Three Foggy Citizens were eulogized at the Square Dancer’s Memorial Quilt in Denver, Colorado.
Tom Valdez. Long-time Class Co-ordinator and deserving recipient of The Red Boot Award.
Fred Papapietro. Another Class Co-ordinator, affectionately known as “Freddy Crocker” in recognition of his weekly donations of baked goods, and for his 1990s Foghorn recipe column.
Donald Wescoat. Nurse, musician and composer, Donald—nicknamed “Bullseye” for his distinctive choreography that returned dancers home without a need to promenade—served as FCD Club Night caller. In 1996, Bullseye Wescoat composed Squares in the Circle. It is frequently performed during Memorial Tips.
Passing Through
Trevor Hailey. Foggy City dancer and local celebrity famed for her walking tours of the Castro neighborhood.
Layne Ethington. Performance Team member and “The Voice of Foggy City.” Before there was e-mail, there was the FCD Hotline where callers could hear Layne announce upcoming events. Donald Wescoat later replaced Layne as the Hotline announcer.
Lee Griffiths arrived in Denver early to attend the caller school prior to the start of the convention weekend.
“Like most of the beginners, I’d gone there simply to find out if I might enjoy calling; I’d thought I might one day like to teach, and really considered equipping myself for that to be my main goal. Yet I came away totally enthused about calling anything and everything, as and when I find the opportunities and have developed enough to do so. The teaching staff quite simply inspired me with their passion, talent and commitment.
“Twenty-seven hours of classes in three days is quite an intense experience, the more so because you’re there precisely to be given as much feedback as you can get, to go away knowing what you’ll need to do to become a better, more experienced caller.
“Since Caller School, I’ve been very fortunate to have been offered a number of guest tips by other local callers. My goals are to really get into the nitty-gritty of sight calling the various programs (scary!) and slowly work up to being able to call my first full night. Fingers crossed!”
Angi enrolled in the FCD Plus course and was impressed enough by the group to apply for Foggy Citizenship.
“My friend, Duane Flohra, introduced me to square dancing; and I’m glad he did,” she explained. “Dancing gives us a chance to visit during the week—which is nice.
“I didn’t attend the convention. Maybe next year! I did go to a fly-in in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware in May 2007. My family lives close by, and I was visiting the area to attend a cousin’s wedding. It was the first time that my family has seen me dance. It was a lot of fun, and I plan to do it again next year.
“I attended The Stumptown Stomp the last two years, and have had a blast. In fact, last year at Stumptown was when the calls jelled for me with Mainstream. I try to go to as many dances as possible in order to strengthen my dancing skills.
“I really enjoy dancing with Foggy City. You guys are the greatest!”
