Baltimore Pride Festival

Baltimore Pride has come & gone for another year.

Pride festivals are typically more work than festival for folks like kent4str and me... there's always some community group with whom we are affiliated which needs staffing, assistance in setup or such. Baltimore Pride is a much longer working engagement for us than most others but it's a great venue and a good time nonetheless.

For the third year running, kent4str and I hosted intro-to-square-dance sessions at the festival's picnic pavilion on behalf of the Chesapeake Squares. Since all vehicles had to be off the grounds by 10:30 AM, we were there much earlier to unload the sound systems and misc supplies; the Chesapeake Squares folks provided the generator and a stack of pamphlets & flyers, as well as staffed their booth over in the community groups section of the festival. We were able to take down the equipment and escape the masses just before 6 PM, making it a very long day.

One the whole, I think our dog and pony show went pretty well. We did intro sessions at the top of the hour, noon to 4 PM. As with prior years, the noon hour presentation was an utter flop: no one was interested in dancing, just eating. We had a square of newbies & Chesapeake Squares folks for the 1 PM session, two squares for the 2 PM session, one for the 3 PM session and two again at 4 PM. Each show was intentionally kept short: 5-6 basic calls taught in about as many minutes. If we had a full square of experienced dancers, we closed the session with a simple mainstream singing tip as a demo. All through each show, we announced ad nauseum our open houses (no partner or prior experience needed, etc.), our web site, our booth, our brochures, our dancing schedule and emphasizing the social aspects of the club.

I'm not sure how many folks filled out an address card for more information --our club secretary Scott tracked that info-- but there was a good churn of bodies through the pavilion, including a lot of younger folks (18-25). And everyone left laughing, a few asking for more calls.

I largely view these public demonstrations as a public visibility function supporting our recruitment rather than a recruitment function in itself. On that front, I'm ready to declare success.

BTW, our next open house is Tuesday, June 26, at the Waxter Center (Cathedral & Eager Streets). No prior dance experience needed, no commitment required and don't worry about bringing a partner. Click here for details.

While we were on duty, we weren't able to socialize a great deal with friends but I did take a few photos during breaks. The adorable furry bearginner popped by to introduce himself in the mid-afternoon and we were able to chat for a short while before the next demonstration started.

( Click for photos... )

Baltimore Pride Festival

Baltimore Pride has come & gone for another year.

Pride festivals are typically more work than festival for folks like kent4str and me... there's always some community group with whom we are affiliated which needs staffing, assistance in setup or such. Baltimore Pride is a much longer working engagement for us than most others but it's a great venue and a good time nonetheless.

For the third year running, kent4str and I hosted intro-to-square-dance sessions at the festival's picnic pavilion on behalf of the Chesapeake Squares. Since all vehicles had to be off the grounds by 10:30 AM, we were there much earlier to unload the sound systems and misc supplies; the Chesapeake Squares folks provided the generator and a stack of pamphlets & flyers, as well as staffed their booth over in the community groups section of the festival. We were able to take down the equipment and escape the masses just before 6 PM, making it a very long day.

One the whole, I think our dog and pony show went pretty well. We did intro sessions at the top of the hour, noon to 4 PM. As with prior years, the noon hour presentation was an utter flop: no one was interested in dancing, just eating. We had a square of newbies & Chesapeake Squares folks for the 1 PM session, two squares for the 2 PM session, one for the 3 PM session and two again at 4 PM. Each show was intentionally kept short: 5-6 basic calls taught in about as many minutes. If we had a full square of experienced dancers, we closed the session with a simple mainstream singing tip as a demo. All through each show, we announced ad nauseum our open houses (no partner or prior experience needed, etc.), our web site, our booth, our brochures, our dancing schedule and emphasizing the social aspects of the club.

I'm not sure how many folks filled out an address card for more information --our club secretary Scott tracked that info-- but there was a good churn of bodies through the pavilion, including a lot of younger folks (18-25). And everyone left laughing, a few asking for more calls.

I largely view these public demonstrations as a public visibility function supporting our recruitment rather than a recruitment function in itself. On that front, I'm ready to declare success.

BTW, our next open house is Tuesday, June 26, at the Waxter Center (Cathedral & Eager Streets). No prior dance experience needed, no commitment required and don't worry about bringing a partner. Click here for details.

While we were on duty, we weren't able to socialize a great deal with friends but I did take a few photos during breaks. The adorable furry bearginner popped by to introduce himself in the mid-afternoon and we were able to chat for a short while before the next demonstration started.

( Click for photos... )