Sunday, September 7, 2008

Pine Valley Party

The annual Red Cliffs 5th Ward Family Party was a huge success! It was held Saturday, September 6th at the Lions Lodge in Pine Valley - a beautiful setting, and a good 10 degrees cooler than in St. George.








No one went away hungry, thanks to the dutch oven cooking talents of Mike Reber and Richard Williams, and many ward members who brought more varieties of pies than I can find names for. Bishop Reid and his family provided their usual musical entertainment, and then Kevin Pfunder, of 5th Ward "Newlywed Game" fame, led us in "Eternal Family Feud". Brother Pfunder is an elementary school art teacher, but I believe he missed his calling in life - as he is a perfect game show MC! He and his wife actually surveyed 100 righteous Mormons (not from our ward) to get the answers to the questions -






Things like - What is your favorite family home evening treat? What is your favorite Primary song? What is the most exciting book in the Book Of Mormon? What is the first thing you do when you get home from church? (almost 70% said change clothes) What is the scariest place to be called as a missionary?
What is the most coveted church starting time? How many chapters can you read in the scriptures before falling asleep? What is the best day of the week to have your home teachers visit? Name the most popular misconception about Mormons... It was fun!






After the game, Sister Reid led us in a dance called the "Virginia Reel," a pioneer favorite. Having read "Gone With The Wind" earlier this year, I wanted to do some research on this dance, and found the following:






In the days before television, Internet and even radio, the way people entertained themselves was often by holding a community dance. This event brought the towns together with each other, and was usually a great social event. Most people knew the most popular dances, such as the waltz, and particularly in the Southeastern United States, the Virginia reel was one of the most popular group dances.The Virginia reel has its origins in Scottish country dance, and was introduced to the U.S. in the late 1600s. It had been popularized in England by Sir Roger de Coverly. Some variations were introduced, and before long, the Virginia reel was known all over the Southeast.The Virginia reel is a contra dance, which means it is danced in a line, partners facing each other. In the Virginia reel, about six couples form a line, men in one line, ladies in the other, about six feet apart. The Virginia reel often has a caller, as with a square dance. When the caller indicates, the couples step forward about three steps, and bow to their partners. Partners then do elbow swings, returning to their original places, a do-si-do and the head couple (the couple nearest the band) joins hands and sashays (chasees) down the line and back. The head couple then “reels down” by joining elbows and doing a full turn with each person down their line (men with ladies and vice versa) and then the head couple joins hands and sashays back to their original position. The head couple then leads their respective lines in the “cast off,” taking themselves to the foot of the line, and raising their joined hands to form an arch. The second couple then leads their lines back under the arch to the front, and they become the head couple. The Virginia reel is a lively dance and should be accompanied by lively music. Margaret Mitchell, author of “Gone with the Wind,” opined that “Dixie” was the best of all reel tunes, and this gives a good idea of how spirited the dance is. In the movie Gone with the Wind, an abbreviated version of the Virginia reel is included in the scenes at the bazaar. It is worth watching to see a little of how the dance was performed. Country dancing associations still perform the Virginia reel and usually to live music. They are welcoming to newcomers and are always willing to share the traditions of country dancing.