30 Vincennes time, and we again dance at the Old Town Players Theatre at 5th and Broadway). Someone suggested a street dance or a parking lot dance and it is being considered. I will check with the city to see if power is available in the parking lot and if we could use it. Will cover this in your reminder email this week.

We have just one dance in June on the 11th and one in July on July 9th. Please mark these dates down. Check our web at vincennesdancers.com and while on our site check 'about us' to bring up contra dances on You Tube. It should arouse your interest.
From Ron Ackman