Minutes April 22, 2026

We gathered at 7pm at Virginia's home to enjoy some sweet things.

Present: Dianne B, Maris, Gail, Victor, Virginia, Marguerite, John, Fred

Absent: Dianne P-Q., Kenny

John called the meeting to order at 7:34pm.

The minutes of the last meeting were approved.

Dianne B. gave the Treasurer's Report.  After all transactions the net change was a decrease of $4 since the last report.  There was a bit of discussion regarding the "exit strategy" for should our net cash assets fall below the $1500 floor discussed some time ago, possible 2019.  It appears that we are not in danger yet.  It was observered that a significant amount of income is due to donations.  Certain fixed expenses, such as CDSS fees and insurance will be comming due after June.  The treasurers report was approved.

Victor gave the Booker's Report.  The following lineup has been defined for the remainder of the year.

April - Recorded Music / Victor calling

May - Outsiders / Gretchen Caldwell

June - Lettuce Prey / Dianne P-Q.

July - undecided maybe recorded music with Victor

August - Blueridge Rounders / Dianne P-Q.

September - Outsiders / ?

October - Blueridge Rounders / JJ Luxe

November - Lettuce Prey / Dianne P-Q.

December - ContraCola Open Band / Victor

It seems like every meeting we worry the issue of finding a larger space than Arsenal Hill.  This meeting was no different.

Several board members (Fred, Dianne B, John) visited the Elite Ballroom on Bush River Road. It has lots of space and a fair amount of parking.  It is easily excessible from the Bush River Road exit on I-20. It has an excellent sprung dance floor.  It has an ambiance similar to the old Emerald Ballroom.  Their calendar does not presently exclude the dates we have.  We are uncertain as to how long they have been in operation.  Costwise it would be substantially more expensive than Arsenal Hill.  The proprietor has requirements for dealing with food and drinks, and clean up, which affects the rental.  When we off-handedly mentioned that live music was a feature the proprietor expressed concerns about floor, heavy equiment, drum kits, etc.  That can probably be worked out once they get an idea of what we need. Per hour rental is quite a bit highter than with the city.  A minimum rental is required.  The discussion concluded that we should consider this a backup when we outgrow Arsenal Hill.

In May the board elects Officers for the next fiscal year.  All existing officers agreed to continue in their current roles for the next year.  The slate of officers for 2026-2027 fiscal year (July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027) to be elected at the next meeting:

President: John Wetzel

Vice President & Booker: Victor Gascon

Secretary: Fred Druseikis

Treasurer: Dianne Britton

Additionally, the following slate of At Large board members was nominated and will be elected at the next meeting, subject to their continued agreement to participate.

Gail Sullivan, Maris Burton, Virginia Winn, Marguerite Frongillo, Dianne Palmer-Quay, Kenny Greer

The issue of "Membership" in the ContraCola dance community was discussed.  As the Treasurer has observed, we are solvent because of the steady donations from those who care to see contra dancing continuing in the Columbia area.  Without those contributions our financial situation would be more precarious.  It was noted that City Parks deparment already requires that events be voluntary donations at their venues.  But there is still a lingering idea that the dance "charges admission" although our signage clearly states that donations are voluntary.  The basic idea was to promote a donation model of funding of the dance series, possibly with membership signifying an ongoing (periodic) donation to support the dance series.  The mechanics of doing this has been simplified by some of the software packages (Venmo, GiveButter) we are using already.  Members would receive benefits and there was much discussion about that idea and its inherent inconsistencies.  There was a concern that "members" contribution would be disallowed as tax deductable because they were given admission.  Additional thought would be given to these ideas and concerns with further discussion planned for the next meeting.

Next Meeting: June 10, 2026

The meeting adjourned at 9:06pm

/s/ Fred Druseikis

Minutes February 11, 2026

We gathered at 7pm at Virginia's house for some dessert.

Present: Virginia, Marguerite, John, Fred, Dianne B., Dianne P-Q., Maris, Victor

Absent: Gail, Kenny

John called the meeting to order promptly at 7:30.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

The January dance was cancelled because of weather.  Instead it was held February 7 as the band, caller, and hall were all available.

Dianne B. give the Treasurer's Report.  The city was able to refund and credit the January date to February.  Givebutter texting for our service level (basically free) expired.  All texting is now paid for using the Brevo service, and this is under $10 per month.  We still have Givebutter for donations.

Victor gave the Booker's Report.  Sherlock's Meow and Dianne P-Q. for the Feb 21 dance.  CCOB and Stephanie Marie for March.  Victor announced at the March dance that for April he would be calling and John Wetzel and friends might be playing.

Other Business.

Dianne B. asked if anyone would be interested in being part of a team for the NAMI walk in May.  Several expressed interest.  This would be a team sponsored by the COTMD and would allow the group to promote the dances at the NAMI event.  There are other sponsorship levels which have additional benefits.

Marguerite expressed concerns about the size of the space in Arsenal Hill, the limit being 49 total headcount, including musicians, caller, sound, and possibly non-dancing guests of dancers or children.  The question for disucssion was should we be proactive in seeking space or wait until we it is more urgent.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, April 22.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15pm, a record.

/s/Fred Druseikis

Minutes December 10, 2025

The board met a Virgina's home on the evening of December 10, 2025

Surprisingly, the secretary failed to actually list the attendees in his notes and had to reconstruct the list from his memory (always dubious) and that of an eye-witness (who also has trouble remembering things.)

Present: Dianne B., Fred, John, Virginia, Marguerite, Victor, Dianne P-Q., Maris

Absent: Gail, Kenny

We had some sweet things to eat.

John called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm.

The minutes of last meeting were approved.

Dianne B. gave the Treasurer's report. To minimize the money handling at the venue, the treasurer is now preparing envelopes with the predetermined amounts for the band, caller, and sound.  The available cash in the kitty will be sufficient to cover making change, i.e., tens and fives.  The "First Thursday" event held in November resulted in net increase in assets because the dance expenses were covered by the city.  Substantial private donations to our group where also made since the last treasurer's report.

Victor gave the Booker's report.  The CCOB is playing for the December dance with caller Tom Machlin.  The Sherlock's Meow band is scheduled for January, with the caller TBD.

There was discussion about the idea of membership with the Houston (TX) group's use of membership.  Victor volunteered to write up a blurb about the benefits of membership as it might apply to our group.

There was also discussion about how frequently we should have a Pot Luck, i.e. every dance or only occasionally.  All agreed that the idea of finger food instead of a meal might be just as effective and require less effort.  It was agreed that we should go with the finger food model for December and January.

There was some concern expressed about the size of CCOB and how the players wouldn't all fit on the small stage in the Arsenal Hill venue, thus spilling out onto the dance floor and possibly creating an unsafe situation.  It was agreed that we would need to be extra vigilant, and proactive by engaging the caller to help with any issues.

Karl sent an e-mail highlighting the possibility of engaging in planning a festival.  The board discussed the merits and particulars of the proposal.  It was felt that given our current limited resources such an activity would be too much effort and distracting from our basic mission.

There was discussion about how to proceed with our use of Meet Up.  The subscription is not cheap.  Victor volunteered that he would support our continued use of Meet Up for the next interval.  The basic question is of course are we getting any benefit out of it.  The board requests that a head count of people there because they saw us in Meet Up.  This could be done during announcements, when the dancers are asked "how many of you are dancing for the first time?"

There was a brief discussion about how to encourage follow-up attendance, with the observation that both Charleston and Charlotte are doing "2nd dance free" kind of promotions.  We tried this in the past for quite awhile, maybe a decade.  The board recalled its previous attempts at this over the years, with the consensus being that it wasn't very effective.  It also complicates tallying statistics and accounting.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, February 11, 2026.

The meeting adjourned at 8:54pm.

/s/ Fred Druseikis

Minutes, October 22,2025

 

 Minutes of the COTMD Board Meeting on October 22, 2025, submitted by M. Frongillo
[The agenda is italicized.]

