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September 2023
Western Twirlers Square
Dance Club
Square Dance Center
1801 West 2nd Street
Joplin Missouri 64801
 The
Western Twirlers Square Dance Club was established in 1948 in Joplin, Missouri.
They were first known as the American Legion Promenadors, with Bud Buzzard as
club caller. At that time, the club
 belonged
to the Tri State Square Dancing Association and the Northeast Oklahoma Square
Dance Association. It joined the Missouri Federation of Square and Round Dance
Clubs when formed in 1959.
The club danced at several locations in
Joplin before building the present Square Dance Center. In the early 1980’s,
the club decided to build a square dance facility for all area clubs to use.
In 1982 a board was formed to find a location and raise the necessary funds.
Land was purchased on West 2nd Street in Joplin on December 6, 1983, for a
cost of $2,700.00. In 1985 construction began on the 100 ft X 50 ft building
at a cost of $30,000.00. Tremendous support came from the local dancers,
many of whom volunteered their time to help in the construction of the
building. Many benefits were held to raise needed funds, including the
Memorial Board, where dancers gave a donation to have their name engraved on
the board. The Memorial Board still hangs behind the callers’ stage to show
great appreciation for the past dancers’ efforts. The Grand Opening Dance
was held on August 8, 1986, with area callers for an
 afternoon
dance, and Virgil Gemeinhart from Springfield calling the evening dance. The
building originally had a tile-over-concrete dance floor, which was replaced
with the current wood floor in 1997 at a cost of $25,000.00. The dance floor
can hold twelve squares comfortably, and there is a full kitchen, large
bathrooms, and table area for socializing.
 In
1958 Floyd Sill took over as club caller from Bud Buzzard, and in 1959 the
club’s name was changed to Western Twirlers. Floyd Sill retired in 1987
after calling for more than 29 years, handing the reins to Van Greenwood who
became club caller from 1988 to 2010. Van called for more than 60 years in
the four-state area. He and his wife Elfrieda remained active members until
his passing in 2018. They were always present at the 1st table to greet
everyone. They also served on the Square Dance Center board. Elfrieda still
dances with the club today. Notable past presidents of the board also
include Wayne and Doris Donham, who joined in 1978. Sadly, we lost Wayne in
2019, but we still feel his
 presence as he always swept the wood floor after
every dance, as we still hear Van calling. After Van Greenwood retired, we
used guest callers. Then John Eubanks became club caller in 2019. He and his
wife Karen had previously held offices of Secretary and Vice President of
the Southwest District in the early 1970’s about the time he began calling.
John served as club caller until he retired in 2021 after more than 50 years
of calling.
 Currently, the club is proud to have Jay
Wright as club caller since 2022.
On November 9-10, 1963, the 3rd Annual
Missouri State Festival was held in Joplin at the famous Connor Hotel (built
in 1906 with a grand staircase made of marble) at 4th and Main. The Saturday
evening dance was held at R & S Stadium at 3rd and Virginia. At that time,
the State Presidents were Ray and Georganna McCully. This was also the first
year for souvenir program books. The state dance had live music and included
round dancing. In 1968, the State Festival was again held in Joplin at the
Memorial Hall. In 1998 the State Festival was once again held in Joplin at
the High School, with the theme, “Bee at State in 98”. The Saturday night
after party was held at the Square Dance Center beginning at 11:00 pm -???
It was a packed house! Everyone enjoyed dancing on the nearly new wood
floor.
National Square Dance Conventions held
in Missouri were 1975 in Kansas City, 1993 in St Louis, and 2018 again in
Kansas City.
The Western Twirlers club has been
through many changes and challenges through the years: from dancing every
Saturday night, to dancing the 1st, 3rd & 5th Saturday night, then to
dancing the 1st and 3rd Saturday night each month. In 2011 the club changed
to dancing only once per month.
Some interesting history: In 1982, the
Southwest District had 44 clubs. Today there are 9 clubs. In 1983 Club dues
were $3.00 and the Show-Me Doin’s magazine was $5.00. Missouri ranked 6th in
the world in Square Dance Clubs. In 1984 the State Festival had 1,260
registered dancers, making this the largest festival so far. In 1995,
membership in Missouri consisted of 132 clubs, and the State Festival had
900 dancers. Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan signed a bill to make
 Square
Dancing the Official American Folk Dance in Missouri. Currently 31 states
have designated Square Dancing as their State Folk Dance. The Missouri
Square Dance license plate bill was passed, but was vetoed by the Governor,
however, it did pass in 1999. In 2010 a Facebook page was set up for the
club, along with an email address for extra contact information as we moved
into the internet world. On May 22, 2011 an F5 tornado tore through Joplin’s
center section. The Square Dance Center was not damaged, but several past
and present members lost their homes.
The Western Trailers and the Square
Dance Center have hosted too many benefits to count over the years. Many
thanks to all those who are passed who started this club, envisioned the
building, and have been members. I had the privilege of knowing a lot of
them since I started dancing in 1987. Thank you to the original board
members, Jerry & Scarlet Upton, Bill & Mary Watson, Cecil & Betty Clevenger,
and Wayne & Doris Donham. Also, many thanks to the Tri State Square Dance
Association (which no longer exists), the Northeast Oklahoma Square Dance
Association, the Southwest District, and the Missouri Federation of Square &
Round Dance Clubs. Through these 75 years we have gone from a very large
club to a small club. We are still here to remember the past and look
forward to the future. Since 2022 we have had two classes of lessons and
have gained several new members to keep our tradition alive.
Shirley Winans, Secretary
Western Twirlers Square Dance Club
Joplin, Missouri
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