SWING THRU SQUARE DANCE CLUB: September 2023

History of the Swing Thru Square Dance Club

Dave and Doris Kreiter took square dance lessons in 1970-1971, after attending fun night dances for about 2 years. In 1974 they attended a Callers College in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Dave taught his first class in 1973-74, graduating 13 dancers that first year.

The Swing Thru Square Dance Club was formed in 1974 dancing at the old Lititz Community Center, next to Lititz Springs Park. The Club danced the fourth Friday of each month, except for the months of August, November & December. The Club has had classes every year since 1974. Club activities include fun trips stealing banners, mystery bus rides, and visiting lots of clubs far & wide. A camping club was also formed, called The Hickory Run-A-Rounds, which held a square dance weekend for 15 years at Spring Gulch Campground. This Club no longer exists, however, square dancing remains an important activity at Spring Gulch.

Dave often did demo's at nursing homes, retirement centers, etc. He also called for a variety of fun dances, celebratingz birthdays, anniversaries and church parties. He has called at five weddings during his career.

In August of 2013, Dave & Doris Kreiter told the Swing Thrus that they wanted to back off from their responsibilities of running the club and wanted the club to become an officer-led club. They still wanted to have an active role in the club, but with a reduced work load. So, in September 2013, the club began a series of club member meetings with Dave and Doris to address what these changes would be. Volunteers were sought for the officer positions and the officers named at the time were: President – Jim Miller; Vice President – Don Koser; Secretary – Diane Myers; Treasurer – Ruth Ann Gehman; Assistant Treasurers – Wayne & Elaine Olson. Other Responsibilities: Visitation Co-ordinators – Sid & Sue Jewell; Punch Provider – Dianne Sensenig; Notify Greeters & Food Committee – Sue Smoker; Water Provider – Lisa Rohde.

Some of the important new responsibilities for the club were: Set up the 2014-2015 dance schedule, secure dance hall/facilities, secure callers & cuers for scheduled dances, advertise dances on fliers, internet and by word of mouth at neighboring dances, set up food committees, greeters, beverage (punch, water, coffee) providers for dances, construct a set of club By-laws. These duties have been accomplished. The dance schedule was put in place, the callers and cuers selected, the dance locations established. The club needed more volunteers for the food committees and the By-laws became an evolving document as the club worked through how it actually operated.

Dave and Doris continued to have an active role in the club. Dave called at most regular Friday night club dances, worked with the class of new dancers, conducted plus workshops, and held Neffsville fire hall dances beginning in January (as attendance warranted). In addition, to provide additional opportunities to dance, Special Dances with well-known callers were held during the 2014-2015 dance season. The club continued to operate in most of the same ways as it had in the past. The club welcomed suggestions or comments to improve our club. We wanted to be the club that the members wanted.

On Friday, Sept 26, 2014, Swing Thrus held their 40th Anniversary Dance and we recognized Dave and Doris Kreiter for being our club caller for all of those years. After a series of transition meetings in 2013 & 2014, Sid & Sue Jewell prepared a draft copy of bylaws for our club in January 2014. The club members adopted these ByLaws.

In the fall of 2016, Dave Kreiter was ill and unable to call or start a new dancer class, so we quickly filled the entire dance schedule for 2016-2017 with outside callers. Dave had said at the time that he was finished with calling. However, the club took a "wait and see" attitude. Because of Dave's ill health we were unable to have any new dancer class from September 2016 - September 2017.

In the fall of 2017, Dave had returned to calling and told us he was ready to resume responsibilities for a new dancer class. The officers thought it prudent to bring along another caller to add to the teaching staff in case any health issues developed and so that we could provide a regularly scheduled class for the dance year. Dan Koft was willing to serve as the added teacher. Dan & Kathy Koft became members of Swing Thrus in December 2017.

The 2017 Fall class had about 23 new dancers that started with us. In May, the club recognized 15 of these new dancers as having completed the Mainstream program. Following a Chili/Square Dance event and the Heart Fund Dance in February, 2018, the officers assessed that there was enough interest to start a second new dancer class. This class met at Cross Roads Church in Mount Joy for eight weeks until May 21, 2018, and introduced the Basic and some Mainstream Calls to the dancers. It was hoped that these dancers from the Spring Class (11 dancers) would want to continue with the full Mainstream and Plus Programs in the Fall 2018. Dave Kreiter and Dan Koft shared the teaching (alternating every other week) for the Fall class and Dan taught the Spring Class on his own (Dave told us he didn't want to).

Since Dave’s health issue in 2016, the officers began scheduling mostly outside the club callers for our regular monthly dances and our special dances. These callers have included Dan Koft, Joe Bradshaw, Dan Prosser, Bob Engel, Jim Snyder, Mark Franks, Howard Richman, Clay Goss, Dayle Hodge, Cameron Harnish, Bill Harrison, Ken Bower, Gary Shoemake among others. Round dance cuers have been John Toll, Linda Prosser, Debbie Elser, Kathy Koft, Chris Jopek, Tom Denniston & Ellen McCabe, and Russ Booz.

Dave and Doris told the club in 2018 that they would be finished with his calling schedule in December 2018. The club wished them much health and happiness in their “retirement”. Although Dave did not call at regular dances, he told us that he would continue teaching the new dancer and plus classes on an alternating basis with Dan Koft.

Debbie Elser had been a Swing Thru member for many years (since the late 1990s) and started to cue round dances in 2010 as an associate of John Toll when he was conducting the first round dance classes in the Lancaster area. Debbie took on more and more responsibilities with round dance instruction and became the primary teacher shortly thereafter. She continued to cue many of the regular and special Swing Thru dances as well as leading her own round dance club, the Red Rose Round Dancers and calling for other clubs. Unfortunately, with the advent of Covid, she decided to step aside from her cueing and teaching of round dancing. The club has greatly appreciated her contribution to the round dancing at Swing Thrus and missed having her cue at the club dances.

Dan & Kathy Koft became part of our calling and cueing staff in 2017 and they continue in that role. Here is some background material on both of them. Dan started square dancing in 1976 and started to learn to call dances in 1979. He has been teaching and calling square dances since 1981. He was a member of the Callers Council of New Jersey (CCNJ) from 1981 to 2015 when he and Kathy moved to Pennsylvania. He served as President of CCNJ 2 different terms. He has been a member of CALLERLAB (The International Association of Square Dance Callers) since 1987 and has served on the Youth, Mainstream, and Definitions committees. Dan joined the South Central Pennsylvania Callers and Cuers Association (SCPCCA) in the Fall of 2017 and is their unofficial web master. Dan calls dances for people of all ages and from their first night through the Advanced program.

Kathy Koft started square dancing in 1987 and started round dancing in 1988. In 1989 she began learning to cue rounds. Kathy joined the South Central Pennsylvania Callers and Cuers Association (SCPCCA) in the Fall of 2017. Together: At square dance clubs, Dan and Kathy work together on squares, rounds, and duets on singing calls creating an enjoyable dance.

Several Presidents have guided Swing Thrus in recent years, Lloyd & Sue Smoker and Doug & Sherry Sensenig. In the Fall of 2023, Jay and Renee Harnish stepped forward to lead the club. We appreciate all the leaders and officers, both former and current, for their willingness to serve the club.

Following the Covid pandemic from March of 2020 to the Fall of 2021, all dances were canceled. The club resumed its regular monthly dance schedule in 2021 and has been working to rebuild the club since then.

In the Fall of 2024, the club will celebrate its 50th anniversary of dancing.

(Updated September 2023)