The 10/22/25 COTMD Board meeting began at 7:27 pm. 

Virginia, John, Dianne Britton, Dianne Palmer-Quay, Gail, Maris, and Marguerite were present.
 1]  The August meeting minutes were approved by vote.

2]   Dianne Britton’s treasurer report indicated that we have lost $464 between August and October, despite some donations. We have a lot of expenses including insurance, monthly use of the hall, and cost of bands and callers. Our 2026 liability insurance will be $634. A formal motion was made proposing to keep the liability insurance, seconded and voted yes. Because Venmo is good for donations, a motion was made to continue having Venmo, seconded, and voted yes.

3]  Victor was unable to attend the October meeting. It was agreed that Sherlock’s Meow could be our band for January 2026.

4]  Comments on our most recent dance.
    A]  The potluck and lesson are both good for socializing and encouraging people to dance. Usually experienced dancers help beginners, but occasionally an experienced dancer may unknowingly confuse a beginner. It helps when the caller is alert and guides with positive professional energy.
    B]  Some experienced dancers are encouraging us to advertise with frequent posts about upcoming dances. Spreading the word in person also works well.
   C]  We need an agreement about naming the two partner roles in our dances. The available terms are Ladies and Gents, robins and larks, and right and left positional. No decision was made and no vote was taken as to what terms should be used permanently. Presently the terms are up to the caller.

5] Decide on potluck (or not) for our local dances (decide thru December?) We decided that we want to keep the potluck going through our last dance this year! 

6] First Thursday event at Boyd Plaza on November 6, 2025: Discuss who needs to do what when.
A] through G] 
Our treasurer is handling the intake and dispersal of funds for this event. The two callers, Victor Gascon and Dianne PQ are local and board members and will teach simple dances. Dianne B. Dianne PQ and Maris will handle marketing for this event. Parking is available at a big city garage on Taylor between Main and Assembly. We did not discuss making a list of dancers. Most people at the 10/22/25 board meeting planned to attend the Boyd Plaza event. We were encouraged to bring our friends. No motion was made and no vote was taken on this Boyd Plaza First Thursday event.

7] There were no additional agenda items.

8] The next Contra Board meeting will be Wednesday, December 10. We voted to adjourn the 10/22/25 meeting at 8:50 pm.

 MEETING AGENDA associated with the above minutes:

 1] Review/approve meeting minutes (August 13, 2025).  Those minutes are available at:     https://cotmdboard.contracola.org/
2] Treasurer's report.
3] Booker's report 
4] Thoughts and comments on our most recent dance, attendance etc.
5] Decide on potluck (or not) for our local dances (decide thru December?)
6] Discuss who needs to do what, as regards the special first Thursday dance event:
A] Someone will need to bring cash to pay the band ($260) and callers ($200??).  First Thursday is not paying these fees directly.
B] Can someone create and maintain a list of board members and experienced dancers who will commit to attend AND actually dance?  
C]The dance event details are nailed down, and we need to make a marketing effort, who can and will do what? The first Thursday event should be heavily promoted at our next regular Saturday dance, to bring out experienced dancers.
D] How do we get as many of our experienced dancers as possible to come help ] out (this overlaps with the marketing effort)?
E] How do we plan to pull "curious onlookers" into this dance, which is otherwise no more than a demonstration?
F] Since we are going to be paid $600 for this, we will have some "profit" to bank after all expenses.  How (and when) will we collect this $600?
G] What (if any) parking arrangements are there that we can push out to anyone who wants to attend this event?
7] Any additional agenda items should be introduced here (time permitting).
8] Set the next meeting date and adjourn.

Minutes, August 13, 2025

  Minutes of the COTMD Board Meeting on August 13, 2025, submitted by M. Frongillo
[The agenda is italicized.]

Virginia hosted the meeting, which was called to order at 7:33 PM by John Wetzel.

Present: Dianne B. and Fred [both via phone,] Virginia, Marguerite, Dianne Palmer-Quay, Victor, Maris, and Gail.
We had enough members to have a quorum.

1] Review/approve meeting minutes (June 11, 2025).  Those minutes should soon be available at:     https://cotmdboard.contracola.org/
Minutes of last board meeting [June 11, 2025] were reviewed and approved.

2] Current Treasurer’s report:
We are down $387.02 since the last report at our last meeting on June 11, 2025.
The last dance, July 26, brought in $300.00 because we got the calling and music free! Neither band nor caller accepted money for their efforts, and Tyler was not there [though we missed him!] Our treasurer was able to deposit $312 in our bank account after that dance.
A motion to approve the treasurer’s report was made, seconded, and voted accepted.

3] Booker’s report:
Tyler is our sound guy for the foreseeable future.
We have 3 out-of-town talent dances coming up. We have already agreed that out-of-town talent is now compensated by $150 per caller or musician, and now we vote YES for $150 for out-of-town callers.
Our next dance is August 23, 2025, with Tea and Whiskey as our band and Dianne Palmer-Quay as our caller.
On September 27 our band is the Evil Twins [David Knight and Laurie Fisher] and Victor will book our caller, will talk with Kenny Stephanie Marie in Charlotte.
On October 25 our band is The McKenzies and Victor will book our caller.
For the remaining 2025 dates we may be booking more local talent. Victor has a special booking email address.

4] Thoughts and comments on our most recent dance, attendance etc:
The last 2 dances were “scattered” and we had longer breaks because of the heat. The potluck was well received.

5] Do we need to make any formal decision as regards making a "potluck" before each dance a permanent thing?
Gail suggested that we decide at each board meeting whether we will do a potluck for the next two dances. For the potlucks, organic paper products and cutlery were donated. If we have potlucks all the time, should we change who does the chores? We could decide to keep putting on potlucks for the next 2 months, saying “bring your own serving utensils & cutlery.”
Victor is cleaning out some drawers so we might put our stuff in drawers.

6] Latest news (if any) regarding Arsenal Hill capacity rules (ie. Fire Marshal news)?
Capacity will be dealt with when Ms Pearl Osborne meets with the Assistant Fire Marshal.

7] Renewing our liability insurance, (renewal looms). Treasurer to execute renewal if we so desire:
Liability insurance or next year costs $634, and we will need to send the check for payment in 3 weeks. A formal proposal was made to keep insurance, and we voted to keep the insurance.

8] Should we have (instead of "caller decides") a mix of 50% ladies/gents and 50% gender neutral calling (assuming we have enough callers of each type to make this feasible)?
Common dance roll terms are Ladies and Gents [traditional], Right and Left [positional], Larks and Robins. Previously we voted that the caller decides the terms used at that dance. By alternating callers, we become familiar with a variety of terms.

9] We seem to have another Sasquatch problem at our dances (people who are too strong, too tall or too clueless to dance with).
Gail reported that two female shaggers came to the last dance, and that Karl turned them too fast. If that happens at a dance, the affected dancer should report it to a board member [who would need to wear a tag showing that they are on the board] or to the caller. The caller could talk in a short simple way about safety.

10. Any additional agenda items:
A] Meetup, and reimburse Dianne Palmer-Quay?
People are coming because of Meetup, for which Dianne P-Q has so far been paying $200 every 6 months. It looks like it is working. John says that our group should pay. Victor and Dianne P-Q offered to share the cost so far. Charlotte used Meetup and within 3 months they became solvent. For us it’s the high overhead cost due to CDSS, Insurance, and $125 rent that make it necessary for us to have 60 dancers to break even. To save money, can we sign in for 2026 as a rollover nonprofit?

B] Dance Display First Thursday Downtown Columbia:  NOTE: THE INFO BELOW IS DATED AND NOT ENTIRELY CORRECT (but is retained as a information about this meeting).
We would be seen outside in a covered space in front of the Art Museum.  We would need experienced dancers and a change in format to make it work. We would first do a 5-minute dance, then stop and announce, “It’s your turn to dance,” inviting everybody to dance. We’d have a total of one hour.
When would we do it? Suggestions were more than once a year, in possibly October, November, April, May, or June. To make arrangements, Maris would talk with Becca about details such as date[s]. We could use recorded music and we need time for a quick setup. A motion to do dance display[s] was made, seconded, and accepted by vote.

