Dancing on the Courthouse Plaza was a big deal! People come from all over to see events on the Courthouse Plaza. The Courthouse sits in the center of a large block. Green grass and shade trees surround it to make a parklike atmosphere. Any time you go there, winter or summer, there are people in the park, most of them walking their dogs, or just sitting around enjoying the atmosphere. During the summer, something is going on every single weekend. When I first moved to town and lived close to there, I would go to most events, but soon tired of the heavy traffic, difficult to find parking spaces . . . and hard to admit . . . being there alone.
The Courthouse Square and surrounding area have been in several movies. The courthouse has a clock that was used in Back to the Future. Across the street on the East side was—unfortunately closed now—an ice cream parlor that was used in Billy Jack. On the West side is Whiskey Row: several bars and shops that have been there for ages and have reputations involving gunfights and famous old cowboys and of course, the shady ladies of the time. Whiskey Row burned down more than once, if I remember correctly, so most of the buildings have been re-built at least once. It's an interesting place.
But, back to the square dancing! We were supposed to bring chairs, but I wasn't going to drag a heavy chair along, so I hoped for the best. Luckily, there was a bench right by the dancing area that I was able to sit on for most of the evening when I wasn't dancing. The Plaza is a cement area in front of the courthouse, and there was a small stage set up for the square dance caller, and his sound equipment. It was on the other side, closer to the street, so that people sitting on the steps of the courthouse could easily watch the dancing.
When I dressed for the evening, I was afraid that I would be cold at the event, but it turned out to be a warm evening, and with all the dancing, I was hot! I danced nearly all the square dances, but only one "line dance." A line dance is where everyone lines up in a "line" (several lines, actually), and as the music plays, you all do the same steps. The one I danced to was New York, New York, and it was really fun. I knew it from when I danced in Durango, but I didn't remember the steps! Luckily, before all the dances, they teach you how to do it. The trick that I learned in Durango was to stand behind someone who knows what they're doing, so that you can follow them! It works like a charm!
In square dancing, it almost always seems that there are a lot more women than men, so you have to be really aggressive to be able to dance. If you wait for a man to ask you, you'll be sitting around waiting a lot. So it's all Sadie Hawkins for me! In Durango, I used to try to catch the men in the parking lot as I walked in, so I could line up dances for myself! Here, it's not quite that bad, but I try to get the following dance lined up, after I get the present dance taken care of.
I had a blast, and got myself in the paper as well! Take a look at this! I'm glad that they only shot the back of me, because I was wearing a camisole, and I didn't realize until I reached home that it showed all evening! How embarrassing! Ah, well!
http://dcourier.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=150072&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1086&S=1
