Mark & Rosalee Mortensen
 Twilight Twirlers
Richland, Missouri
Central District

2015 Square Dancers of the Year

2015 Square Dancers of the Year Mark & Rosalee have promoted square dancing at the club, district, State and National levels. They began taking lessons in the 1988 and upon graduation; they became active members in various offices and committees in their club and district and served as delegates to the Federation. All of their positions were actively and successfully filled with the attainment of many accomplishments through their dedication. Eventually they advanced through various offices at the State level and in 1998 became Presidents. They also represented Missouri members of USDA and worked with ARTS for several years.

The committee work of Mark & Rosalee has always led to the benefit of Missouri square dancers. They were the initial motivators to promote square dancing as the Missouri Folk Dance, and spent many hours testifying before the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate.

They successfully served as General Chairs of the State Festival four times. In 2000 they negotiated a contract with the Cowan Civic Center in Lebanon to maintain a locked-in-fee for several years. This has led to the successful use of the Cowan Civic Center as a centralized festival site. They have continued service to all Festival chairs wishing assistance in acquiring the Cowan Center, and negotiating contracts and sponsorships in the Lebanon area.

They were highly involved in the successful effort to acquire state square dance license plates, researching regulations, legislation, and other materials for guidance, attending many meetings with state legislators and the Department of Revenue to solve issues affecting the proposed bill. He assisted in designing the license plate, the application forms, and the monetary returns still in use.

This couple has also been very instrumental in promoting square dancing in their community, and they continue to work with other clubs to promote the growth and enjoyment of square dancing. They have danced in parades and demonstrations throughout several communities, at festivals, the State Fair, Silver Dollar City, and Shepherd of the Hills.

Promoting square dancing has been one of the great loves of their life. They have always been willing to step up to any challenge presenting itself in order to promote some aspect of square dancing throughout the state. They have supported each other in each and every challenge they have confronted and are highly deserving of the title "Square Dancers of the Year".

Congratulations to the 2015 Square Dancers of the Year - Mark and Rosalee Mortensen.