C] Gail asked if she could distribute “get in free” cards, saying there are only twelve left. John said that he thought we had formally discontinued this and will go through past minutes to check. He indicated she can go ahead until he finds we voted against giving out “get in free” cards.

 D] Marguerite asked if it’s it OK to ask the Scottish dancers to do a demo at our September dance. It would honor David Knight as a Scottish dance musician, and Scottish dancing as one of the “parents” of Contradance. She said she would donate $10 for each of the Scottish dancers’ admission. John granted the ok.

11. Set the next meeting date and adjourn.
We chose to meet on this October 22, and we adjourned at 8:49 pm.

Minutes June 11, 2025

The board members gathered at Virginia's house at 7 pm.  The there was pie! And lots of it.  And other goodies too.

Present: John, Fred, Dianne B., Dianne P-Q., Gail, Victor, Virginia, Marguerite, Maris

Absent: Kenny

John called the meeting to order a 7:35 pm.

The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.

Treasurer's Report

In view of the need to create and end-of-the-year financial report for CDSS, various transactions were invoked to consolidate money in Venmo and GiveButter systems to the bank account.  The report was approved.

Booker's Report

June 27 event will be a pot luck with dancing using recorded music.  Victor and Dianne P-Q. will share calling duty.  Emphasis will be on skills and teaching.  There was discussion about using positional calling.

It was decided that "July 26 dance will be cancelled."  Except that it wasn't: there was a dance, Sherlock's Meow played, Victor called.  Sound was make do.  Caller and Band volunteered their time.  There was a pot luck.  The hall was paid. This was all decided via e-mail discussion after the generally positive vibe we had for the potluck and dance on June 27.

September dance band will be Evil Twins.  A motion was made and approved to pay a somewhat larger fee.

General Business

There was discussion about revising the payment schedule for bands due to the difficulty of getting bookings.  It has proposed and seconded that the going rate for musicians should be $150/person/night.  The motion was approved.

There was extensive continued discussion regarding calling traditional (Ladies & Gents) versus gender neutral (Larks & Robins).  There are concerns.  There is some feeling that this creates a lot of confusion for new dancers, as well as older ones too.  Discussion to be continued.

There was additional discussion about the status of hall capacity, which is currently capped at 49.  Various inquiries have been made, with assurances given that the respondent would get back in a couple of weeks.  It seem that this direct approach has gotten stalled because its now been a couple of months.  It is clear that City Parks needs to advocate for us.  It should be noted that there are a couple of reasons for seeking to increase the hall capacity.  The primary one is that have a increased number of people adds excitement to the event.  The band, caller, sound tech, desk, and wall flowers, anywhere from 5-10 bodies, through their presence, diminish the energy level of a specific dance.  Yet we don't have a dance without them  A secondary reason is that our model of a sustainable dance series requires a minimum head count to cover expenses.  A typical dance event costs something in the range of $500-$600 (including hall) to produce, but volunteers, for example the open band, can cut that in half.  At a donation of $10/person that means we need to have somewhere between 50 and 60 dancers; realistically the cap needs to be raised to 70 for us to be sustainable (at the current donation level.)

There was an offer extended to the Scottish dancers to use the hall on July 26 as it was believe that we would not be using it.  The Scottish group declined, thankfully, because we ended up using it ourselves on that date.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, August 13, 2025

The meeting adjourned at 8:58 pm.

/s/ Fred Druseikis

Minutes May 8, 2025

The CoTMD Board gathered at Virginia's house at 7 pm for snacks and conversation.

Board Members Present: Fred, Dianne B., Maris, Gail, Virginia, Marguerite, John

Board Members via Facetime: Victor

Board Members Absent: Kenny, Dianne P-Q.

Visitor Present: Tess

John called the meeting to order at 7:32 pm.

A motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting, April 8, 2025, was made, seconded, and passed by unanimous vote.

Treasurer's Report

    There were no significant transactions over the last month.  The bank balance remains essentially unchanged.

    The treasurer reported that City Parks department thinks we only need to pay $25 per event, rather than $25 per hour per event.  Pearl is on leave with no date being specified for her return, and her stand-in stated that the data entered into their billing system was accurate and was indeed the amount we needed to pay.  The City Parks employee seemed unaware of the previously understood conversation with Pearl that specified the latter, which we understood as the hourly charge for the minder.  This was received by the board as good news, but there was discussion about a concern that the new City Parks employee might not have fully understood the reality and whenever Pearl returns, or sooner, we might  be asked to catch up all the charges in arrears.  For this reason, at the moment, there is no need to attempt to economize (shorten) the hours we use Arsenal Hill since we have the whole space reserved from 5-11 pm on the specified Saturdays for one low price $25 per event.

    It was observed that this change improves the sustainability of our dance series.

    The Treasurer's report was approved by unanimous vote.

Booker's Report

    There was discussion about having dances in June 28 and July 26. The AC is in good condition at the facility, but there was still concerned expressed about the heat of the summer, with which we are all familiar.  Victor suggested that recorded music could be used.

    A motion was made seconded and approved to implement Victor's suggestion.  A social event including pot luck is being considered.

    Future dances:

    August     Tea & Whiskey    Caller: TBD

    There was discussion about hall capacity fire codes in Arsenal Hill.  We have explained the situation to City Parks and they have agreed to take it up with the fire marshal.  I'm unclear what the status of this is.

Election of Officers and At-Large Board Members

    May is the month in which the board considers nominations for corporate officers and at-large members.  The following slate was put forward:

    President: John

    Vice President & Booker: Victor

    Treasurer: Dianne B.

    Secretary: Fred

    At-large Members: Dianne P-Q., Gail, Kenny, Maris, Marguerite, Virginia

    The board recognizes that Kenny has not attended any meetings per se, but has contributed to many discussions on the e-mail list over the last year, as well as being an active contra-dance caller plugged into the broader community.  There was some discussion about possibly creating a different kind of board member category but the discussion didn't really suggest that it would serve any purpose. 

    The board approved the slate of officers and in doing so the continuing board members affirmed their desire to continue to support the activities and mission of CoTMD group over the next year.

Discussion of Gender-Neutral Roles in Our Dance Series

    Tess joined the discussion to express some concerns about language used by callers in the dance series and specifically how much of an outlier we are in comparisons to other dances she has intended across the country.  Specifically both Columbia and Charleston seem to be well behind in adoption of gender neutral dance calling  (presently clinging to the gents/ladies language) and she is concerned that this is problematic for our group.  Specifically, people may choose to attend dances depending on the use of gender-neutral or traditional calling.

    There was discussion.  One thought that came forward was the need to be clear to callers what our expectations are for use of gender-neutral terminology.

    The board thanked Tess for taking the time to come to the meeting and expressed appreciation for her candor.  The board did not take any action except to plan to continue the discussion at the next meeting after having had the opportunity to take into consideration all that had been said.

Next Meeting & Adjournment

The next meeting will be Wednesday, June 11, 2025.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:06 pm.

/s/Fred Druseikis

Minutes April 9, 2025

 The COTMD Board met at Virginia Winn's house on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

We all like sweet things and enjoy each other's conversation, so we gathered at 7pm.  The meeting was called to order at 7:35pm.

Present: Dianne B., Gail, Victor, Virginia, Marguerite, Maris, John, Fred

Absent: Dianne P-Q., Kenny

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.

