20220104 Presidents Letter
Published January 5, 2022 | By Lou Martino
2021 is now behind us. We look at fresh eyes toward a great 2022 in hopes that our membership numbers grow, our attendance grows and we are all able to hug and be with each other in large numbers. The ACSC has announced that 99% of the "normal" events will take place.
I want to thank every person who has given of their time and efforts to support this great club. We have many who supported whatever we had to do to make it work. Now on to a new year, a new beginning with a new board and new members who are showing great signs of what it takes to make the club "the best it can be." Thank you for the past and the future. We have a few major committee chairs to still be filled so if you can, please step up. Let us know what you want to do. We will appreciate your help.
2021 brought many challenges and quite a bit of sadness. We have lost a good number of members and several past officers of our club. We have and will continue to keep their memories alive. I will not provide names as I may miss someone and that would not be the right thing to do. Better safe than sorry.
The participation at our monthly events is growing with each event. Hopefully that will continue. Our "come back quarter" (the last of the year) brought us closer to the numbers of 2019. We look forward to expanding even more. We will take a look at the Covid numbers as they come out and may have to change a few things as we go. If so, please be patient and understand we have to protect the majority.
In the meantime, be kind, love one another and treat each other with respect, have fun and above all else dance like no one is watching. Those are the things that will make others want to come back, become new contributing members and you too will look forward to 2022 as the year of the beginning.
As we have completed our last quarter of 2021, we are combining our October, November, and December letter. We have in these last 3 months attempted to make our conversion back to normal life. Yea Rah.
In October we had our annual Halloween party with 117 people in attendance. The Witches dance group showed up again with a higher number of participants than before. What a hoot. Everyone seems to enjoy their dance. The food was delicious as always and a good time was had by all.
November brought us to our "holiday" season with another great Thanksgiving feast from our hardworking food group. We increased our attendance to 157 all who seemed to be very pleased with the food and fun. Our prestigious Al Cain award winner for 2021, Billy Powell was announced to the delight of many. Congratulations were given by all.
Before you knew it, we were having our December party. Our attendance at 201 had a fun filled night along with our own OD Shag Club Rockettes who switched as elves for Christmas. Add to that a Christmas dinner abound, the generosity of our membership with our annual drive for Christmas family donations, what a night to remember. We collected $600+ in cash donations and enough food to feed an army. The food donations to 7 families this year was exceptional and we want to Thank everyone who participated in the success of this endeavor. Thank you all for all you did and do each and every Christmas.
Until next month
Published October 11, 2021 | By Lou Martino
Looking back on September, we had another busy month. Our annual golf tournament was held on Saturday Sept 18th at The Valley at Eastport Golf Club. Once again, we had great weather for the event and a great turnout of golfers as well with over 100 players. Judy Caulder organized the event and Mark Casey and Ken Meyer lined up the golfers. The morning started off with Krispy Kreme doughnuts donated by Al Cosgrove and Bojangles sausage biscuits.
Our SOS Brunch was on Sunday Sept 19th at the OD Arcade. Another great brunch with plenty of hot food and good times. Attendance was low again but good with around 185. Our DJ, Charlie Glazer kept the floor hopping.
With about 25 members in attendance, the winning golf cart raffle ticket was drawn on Saturday Sept 25th in front of Harold's. Mike Graham from Graham's golf carts had the honor of pulling the ticket. And the winner was Sandy Hutchins from Laurinburg, NC. Congratulations!
Once again, Gordon Robinson lined up another fun Blues Cruise on the Hurricane II, with music provided by Charlie Snuggs Blues Crew. This is always well attended and a treat.
Joan Bacon coordinated the clean sweep held on Saturday October 2nd. The volunteers met at Decker'z, had a quick breakfast of sausage biscuits, and went up and down Main St picking up trash. Several bags were filled to the brim!
Next up, the Elections/Halloween Party to be held on Oct 16th at Harold's. Hope to see you there!
20210722 Presidents Letterr
Published July 23, 2021 | By Lou Martino
Welcome back everyone! We are finally getting back to a more normal routine. It is so nice to get to see everyone again.
The May party was a lot of fun. Got to see many friends new and old and dance again. We had a great turnout of around 160 people. The Main Slice really delivered on the pizza, keeping us supplied with plenty of hot pizza and a great variety as well. Many thanks to them and to all those that helped serve.
