Square Dancing
Old fashioned square dancing was still
common in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. No fancy
footwork was necessary. We just skipped around in time with
the music and followed certain commands by a caller. The
caller was someone that called out routines like “double up
four”, “shoot the star”, “dosie doe”, and “promenade” in
rhythm with the music, a little like today’s rappers. One
could easily learn the routines just by watching
Tucker Day my teenage friend and I used
to attend a square dance in Fairburn on weekends in the
late 1940’s. We would pay a small entrance fee at the door
and have our hand stamped. That allowed us to go outside at
breaks and reenter without having to pay again. There was
always a huge crowd. The atmosphere usually seemed on the
surface to be very proper, no drinking or disorderly
behavior. Problems however sometimes developed because of
the break time. While most went outside to get a breath of
fresh air, others went to their cars for a sip of spirits
and sometimes became disorderly. This didn’t happen often
but there was always the possibility.
While many were there with dates. many singles also
attended. Tucker and I never went with dates. We just
enjoyed dancing with the girls without dates. These girls
were most often there with a parent or an older person.
My Uncle Fabon was a preacher in Tyrone. His wife, Aunt
Clyde had a sister named Roxie. Miss Roxie often came to
the square dance with her teenage daughter. I had not seen
Aunt Clyde in many years and then only at the Brown’s
family reunion. I thought Miss Roxie was Aunt Clyde for
they looked very much alike. I didn’t speak to her because
I didn’t think a preacher’s wife would be at a square
dance. I remember going home and asking my mother if Uncle
Fabon and Aunt Clyde were having marital problems. My
mother frequently talked with Aunt Clyde on the phone and
they got a big laugh out of my misunderstanding.
In the early 50’s, I attended North Georgia College, where
a group of cadets and I formed a square dance band. We
sometimes played for dances at the local Dahlonega High
School gymnasium. We were sponsored by a ladies’ club that
paid us a modest fee for playing. There was not much
entertainment in the area and people of all ages attended.
These were mostly mountain folks dressed in their everyday
attire that made the dance look like something you would
see in an old western movie. There was never any trouble
because it was well supervised by the Dahlonega City
Police.
Joan went with me to one square dance while we were dating,
but after we married I put up my dancing shoes.
In the late 60’s there was a brief resurgence of square
dancing in the area. Middle aged couples dressed in
matching outfits, wore tap shoes and performed as a group.
Gwen and Tom Powell, my aunt and her husband enjoyed this
activity very much.