Treasurer's Report

The last dance had a net loss of $113.11 overall, i.e. including hall and overhead costs. Dates for the Arsenal Hill venue have been cleared through September. There were some question about dance event plans for the end of the year.  Upcoming expenses are CDSS membership fees in April (this expense maintains our 501(c)(3) status;) liability insurance in September; Brevo (a texting service) fees will begin in September, which will be ongoing and based on number of messages sent.  GiveButter presently handles our text messaging until September, is free for our level of usage, but starting in September would require an expensive subscription to maintain texting capability.  It is our objective to have Brevo ready for use soon so the transition from GiveButter texting in September will be smooth; we don't have to start paying for Brevo until we begin using it.  A motion was made seconded and approved to accept the Treasure's Report.

Booker's Report

The Evil Twins (David Knight and Lorrie Fischer) inquired about the possibility playing in Columbia as they are planning a southeast tour to the various contradance venues.  There was discussion about our ability to pay their asking price; and concerns were expressed on two matters.  First regarding our group's ability to pay given our financial health; and second, being compensated at the expect level as musicians of their stature (our current level of compensation for out-of-town bands are "scant".)  Various views were expressed.  The consensus was that we should try to get them to come and to be prepared to pay their requested fee instead of playing games with our stated limits and travel expenses.

Marguerite requested that for personal reasons she be allowed to step back from VP/.Booker responsibilities for awhile.  She stated that she still very much wanted to remain on the board.  Victor was nominated to the position of VP/Booker; the board unanimously approved his appointment.

Dance Results

There was discussion about general matters for the dances at Arsenal Hill.  The hall is being rented for the 5-11pm time slot.  The minder has been very prompt and continues to be present.  The dances have not gone the full time and have all so far ended early.  This raises the question of whether or not we should attempt to save some money by renting the hall from 6-10pm.  This would reduce the rental from $150 to $100.  Concerns about shortening were expressed but no decision was made.

There was some question about whether or not the AC was functioning during the dance. There was some discussion about adequacy and the need for floor fans and ceiling fans.  There is AC but there may be some tricks with the thermostat.

Other Matters

Dianne B and John will initiate conversation with the Parks Department about the issue of hall capacity.  It was remarked that attempting to approach the fire marshal on this will absolutely pointless as we have no standing in any conversation with him or her.  The matter will need to be taken up with Pearl who we would expect to escalate the issue to the director or other official.  We have not exceeded the capacity limit yet, but it's clear that staff head count impacts the dancers (band + caller + sound + desk).  Also a handful of children affects it too.  The space is comfortable, easily accessible, in a great location, and sized well for our current attendance.

(In writing this summary I'd like to add that the central issue is to have a enough potential capacity to allow the dance series to be self-sustaining through donations; there are two ways to achieve this: one is to increase capacity to make our dance sustainable at the current donation level; or alternatively to increase the suggested per-dancer donation.  Some combination of the two is probably needed.)

There was a discussion about rates of travel reimbursement.  Our current model is $3/20 miles (basically a gallon of gas, not assuming a particular mileage efficiency); the IRS model is cents per mile traveled (50 cents per mile was mentioned, however the actual rate is 71 cents per mile for business and self-employed.)  There was discussion.  The board directed the Booker to no longer use a mileage travel component when discussing compensation with bands and callers.  The goal is to get a clear understanding of the compensation expected by the prospective staff and work with them in negotiation, leaving travel expenses out of the discussion.

Next Meeting; THURSDAY, May 8. (This is a DIFFERENT WEEKDAY than we have ordinarily had.)

Adjourned at 8:56pm.

/s/ Fred Druseikis

Minutes, March 12, 2025

COTMD Board Meeting

We met at Virginia's house at 7 pm and enjoyed each other's company while gorging ourselves on all manner of sweets, cookies, and pie.  There might have been something healthy there too.

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm.

Present: Dianne B, Dianne P-Q, Maris, Victor, Virginia, Marguerite, John, Fred

Absent: Gail, Kenny

The minutes of the last meeting were reviewed and approved.

Dianne B presented the Treasurer's Report.  Donations to cover the additional costs of renting the Arsenal Hill venue had been received.  There were no additional expenses aside from hall rental and Facebook advertising, so the net financial status remained virtually unchanged.  Money accumulated in Venmo was transferred into the bank account. The report was approved.

Marguerite presented the Booker's Report.  The upcoming dances are:

3/29, Arsenal Hill, Caller: Victor, Band: Marshal Goers & Lucy Allen

4/26, TBD (see next), Caller: Tom Macklin, Band: Sherlock's Meow

5/24, TBD (see next), Caller: TBD (out of town), Band: ContraCola Open Band

The Booker's report was accepted.

The meeting continued to address issues identified by John in the meeting announcement.

There was discussion about the choice of venues.  The vibe of the CMFA space is not as agreeable as Arsenal Hill; it does however have greater capacity.  The CMFA space requires a lot more physical work to set up and take down because of the layout of the space and location of storage rooms.  The CMFA space is used primarily as a ballet studio, and it there was concern that the contra dance left the floor dirty.

Presently the Arsenal Hill space is being rented from 5-11pm (for a total of 6 hours), which accounts for the required "minder fee" of $150.  The CMFA space has no minder-fee requirement, and neither organization expects a percentage of donations; however ask a reminder, we have in the past made it a policy to donate 20% of admissions to CMFA to remind ourselves that halls cost.

The board approved the following motion as a statement of intent: "That the principal venue for dances should be Arsenal Hill with CMFA as a backup."  The motion was approved.

There was additional discussion about how to go about increasing the capacity of Arsenal Hill from 49 persons to something higher.  Victor thought he could see if he can find some documents circa 2014 that would explain why the capacity was reduced.  Maris was going to take a look at the door and outside steps situation to see how bad it is. 

John in discussions with Pearl O. has determined that there is no possibility of reducing the hourly rate for the minder.

There was discussion about the needs for the next dance and expectations were clarified.

The Booker is authorized to begin searching for bands and callers for next season.

There was discussion about exercising some fiscal austerity for June, July, and August, if dances are scheduled.  It was felt that out of town bands should not be scheduled if possible.

Dianne B has narrowed the search for a texting service (Brevo) to replace the one that GiveButter has here-to-fore provided as a benefit of their base-level offering.  She will be working through the details of how to adapt it for our use.

The next meeting will be April 9, 2025, at Virginia's house.

The meeting adjourned at 8:41 pm.

/s/ Fred Druseikis

Minutes, February 12, 2025

 Victor

 Minutes of the COTMD Board Meeting

February 12, 2025

Meeting called to order at 7:37 PM by John Wetzel.

Present: Virginia, Marguerite, Dianne B., Dianne Palmer-Q, Fred (via video call), Victor. There were enough members to have a quorum.

1. Approval of minutes of January meeting. Minutes were reviewed and approved.

2. Treasurer’s report was reviewed and approved.

3. Booker’s report

   1. We are dancing at Arsenal Hill and our talent is Chris Liakos and John Wetzel, with Caller Dianner Palmer-Q

   2. March’s talent is Lucy Allen and Marshall Goers, with Caller Victor.

4. CMFA as a dancing venue: the Board discussed the various aspects and issues with CMFA. John reported a very cordial and productive conversation with the new liaison at CMFA. Among the issue that were noted:

   1. Floor: the floor is not the best for Contra dancing and CMFA has concerns with damage to it due to street shoes being used.

   2. Calendar: CMFA explicitly indicated that they will have to cancel our reservation if they have an event in the main room.

   3. CMFA has an issue with having food in the pink room

   4. Chairs and tables: CMFA will not allow us to store them in the pink room because they want everything stored in a central location for all of their needs.

5. Arsenal Hill logistics and planning: everything I set to go for this first dance. John will add Arsenal Hill to our insurance policy.

6. Amplifiers at Lake Murray Contra Hall: John asked for approval to compensate Tyler for going to LMCH, unplugging our newest amplifier, connecting and testing the older amplifier, and then retrieving our equipment (including one of Fred’s and Dianne’s monitor speakers). A motion was made by Victor to approve the expenditure of $50 for Tyler’s time and it was seconded by Virginia; the Board unanimously approved the motion.

