#orange squares

Upon occasion we had some guests visit the Catskill Mountain Squares. One couple, Al and Sybil Cooper came in. They were members of the Orange Squares, Newburgh, NY. It did not take long for Al to offer me a chance to call with the Orange Squares. I happily accepted it, as I normally do with new clubs.

Since I was relatively unknown, the Orange Squares decided to raise the excitement level by having me as a mystery caller dance for my first dance with them. The dance was held at a rural farm setting outside of Newburgh, NY. As you'd expect, we were welcomed warmly. Things were going well—Mom had prepared a large bowl of coleslaw for the potluck dance. When we arrived, Charlie and Pat Kittner (members of the Orange Squares) asked mom and me to sit with them for the meal.

It was later revealed to us that it wasn't a potluck dance, and little did we know it was a “bring your own picnic” dance. Charlie and Pat saw mom and me trying to hide the fact that all we brought was coleslaw. They graciously offered us some homemade rolls—we in turn passed our bowl of coleslaw. They offered us some fresh fruit, and we again passed our coleslaw. They passed us some meat for sandwiches, and we again passed the slaw.

They started to pass us some dessert, and politely let us know that we did not need to pass the slaw.

Even though they did not mean any harm by the statement, mom started to laugh. They did also. Even though it was an awkward experience, this event set the stage for a very successful first outside calling experience with the Orange Squares.