It Hoedown time. I am so excited. I hope most of you will be there to support the event. Please encourage your new graduates to attend as well. The featured caller is Dee Dee Dougherty-Lottie and featured cuer is Kay and Bob Kurczewski. We have looked at the surveys and added to the schedule accordingly. The Ski's are doing and introduction to rounds, for brand new round dancers, so if you are interested in Rounds please attend this session. We have added 2.4 hours of Advanced dance as people have asked for A. We have a New caller hour with some of the callers who are getting guest Mic time to call a tip at their home clubs when their home caller is calling. Come support these new callers and give them floor time. The board and other volunteers are working hard to finalize plans. Tim Ploch, President of the Houston Caller Association is finalizing the caller schedule with local callers for the times the Featured caller is taking a break, as people ask for more dance time. You can dance 4.5 hours on Friday and 10 hours on Saturday if you choose. The updated schedule will be posted on https://squarethru.com/ on the registration form link. Check it out. We would like clubs to bring their Club Banners to decorate the stage.

If you are not attending Hoedown, we as a board would like to know why you choose not to attend, or what you might like to see different. Let's grow square dance together.

Thank You all for the Prayers, Love and support while Sam has been hospitalized. He has MRSA infection and early vertebral osteomyelitis. They are working find the source of the MRSA and stop the spread of the infection. Putting a camera down his throat they have seen it in his t-6&7 & t-11 & 12. There are working to clear this. He hopes to be well soon. It is hard to see someone you love hurt and not be able to fix it. They are giving him muscle relaxers which really help along with the antibiotics. Kind of like in bow hunting season I get to cook my favorites that he doesn't care for like eating just one item butter beans or lima beans or mac n cheese or romaine and cucumbers; however, he is not back home after two days, this has been so much longer. Sam really hopes to be at Hoedown, even it he is just sitting and visiting and not yet ready to dance.

Praise reports. Bruce Behrens is getting around better, after his fall off the roof 2 years ago, he is dancing some round dance with Roxie. Shannon Blane is out of the hospital and was at the Tomball's anniversary dance. She is looking forward to the Hoedown, especially the 8 AM hour supporting new callers where her husband Mike will be calling. Clarice Fore is recovering from her Stroke and getting back into squares. Julie Vanders husband now has the oxygen and feeding tubes out and is going to rehab soon for further recovery. Joe Saltel is on a long road to recovery, he appreciates his wall of love, covered in cards and emails. Dave Vierra is home after getting his pacemaker and expects about a two week healing period, his wife Michele wants to borrow an elephant to sit on him for those two weeks. Wade Driver is in rehab building up strength after his back surgery, "Slow Down" is written on his board. Sorry if I missed someone, my mind is a muddle with Sam.

We are saddened by the loss of Dee Adams, a long time supporter of Houston the square dance community.

Tomball's 49th Anniversary dance was great fun and well attended. Great calling. Wonderful snacks. The Luau decorations made for a very festive dance. The outfits were as colorful as Hanger Squares Luau. At least 10 squares and several round dancers filled the floor. I miss the days when Houston had 66 clubs and most had a least 8 squares on regular dance nights. Thank you everyone who made this a great dance.

Renagades went dark to support Tomball's event. It is not small feat for a club to choose to go dark, as callers are often booked several years out, and each dance is part of the callers tour, so they are calling somewhere nearby on the route all week. If the caller is ask to cancel a Saturday night, then perhaps a fair percentage of their travel budget disappears. If a club goes dark for you thank them. Go support another dance of theirs, it they cannot go dark, understand there is a lot of thought in that formula.

The Miracle Farms fundraiser dance went well. We had dancers from most of the HSRDC clubs as well as other districts in attendance. Thank you to all who helped in planning, early preparation, in set up, take down, donations, calling and just plain dancing. It was great for all of us who got to take one of the young men out of the line where they were introduced and dance with them in their first square. Many of them got back up to dance more tips. It was great to see all the club banners hanging on the back wall. https://www.miraclefarm.org/ has more info on how they help young men learn to believe in themselves as something more than society has painted them to be.

Fairbees Dance Honoring Carol Teal and 50 years of Calling was well attended. Carol was presented with a frame with several pictures of her calling, and the matt was signed by many callers and dancers.

The 4th HSRDC 4th Quarter Council Meeting is Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 at 3 p.m. with installation of 2025 officers, followed by a dance with Stash Cueing and KO Calling. District Directors meeting at 2:30. The dance will be a Christmas Theme. Concordia Lutheran Church, 4115 Blalock, Houston,Texas. Please attend. Lets grow square dance together.

Check out the exhibition dances Nov 9 & 10 at Armand Bayou and Nov 15-16 at George Ranch. Spread knowledge of Square Dance.

Remember to get your January Lesson information in for the https://squarethru.com/lessons.htm Tab. Lets grow square dance together.

See you all at Hoedown if not before. Since I work full time, and visit Sam at the hospital afterwork I have not been making my normal 5 or 6 dances a week. I miss my square dance family.

Yellow Rocks, Michele