7. Microphone stands: the group needs three microphone stands. During the short discussion, Dianne B., Fred and John offered to donate three stands to the group.

8. Inventory of existing equipment: John is in the process of preparing an updated list of our equipment and where it resides. Some of it is with Tyler and some with Victor and some with John or at Lake Murray Contra Hall.

9. Other items

   1. Victor advanced the idea that, if we cannot afford to have more dances each month (due to funding and limited volunteers) then we may want to reduce the frequency of our dances to quarterly events that have a longer duration (to include workshops and a potluck). This was left open for further consideration.

   2. Dianne P-Q discussed the use of Meetup and Facebook ads to promote our new location. The estimated cost for the ads will be $30 per month. The Board approved the idea of investing funds for both Meetup and Facebook.

   3. Dianne B. brought up the fact that our free texting service through GiveButter is coming to an end. That service is now part of GiveButter+ which is a bit expensive at $29/month. Dianne B. will research alternatives for free texting.

Minutes, January 8, 2025

The board was held at 7:30pm at Virginia's house at the previously agreed-upon date.

Present: Dianne B., Dianne P-Q., Gail, Victor, Marguerite, Virginia, John, Fred

Absent: Maris, Kenny

Virginia and sister needed to travel the next day, so in the interest of allowing them to get to bed earlier, we abbreviated the agenda.

The minutes to the last meeting, October 9, were not reviewed or approved.

The treasurer gave an abbreviated statement of financial condition.  There were several disbursements however there was not substantive income or expenses to report as the dances since august were either cancelled or suspended for lack of interest.

The primary agenda item was to decided on the venue instead for Lake Murray.  The two candidates were CMFA and Arsenal Hill.  Arsenal Hill was selected, with the first dance being in January 2025.  

As of today, February 3, the January 2025 dance was not held because of issues in securing commitment from city Parks. The location of the February 22 dance is presently in question because of undisclosed "minder" hourly expense for the hall.  Previously the misunderstood charge for the Arsenal Hill hall was 80/20 split of gate receipts, which are "donations".

The next meeting is February 12.

The meeting adjourned a little after 8pm.

s/Fred Druseikis

===== INFO below added by Wetzel,on 2/13/2025 provided by Marguerites notes =========

 The dates below were selected at this meeting as our "maximum dates we want"  (J Wetzel comment)

Columbia Traditional Music and Dance [COTMD,] also known as ContraCola, wishes to reserve the Arsenal Hill Hall for our monthly community contra dance on these Saturdays in 2025:

1/25

2/22

3/29

4/26

5/24

6/28

7/26  

8/23  

9/27

10/25

11/22

12/13

 

We envision the following time will be needed to set up sound equipment, dance, and then take down equipment and clean up:

Door open at 5:30 pm

Setup and finish sound check by 6:30 pm

Contra dance lesson 6:30-7:00 pm

Dance contradances 7:00-10:00 pm

Take down and clean up, be done by 11:00 pm

Minutes October 9, 2024

The board meeting was held at Virginia's house.

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm by president John.

Present: Dianne B, Victor, Dianne PQ, Virginia, Marguerite, John, Fred

Absent: Gail, Kenny, Maris

The minutes for the last meeting were reviewed.  A motion was made, seconded, and approved to accept the minutes.

Dianne B gave the Treasure's Report.  There were only two transactions; a payment to Susan Forte for use of her hall for the August dance; and the annual premium for insurance.  Net balance in the bank has declined to a level not seen for many years, possibly a decade.  A motion was made, seconded, and approved to accept the Treasurer's report.

Marguerite gave the Booker's Report.  She noted that Tyler cannot do sound for the October 26th dance; and Fred and Dianne will both be away for that dance.  As a side note, un-powered monitors belonging to F&D are located at LMCH; and Tyler has the power amp needed to use those.  Coordination will be necessary to make sure the necessary equipment is at LMCH.

The current dance schedule (as of 10/9/2024, but see below) is:

• October, Victor calling, with music by (sorry I didn't note this.)
• November, Joel calling, with CCOB
• December, Dianne P-Q calling, with Chris Lakos & Friends,

General business items were discussed.

The last scheduled dance, for September, did not happen because of the hurricane; it became apparent that there are additional difficulties with the road to LMCH because of downed trees and mud.  It seems that LMCH has neighbors that don't like it and remove signage.

An initial impression of Arsenal Hill as an alternative to CMFA has led to a remark that "Arsenal Hill is not viable."  This is because the occupancy restrictions will limit attendance and result in all dances depending on additional donations to cover costs.  The context for the discussion is a need to find a venue because of the rural and remote nature of LMCH and the perceived issues with CMFA as a space.

  

Discussion was had about doing some kind of thing with the "First Thursday" events in downtown Columbia.  An inquiry was sent to us by the person responsible for the event in the Columbia city government.  The board discussed the concept.  The upshot was that exactly 0 new dancers would come form this as a single event, with a lot of work to get it to happen.  There might make more sense if there were a dance series coupled with this idea.  Dianne B accepted the action item to communicate back to the city's representative about our concerns and reluctance.

Dianne PQ had raised up a couple of ideas for discussion, with the discussion focused on Family/Community Dances.  There was discussion about possibly designating one of the dances, perhaps February 2024, as a Family dance with a pot-luck; and with different times, 4-7 pm was suggested.  The venue was unclear.  The general idea was approved by the board.

In view of F&D's absence, it was agreed, that Dianne PQ, would take charge of the "green bag" for the October 26 dance.  John would be doing sound, and Victor would be calling, so that between the three of them the desk operations would be covered.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at the usual time and place.

The meeting was concluded at 8:59 pm. 

/s/ Fred Druseikis

Minutes August 28, 2024

Meeting called to order at 7:31pm by president John.

Attending: John, Victor, Fred, Dianne B., Virginia, Marguerite

Absent: Dianne P-Q., Kenny

Represented by Proxy: Maris and Gail (via Dianne B.)

It was determined that a quorum was present.

The minutes of the last meeting were reviewed.  A motion was made, seconded, and approved to accept the minutes as posted.

Dianne B. gave the treasurer's report.  We are now in current FY 2024-2025.  The first dance was August 24, held at LMCH.  There was a small loss. Venmo was accessible from the site even though it is so far out in the woods; within the building can be a problem.  Givebutter and Venmo payments are being moved into the bank account rather than being kept in those systems.  A motion was made, seconded. and approved, to accept the Treasurer's report.

Marguerite gave the Booker's Report.  We were very fortunate to be able to get the LMCH hall on short notice.  It was hard for several of us to find the driveway.  The yellow signs we had been using for a few years have gone missing at the August 24 dance. It was speculated that there may have wandered away because the neighbors are known to have unfavorable feelings about dances being hosted there.  Two concerns arose in the discussion: Road Access and Signage for Parking.

There was concern that the last dance felt as if it was "low energy."  Typically the caller is the focus for getting the dance to be exciting.  An number of remarks were made about the specifics.  One reality for us is that we always have a fair number of beginners and this can be challenging for out-of-town callers if their dance communities have a larger base.  Also, dancer energy tends to decline over the course of the evening and this needs to be addressed by the caller.  The board feels that in general we should communicate concerns to callers about these perceptions and continue to work with them rather than cease book them for a season.

Upcoming Schedule:

9/28  Band: Cloud 10; Caller: Stephanie Marie.  NOTE: Dance Canceled due to Hurricane Helene damage.

10/26 Band: Marshal Goers & Lucy Allen; Caller: Victor

11/23: Band: CCOB; Caller: Leslie Bowers?  There was some discussion as to whether or not an alternative venue such as the Community Center in Peak should be considered instead of LMCH.

12/14: Band: Green Levels(?); Caller: Dianne P-Q.  (The choice of the date was voted on.)

General Business.

