By Roger Allen
4th in a series
After a memorable eight-year run putting on its annual horse show, the Montezuma Lions Club in 1956 began a17-year run sponsoring a different community entertainment and fund-raising event: The Cornland Square Dance Festival.
Much like the horse shows, the dance festivals required a lot of preparatory work by the members, especially the first year. For the last 16 of the 17 years many will remember that the festival was held on a large open concrete slab on the west side of the school … but that was not the site that first year.
That first dance festival was held on the street between Montezuma’s Municipal Light Plant and the Wisconsin Lumber Company a block north of the light plant.
A news article in The Montezuma Republican included the following details:
“On top of six to seven weeks of planning, the Lions worked three nights getting ready. The area was ringed with bleachers brought in by one crew. Another crew set up a stage with flooring borrowed from the International Harvester Company of Des Moines, “through Archie Bain, local store manager.”
Another gang set up a food stand, another built fence, and a couple more groups hooked up lights and decorated, with help from Light Plant crewmen.
“On Wednesday evening the firemen hosed down the street. Thursday night late a crew, some with brooms, some with buckets, applied 110 gallons of water glass to slicken it.” Keith Steffy headed this successful venture for the Lions.
Celebrity Callers Recruited
“Over 500 dancers from a large area attended at least one night of that first Friday-Saturday event. “There were a total of 20 expert callers from five midwest states in addition to California’s Les Gotcher.”
Gotcher was a nationally-known caller and was the master of ceremonies. It was reported, “The setting was nice, the floor in good shape and dancers had a big time. It was a real show – and it was a financial success.”
For the 1957 festival, the first at the school, the Lions moved to the school the front of an old one-story home to become a unique entrance.
A published report about the second festival said it drew “800 dancers and nearly 1,000 spectators.”
Morning and afternoon dance workshops were held at the Memorial Hall. Meals were offered at local churches.
An 8 p.m. “grand march” of couples started each evening’s dancing. This gave spectators an opportunity to see well the colorful costumes “before they turned into sets of blurred activity.” There was a “western” theme in evidence in the dancers’ colorful outfits.
Diamond M Squares hosted
Serving as hosts to dancers were the members of the local square dance group, “The Diamond M Squares.” Several of its members were also Lions club members.
Advertising by local businesses in the festival program became a major part of the financial success for the Lions club.
Rempp.
Start of Lions Chicken BBQ
The exact year is not clear but early on the Lions started one of its projects that has continued
for more than 60 years, featuring barbecued chicken. At first it was an evening meal held on the school lawn, for community members as well as dancers.
The popular meal in time became an uptown mid-day part of Montezuma’s annual Ridiculous Day, both of which are now a part of the “Let Freedom Ring” Fourth of July celebration.