June brought us the rescheduled Spring SOS. The change in time also brought the heat and humidity of summer. Attendance was lower than normal but pretty good considering all the obstacles of the new time. Our Brunch was held the first Sunday of SOS as usual, and we had around 200 for the event. Once again, the food, service and music were all top-notch! There was plenty of food for all and time to dance and socialize.
SOS also gave Ways & Means their first big shot at selling club merchandise, and they did not miss the opportunity to do so. Wayne, Anita and Sue sold over $3100 worth! The Golf Cart Raffle Committee also took advantage of SOS and was able to sell out of all 3500 tickets for the 4th year in a row! Jim, Monica, Lori and crew have once again found a way to continue the success. Many thanks again to all that helped with both committees to make them successful! Without your help, none of this would be possible.
As we look forward in July our annual Fun Run (old Poker Run) will be held on Saturday July 24. We will begin at the OD Arcade and end up at Fat Harold's. This is always a lot of fun and well attended. Make your plans now to participate.
We will also start our Beginner Shag Classes on July 21 with HOF Shagger John Barringer and his partner Nancy Sook. There has been a lot of interest in this and we are glad to be able to provide lessons again. They will be teaching in the back room at Harold's on Wednesday nights at 6:00pm.
While last year was challenging at best, we are moving back to where we were before then. I hope to see you soon! Keep the dance in your heart!
Published May 11, 2021 | By Lou Martino
Welcome back everyone! It has been over a year since we have been able to gather and dance at our favorite club. Now, as things begin to open even more, we can start to return to our normal routines we so have missed. The music, the dance, and mostly our friends.
We could not have asked for a more beautiful spot for the Memorial Service we held on Thursday April 2. The sun was out, the water calm and tranquil. Very fitting for remembering the loved ones we lost over the last year. I want to thank Paulette Miller for heading up the event and Linda Campbell for all her help as well. And the many people who helped put together the list of names and contacted family members and friends. Thank You!!! I would also like to thank Christina Cooper Black for her performance. We received many thanks from people in attendance.
Fat Harold's re-opened on April 22 and the OD Pavilion on May 1. We have much to be thankful for. We have a second chance. Let us not forget those who cannot be here with us to join in this re-opening.
We will resume our monthly business meetings in the back room of Fat Harold's on the first Tuesday night of each month. Our first monthly party will be Saturday May 22 at Fat Harold's for those who are comfortable being indoors. Our deejay will be Jimmy Buffkin and we will be serving pizza. We hope to see everyone!
"Life is like dancing – it's not about getting from one place to another. It's about enjoying each step."
Published February 8, 2021 | By Lou Martino
It is hard to believe that has been almost a year since we have been able to meet and dance. With all the restrictions and mandates, we have had to look at other means to connect with our members and conduct club business. 2020 President Billy Powell and his board led the way for us to be able to conduct our elections and to provide a way to see each other from a safe distance. We were also able to help provide a little cheer for 3 families at Christmas as we have been accustomed to doing.
As we begin this year again under the same restrictions, we look forward to having more drive-throughs with the next one occurring on Saturday March 20. Terry McCoy and his crew are busy putting together another great meal for us.
Our fundraising committee has begun to sell tickets for our Golf Cart Raffle. This provides us with the funds needed for our member events, various parades, and SOS activities. Please be sure to help your club by buying tickets and offering to help sell tickets.
This past year was extremely hard to endure as we lost many dear friends and members, then were not able to gather to celebrate their lives. Under consideration is to have a Celebration of Life in mid to late spring on the beach to honor them. More details will be coming.
The light is at the end of the tunnel. With the vaccination process under way, we can only hope that we can get back to the lifestyle we have all become accustomed to and love.
Published October 5, 2020 | By Lou Martino
Hello ODSC Members,
The corona virus has had many implications to our daily lives and to the lives of our entire community. The impact to our economy has been significant and those who were struggling financially are now struggling even more. Also, the organizations that help to keep our dance and shag community alive for the future also have expenses that did not stop because of corona virus.
This year, we could not hold either of our charity fund raising events that help support these organizations. However, the ODSC is in relatively good financial condition and your ODSC Board made the decision to donate to some of these organizations through our Foundation anyway to help them in their endeavors.