I have a notation that we are probably going to be at LMCH through June.  Susan wants Waiver's.  She is ambiguous about needing our insurance, i.e., that she needs to be named as an insured on the policy.

The board voted on the motion to continue coverage with our event insurance for the next year.  The voted passed with six in favor and two against.

The possibility of returning to Arsenal Hill as a dance venue was discussed.  It is unclear who or how to schedule that.  There was some discussion that it was dedicated to the Model Railroad Club.  John said he would take this as and action item.

John will send information about insurance payments to Dianne B.

The next meeting will be on October 9.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:41 pm.

/s/Fred Druseikis

Minutes July 10, 2024

Where: Virginia Winn's home.

When: 7 pm

Present: Fred, Dianne B., Gale, Maris, Victor, John, Marguerite, Virginia.

Absent: Dianne P-Q., Kenny.

John was briefly delayed; he called ahead to let us know.  He gave us the go-ahead to start without him, so Marguerite called the meeting to order at 7:33 pm. The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved. John then arrived.

Dianne B. gave the Treasurer's Report.  There was a small loss in the last dance.  There were two transactions since the last report: Our Meet-up account was extended for six months; and a two year renewal of the contracola.org domain name was paid to Dotster.  The over-payment to CDSS reported in the last meeting has been refunded to us. There was some concern that Venmo would not work at LMCH, but it seems to work just fine as long as you stand outside of the building (which is metal.)

Money paid to us via Venmo will be moved to the regular bank account asap out of concern that keeping it in Venmo could cause it to be difficult to get to. (There was discussion of reports in the trade press of disputes etc.)

There are now about 100 cell phone numbers receiving texts message notification of our dance events.

Marguerite gave the Booker's Report.  Here is the current line-up for the first part of the next season:

Aug 24 at LMCH: Sherlock's Meow with Chris Hernandez calling.

Sept 28 at LMCH: Cloud Ten with TBD calling.

Oct 26 at LMCH: Marshal Goes with TBD.

Nov 23 at LMCH: Contracola Open Band with TBD.

Dianne P-Q has been in training over the summer for calling.  Hopefully she will soon be able to call some dances locally.  A possible opportunity for calling a couple of private events was passed on to her.

Some discussion of the status of other dance communities was had.  Charlotte's schedule is in flux. Of the Charlotte caller's, Gretchen and Dean are not available for family reasons; Stephanie is.  Victor also reported that he is stepping back from the Booker's role in Charlotte.

The first agenda item was regarding our continued quest for alternative dance venues.  The good news is that LMCH is available to us and Susan is very open to accommodating our events.  However as we are all well aware it is a significant trek (30 miles, 39 minutes as the Google Drives) from Columbia downtown to LMCH on Devil's Backbone Road off of US 378 west of the center of Lexington.  LMCH has the right vibe; and after having been at Bill's recently and having suffered through a year's worth of dancing at CMFA (some months having two dances) the contrasting differences between them an LMCH has been very evident.   Other venues were mentioned: Allergra, Esmeralda, Blue Moon, Cayce Leisure Center, Peak Leisure Center, and even Arsenal Hill and some churches.  Of those the venue in Peak looks very promising, but warning: that venue in Peak, SC, is about 25 miles from Columbia, so it's not exactly a win.  It's main advantage are it's floor and stage.

"We will keep looking."  Gail offered to check out the Oak Grove Civic center.  To help with this discovery process it was suggested we get some "business cards" to leave with contacts and prospects. Victor offered to mock-up some cards.

The second agenda item concerned the question of whether or not we should renew the insurance which was required but CMFA but is not being required of us for LMCH.  There was discussion and no consensus.  John suggested we take the pros and cons discussion to e-mail to develop positions and reasons for and against.  We do not have to decide immediately but the renewal date is coming up in September so it is imminent.  The cost is about $650 per year.  The insurance is comparable and similarly priced to insurance offered by CDSS.

Since the meeting John has initiated a e-mail discussion by stating the facts as known.  There has been e-mail discussion and the upshot of e-mail chain is that three board members expressed opinions in favor of purchasing the insurance, and thus far with two board members against.  As of the writing of these minutes there are five board members who have not expressed opinions in e-mail.  (The e-mail chain is incorporated into these minutes by reference.)  John will call the question at the next meeting.

The next meeting will be Aug 28 at Virginia's.

The meeting adjourned at 9:18 pm.

/s/ Fred Druseikis

Secretary

Minutes May 15, 2024

The board met at Virginia Winn's house on the evening of May 15, 2024.

The meeting was called to order at 7:32 pm.

In attendance were: Virginia, Marguerite, John, Fred, Dianne B., Gail, Victor, Dianne P-Q, and Maris.

The minutes for the last meeting (held March 6) were approved.

Dianne B gave the Treasurer's Report.  She noted that an over-payment of $100 was made to CDSS; she will work with them to either get a refund or credit.  A check was sent to CMFA for use of the hall through January.  Financial details were reported on the spreadsheet.  It was noted that because of the financial arrangement made with Bill's Pickin' Parlor there were some positive numbers.  The report was approved.

Marguerite gave the Booker's Report.  Sherlock's Meow will be playing and Kenny Greer will be calling for the dance on 5/27 at Bill's.  The Lagomorph Trio will be playing in June with Gretchen Caldwell calling. {Ultimately the dance happened at Lake Murray Contra Hall and Tom Machlin called due to sickness and Bill's deciding they'd had enough contra.]

There was discussion about possible plans for July and August and into the Fall.   This was based on good faith assumptions about continuing with Bill's as a venue. 

There was discussion about the general experience we were having at Bill's and there was discussion about contra dancers's impressions.  It was not all positive.  There was discussion about simple things like whether water was freely available or if we could bring it or if  it was expected to be purchased.

Some concern was expressed about a culture clash.

At the time these minutes were posted (late June) the reader will note that optimistic assumptions about Bill's as a venue were unfounded. The May dance did happen at Bill's.  Willie subsequently told us (immediately after the May dance) that Bill’s was no longer available to us as a venue (w/o significant changes to the schedule and financial agreement). We thus had to relocate the June dance to LMCH on short notice.   All of this transpired cordially and with sincere expressions of mutual regret.  We were very grateful that Susan could accommodate us on such short notice.

As far as schedule is concerned, 4th Saturday's seem to be working.  This year Thanksgiving is early so there is no clash there.  The date for a late December dance is not realistic so we need to reconsider a possible earlier date.

The Bylaws stipulate the month of May for for appointment of officers and at-large board members for the next year.  After a brief discussion there was consensus that we can continue with our current lineup.

President: John

Vice President & Booker: Marguerite

Treasurer: Dianne B.

Secretary: Fred

At-Large Members: Gail, Maris, Dianne P-Q., Victor, Virginia, Kenny.

Kenny has relocated to Berea, Kentucky.  However it was felt that we could benefit from his advice if he were to continue as a full at-large voting member because he has in the past contributed to the discussion on various issues.

The slate was approved.

Next meeting: Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

The meeting adjourned at 8:52 pm.

Minutes March 6, 2024

The meeting was held at Marguerite's house.  We had originally planned to meet on March 13 but Virginia had a conflict.

Present: Fred, Marguerite, Dianne B, Dianne P-Q, Gail, Maris.

Absent: Victor (delegate: Dianne B.), John (Delegate: Fred), Virginia.

We started at 7:30 pm.  A quorum was present.  The minutes from the previous meeting (Jaunary 10, 2024) were approved.

The Treasurer's report showed and increase of $350.  The report was approved.

The Booker presented her report.  The intention was to fill out the remainder of this season at Bill's Pickin' Parlor.  At this time it was unclear if we should plan on having a dance in August at Bill's because of the unknown level of HVAC support.  (There were some who felt that it would be adequate because there is no evidence to the contrary;  we had such a poor experience in the past summer at CMFA we once again could recall the reason why we didn't have dances in the summer in Columbia LOL.)  The question of summer dances would be again taken up at the May board meeting; August 24 in specific.  The dates for dances in November and December are definitely at issue because they are not 4th Saturdays.  Need to coordinate with Bill's on this.