While the donation dollars are not as big as past years, they are still significant to these organizations.
North Strand Helping Hands – $2,500.00
Junior SOS – $1,500.00
NMB Explorers – $1,000
Teen Angels – $400
Toys for Tots – $100
We chose these organizations because they have significant impact to our local community or to the dance we love.
Published June 2, 2020 | By Lou Martino
Social distancing, masks, 6 feet apart, Covid 19, coronavirus, Wuhan virus, all of these words or phrases are words that we have heard constantly since March. Unfortunately, they have also meant that we have not been able to get together and enjoy the dance we love and each other's company.
At this time, a definitive decision has not been made for the June party, but we are trying to figure out a way to have the Charity Fun Run in July if we are allowed to have under the governor's restrictions.
I would like to send out a big "hurrah" to Jim and Monica Palmieri. They are still diligently trying to sell raffle tickets. They sold almost 600 tickets this past weekend at Graham's Golf Cart. Thanks to all those who came out and purchased tickets and to those who helped sell tickets. We still have a long way to go and if you could take a bundle of ten tickets and sell them, we would all be appreciative. Contact Jim or Monica to help.
Another group that is still working hard is Ways and Means. Wayne and Anita Baldwin and Sue Wehner along with their webmaster helper, Lou Martino have set up items to sell via our website. Please support their efforts by going to the website and make a purchase. These items make great gifts and when we do get back together, you will look spiffy in your new ODSC apparel.
In closing, I hope that everyone is weathering this "storm" well. Stay safe and hopefully this situation will improve soon.
Published March 2, 2020 | By Lou Martino
The Oyster Roast has come and gone and once again was a great success. Members were showing up before 4:00 p.m. and by 6:00 p.m., the Arcade was packed. The Oyster Roast crew led by Terry McCoy and Donnie Schultz worked extremely hard to put on this event. The work started on Friday afternoon and continued thru Saturday night. The chicken bog was outstanding and I am told the oysters were also (I personally don't eat the nasty things). Hopefully, everyone got their fill and no one went home in the slightest bit hungry. It takes at least 25 hard working people to do this. EVERYONE should make an effort to thank all of these people for the work they did to support our club.
I would also like to thank everyone that pitched in and helped clean up after the Oyster Roast. The breakdown went smoothly, thanks to all those who helped! THANK YOU!!!
Our March party will be on March 21st at Fat Harold's. I don't know what the Food Committee has planned, but I am sure it will be tasty.
Don't forget the St. Patty's Day Parade on March 14th. This is an easy parade to participate in and is a lot of fun. It also helps to demonstrate that we are a supportive member of our community.
Hope to see you at the business meeting on March 3rd.
Published January 28, 2020 | By Lou Martino
The January brunch was a great party. Having the opportunity to see all the junior shaggers was exciting and also a great reminder that we need to support them to keep our dance going into the future.
As all of you know, February is when one of our biggest events is held…. The World-Famous Oyster Roast! This event requires a tremendous amount of work both before (preparation, set-up, cooking and serving) and after (clean-up). Please contact Terry McCoy or Donnie Schultz to help with the before and after. A lot of labor is needed and a great time is had by all involved.
EVERYONE can help clean up after the event. Tables to be taken apart, oyster shells cans cleaned and of course all the trash cans. Don't be one of those people who just eat and leave for others to do all the work.
The Oyster Roast will be held on February 22 at the OD Arcade. Members are free and guests are $25 per person. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Another new year….2020! I am looking forward to another successful year at the ODSC. Thanks to everyone who worked and/or participated in our events last year. A big thank you to all those who volunteered to be Committee Chairs for 2020. All committees have been filled except for one very important one. We are still in need of a Parade Committee Chair. We usually participate in 3 parades per year with the biggest being the SOS parade in April. This parade is a lot of fun and our participation brings a lot of recognition to our club. We have also won First Place in the category we have entered for at least the last 15 years, maybe longer. If you would like to take on this committee or know of someone that does, please contact me as soon as possible.
Our January party will be the Mid-Winter Brunch at the OD Arcade. I hope to see all of you there. Don't forget Clean Sweep will be the following Saturday on the 25th. This is a lot of fun and great community service.
In closing, I would like every member to ask themselves what they can do to help support the ODSC. Only with active participation of its members can the club achieve its potential.