Next was the Dance Report.  There was discussion about the February dance at Bill's, it being the first.  There was a mixed reaction.  Clearly it was necessary to set expectations for callers to understand the venue and its traditions in the local area.  The CMFA venue is definitely inadequate for our needs and we will be telling them not to expect us for the remainder of the season.  Marguerite will communicate this with Joseph.

In general the impressions of Bill's is positive.  In general, we decided we should continue at Bill's for the remainder of this season.  Dianne B. will work with Jan to formalize (i.e., write down) the agreement our group will have with Bill's for hosting dances there.  This should be discussed in greater detail at the May meeting.

The slate of board officers needs to be updated and approved at the May meeting.

There was no other business.

The next meeting is scheduled for May 15 at Virginia's, pending approval.  (John subsequently confirmed the date with her.)                                                                                                                         

The meeting adjourned at 8:59pm.

/s/Fred Druseikis

Minutes January 10, 2024

We gathered at Virginia Winn's house at 7pm.

Present: Fred, Dianne B., Victor, Gail, Virginia, John, Dianne P-Q.

Absent: Maris, Kenny

Via Google Meet: Marguerite

John called the meeting to order at 7:35pm.

Minutes of the last meeting (November 29, 2023) were read and approved.

Dianne B. gave the Treasurer's Report.  The current balance is down $230 from last meeting and $130 since last dance (which was in December last.)  She estimated that we are seeing $150 loss per dance over the last year to date.  The report was approved.

Marguerite presented the Booker's Report.  The dance schedule follows:

Jan 13, Band Cloud 10, Caller: Chris Hernandez, at CFMA

Jan 27, Band Sherlock's Meow, Caller: Leslie Bowers, at CFMA

Feb 27, Band: Lettuce Prey, Caller: Tom Machlin, at Bill's Pick'n Parlour

March 23, Band: CCOB, Caller: Joel Wilder, at CFMA

April 27, Band: TBD, Caller: Chris H, at CFMA (expected)

May 25, Band: TBD, Caller: Kenny Greer, at CFMA (expected)

June 22, Band: TBD, Caller: TBD, at CFMA (expected)

July: No Dance

August: No Dance

The discussion centered around the decision to reduce our dance production from two dances per month to one dance per month, staring in February.  Also, we will not be producing dances in July and August because of inadequate HVAC at CFMA.

Discussion regarding the possibility of using Bill's Pick'n Parlor as a venue ensued.  The board expressed generally positive remarks about the prospect.  We would need to see how this experiment turns out.

The Booker's Report was approved.

General Business.

Victor Gascon was elected as an at-large board member, filling the slot that became vacant after Karl resigned.  The vote was unanimous.

Dianne P-Q reported on some informal discussions she had with CDSS executive members at the recent Berea College dance week regarding the whole process of restarting a dance community after covid.  Possibilities for grant development and workshops to engage the community are possibilities.  For example a caller's workshop.  She recounted a bit of how some other dance communities have dealt with the restart.  She will investigate further.

Last dance Report:

Table staffing, and staffing the dance in general is something that needs to be proactively managed.  Because we have been trying to produce two dances a month it is inevitable that there will be some months with personal conflicts.

ACTION ITEM: Fred will provide a consolidated list of tasks that need to be considered to put on dances at CFMA.  We have a lot more to do there to set-up and tear-down in that venue.

Also, at the last dance we forgot to get water so that was an example of the kind thing that can fall through the cracks but can have a big effect.

Another item identified in the discussion was this:  Caller's need to provide more detailed instructions on how the swing works to keep a proper distance between dancers to minimize collisions (not able to express the exact sentiment from my notes).

Change of Venue.  Bill's Pick'n Parlor is eager to have their facility used by dancers on 4th Saturdays, so it make sense to try to align our dance series with theirs.  The February dance is an experiment to see if and how this can work.  More to come!

ACTION ITEM: John will check into the requirements for our insurance and to have Bill's venue added if necessary.

Mailing Lists: No changes.

Meet-up Group.  Dianne P-Q. has investigated and restarted the Meetup Group established by Karl earlier.  One insight gleaned from the Charlotte group is that they see the contra dance as an activity that helps provide a context to further socialize.  Their objective is not dance per se rather social interaction with members of the meetup group; they regularly have dinner before coming to the contra dance.

Child Safety Policy.  Not really a big issue.  Back burner and maybe not needed.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 13.

The meeting adjourned at 9:03pm.

s/Fred Druseikis

The following additional items have transpired since the date of the meeting and the date that I transcribed my meeting minutes:

(1) The second January dance was called by Stephanie Marie in place of Leslie Bowers, who had become ill with respiratory symptoms.

(2) During the interval since the meeting, Marguerite had the foresight to compile a list and field test it in the several e-mails she prepares in the days leading up to the dance date.  Here's the list of tasks she identified that need to be covered when producing the dance at CFMA.

___ unlocking the CMFA door at 6:00 pm

___ bringing chairs upstairs

___ bringing tables upstairs

___ running the table: collecting admission, verifying venmo payments, making the zip code list

___ counting the receipts and recording attendance statistics

___ handling the money (either doing it or oversight)

___ paying and thanking the band, caller, and sound person for their work

___ making the general announcements before the break (publicly thanking talent & sound guy, announcing future local dance schedule and dances in other areas.)

___ bringing water, ice, pitchers and cups

___ bringing snacks

___ putting up directional signs

___ bringing chairs downstairs

___ bringing tables downstairs

___ gathering and putting away directional signs

___ neatening the pink studio after the dance

___ sweeping the dance floor

___ making sure our group is out of the building and locking up after the dance

___ other [please specify]

 

The items in italic are the ones needed at Bill's Pickin' Parlor.

 

Minutes November 29, 2023

The Board met at Virginia Winn's house at 7:30pm.  Some of us gathered earlier to enjoy some conversation and dessert.

John called the meeting to order at 7:33pm.

Present: Maris, John, Virginia, Marguerite, Fred, Dianne B., Dianne P.-Q.

Absent: Gail, Kenny, Karl

Karl has resigned from the board effective immediately. Kenny is in the process of relocating to Kentucky and might possibly be less available than when living in Myrtle Beach.  We do however continue to value his involvement and hope that he will be able to continue to advise us on relevant matters.

The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.

Dianne B gave the Treasurer's report and noted that our seasonal loss from operations is expected to be approximately $1000 for the interval from July - December 2023.  One person overpaid and this will be handled informally.  The CCOB played at the November dance and for this reason the gate receipts balance the expenses (which were quite minimal since the band was free.)  A motion was made to accept the report was made, seconded and approved.

Marguerite gave the Booker's report.  Some discussion was had about the nature of the commitment to bands and callers for the specific venue (e.g., either CFMA or Lake Murray.)  Some verbiage was discussed for inclusion in e-mails spelling out the nature of our somewhat fluid venue situation and -- in the interest of full disclosure -- being up front about our commitments to all concerned; and the timing requirements for notifying CMFA and LM about the need for their hall.  The  Booker agreed to provide this notification.

The board discussed, and a motion was made, seconded, and approved, to begin to use the 4th Saturday of the Month as the nominal date for our events; and that we would begin transitioning to this as soon as possible.  The two dances scheduled for January 2024 (Jan 13, and Jan 27) will take place, both at CFMA (Cloud 10 and Sherlock's Meow, respectively.)  The dance schedule starting in February will be 2/24 (TBD see discussion below; CFMA is not available and LM would be the nominal fallback, except for the possibility of Bill's Pickin' Parlor); 3/23, 4/27, and 5/25 all at CFMA.  The  second appearance of CCOB is being planned for 3/23.

Also in the discussion was the prospect of using Bill's Pickin' Parlor as a venue due to apparent interest of the owners in being inclusive of all varieties of live music (among other things.)  This was being actively investigated and the Board authorized the possible relocation of the February dance to Bill's from CFMA if that made sense.

A motion was made to accept the Booker's report, which was seconded and approved.

Other Business

Dianne P.-Q. brought up the idea of trying to use "Meetup.org" to better effect.  There was discussion; the Board approved a budgetary expenditure for fees to Meetup.org so that Dianne could further investigate how best to use it and to be able to model that on how it was being used effectively by the Charlotte group.

Staffing the table at dances needs to accommodate the times when Fred is planning to be absent.  There may be some ways to allow dancers who are interested in helping out to do that.  This could be possible with increased use of venmo or some other ways of reducing the amount of paperwork and the amount of money in the pouch (e.g., to find a way to keep just a minimum amount of money -- enough to make change -- instead of the entire amount needed to pay the talent.)

Child Safety policy.  On the back burner for now.

Mailing list updates.  Dianne B. reports that we have 139 complete entries (names, emails, and phone numbers for texting.)

The next meeting will be on Wednesday, January 10, 2023.

The meeting adjourned at 9:13pm.

/s/ Fred Druseikis

Minutes October 4, 2023

Present: Dianne B., Dianne P-Q., Virginia, John, Marguerite, Fred

Absent: Karl, Kenny, Maris, Gail

The meeting at Virginia's house was called to order at 7:46pm. (Yes, we got started a little later than usual.)  It was believed by those present that there was a quorum.

The minutes for the previous meeting (August 9, 2023) were approved, with the notation that the next meeting, which had been scheduled for September 13, was postponed due to illness.  It is the meeting being held presently.

The Treasurer's Report was approved.  We have had only nominal expenses and our run rate has been consistent with date reported in previous months.  We will be paying CFMA for the hall on a quarterly schedule at which time we will use the communication to reaffirm the intended near-term schedule.

The Booker's Report communicated the following data:

10/14/23  Band: Cloud 10, Caller: Tom Macklin, Sound: Tyler, Table: Fred

11/11/23  Band: Contracola Open Band (debut), Caller: Joel Wilder, Sound: Tyler, Table: TBD

12/9/23 Band: Evil Twins, Caller: Kenny Greer, Sound: Tyler?, Table: Fred

1/13/24 Band: Cloud 10; Caller: TBD, Sound: ?, Table: ?

2/10/24 Band: CCOB?, Caller TBD: Sound: ?, Table: ?

(Note coverage for staffing the table where we collect admission fee and zip codes.  This is here as a reminder that it needs to be addressed by the board sometime before the dance; it is not a new responsibility for the Booker.  Often this can be addressed in the few moments while the hall is being set-up. Fred normally volunteers for this but needs a substitute when he's not available.)

Dance Report: The overall assessment of the CFMA hall is that it is marginal at best and Lake Murray is a much better choice for ambiance; CFMA's obvious value is proximity but that doesn't mean much if dancers aren't showing up.  In that respect if we are going to continue to sponsor dances with low attendance we can just as well do it at Lake Murray as CFMA.  We have also relearned why we don't hold dances in the summer, viz. Columbia's well-earned reputation for being "famously hot."  One of our possible out-of-town bands privately communicated to us that they would not be available for awhile for us for a couple of reasons; the first being that the travel down to us (and back in the dark) on I26 was especially difficult for them because of all the construction; and second, because the dances have been too low energy to make the trip worth the effort.  Hopefully we can get them back after things improve.

Other Topics

CCOB: The band has been practicing and several players are excited about performing.  Some are still content to either sit it out or wait for another time after the November 11 debut.  The CCOB would like the opportunity to play more often if that suits the Board.

Child Safety: We will carry this forward.  Maris and John will prepare something.

Mailing List: Nobody has been taken off lists yet.  There are 2-3 additions every month.  The Givebutter platform had a technical issue that resulted in not all to receive text messages; it is working now.

Advertising: There was discussion about the effort required to publish our events in different media.  It's not simple.  There is a certain amount of work to get it done and it varies by the outlet.  There are services that will help with this, but of course they cost money and we have no idea if they are really worth it or even appropriate for our need.

Meetup Groups: We have heard from folks in both Charlotte and Charleston that Meetup is working for them.  We need to understand how they are using it to their advantage and the effort required to make it work.

Two Dances per Month: There was considerable discussion about the wisdom and ability of continuing to produce two dances per month given the level of attendance we've experienced since our restart last August (2022).  The consensus in the room was that we need to cut back to one dance per month.  This is an opportune time because of events.   The following was motion was proposed:

Proposed motion to be voted at later time: We will soon be voting on (via email) about whether to end  our experiment of running two dances per month year round.  We may be going to go to one dance per month, on the Second Saturday, with the primary venue being CFMA with Lake Murray being backup.  We thus may also not produce dances during the summer months, viz. July and August.  Note: John Wetzel edited these minutes by modifying the italicized portions of this paragraph and the following sentence.

(For parliamentary nerds: a motion was made, it was seconded, it was discussed, but further discussion and action has been tabled pending discussion and an eventual vote via email.)

John will send an email summarizing his analysis.  That e-mail shall be incorporated by reference into these minutes, as will the responses by others to it.

Next meeting: Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Adjourn: 9:18pm

s/Fred Druseikis/

Minutes August 9 2023

 COTMD Board Minutes August 9, 2023

Present: John, Fred, Virginia, Dianne B, Dianne P-Q, Maris, Gail, Karl (via Zoom)

Absent: Kenny, Marguerite

The meeting was held at Virginia's house.  John called the meeting to order at 7:31pm.

Minutes from the Previous Meeting.

    A motion was made, seconded, and passed to accept the minutes of the previous meeting.

Treasurer's Report.

    CFMA has been provided a YTD list of zip codes recorded from dancers since last August.  They were happy to get this.

    The YTD dance season spreadsheet has been posted to the board blog.

    CDSS annual report has been submitted.

    A motion was made, seconded, and passed to accept the Treasure's report.

Booker's Report.

    Marguerite provided a written report via email because of her planned absence.

    The Booker is very concerned about the lack of commitments to dates for the CFMA venue and alternative.  This indecision is creating problems.

    There was some energetic discussion.  Different opinions were expressed.  Some strong opinions were voiced.

    John resolved to clarify the role of the Booker.  A different role (the "Joseph Whisperer") would be identified to help facilitate the approval of dates from CFMA and to secure the alternative venue from Susan Fort if needed.  The Booker would be only responsible for lining up the talent (bands and callers) for the expected dates.

    ACTION ITEMS: John will produce a written description of roles.  John and Dianne B would discuss scheduling issues with Joseph.

Dance Report.

    The July dances were very uncomfortable because of inadequate cooling in the hall.  Our space in the building in particular is inadequately cooled.  Several (many) dancers left early because of it.  The July heat this year has been particularly oppressive.  It was noted that for many years earlier this century we didn't dance during the summer.  We forgot why; and now we've experienced an Ah ha! moment.

    Free passes have been coming in; not in great numbers but some.

    Attendance is still low, as recorded in the Treasurer's report.

    The AC (cooling) appears to be under some kind of automated schedule; it would be good to see if that can be altered to accommodate the times of our events.

    It was noted that the cooling might improve if we can keep the door to the room closed.

ContraCola Open Band.

    There was a report on the goals and progress.

    This group would like to play in the Fall.  Two dates are available: 10/28 and 11/11.

    It was suggested that the group might be able to play a few times a year, something like once a quarter beyond the initial debut.

Mailing List Status.

    We will be inviting/reminding people on our newsletter e-mails to update their contact info.  We now have over 100 names with phone numbers.

Child Safety Policy.

    Maris researched the topic of child safety at dances and gave a report on how other groups handle this.  There is a lot of good material to draw from.  ACTION ITEM: Maris and John will formulate something.

Next Meeting.

    September 13.

Adjournment.

9:31pm.  Yes we went much longer than usual.