Mid-Winter Festival

Money was made and everyone has turned in their final reports. Now time to turn this page over to whomever the chair has designated to be the administrator for 2025. See you in Albany in January 2025 for an International Flair with the entertainment.

The final meeting for Mid-Winter Festival 2024 is on March 10. We will find out how successful it was and then continue on with plans for 2025 with Julia Buchheit as general chair. Thanks to all who attended, those who worked, and all the behind the scenes people from the convention center.

There are numerous items left behind at Mid-Winter Festival that need to be claimed. If you lost something, please call Roy Houtz at 541-990-1148. I have no idea what was found.

802 attendees at Mid-Winter with about 70 of them were youth. Did you get to dance with any of them? I did a round dance with one of them. Did you get your ribbon for "Dancing Around the World" for 2025?

We are up over 400 registered now! Have you registered yet? I am mailing in about 12 tomorrow for what I have sold. Got more to sell and have a date with the Cherry City Cloggers on January 2 and will sell about 12 more. Keep them coming in for those of you who have ribbon packets.

Just a BIG reminder to get your clothing list made out and sent in for getting sale tags made and ready for you when you arrive to drop off your clothes in the used clothing room. I got mine started.

Roy Houtz needs help with laying flooring in the conference rooms, setting up chairs in the various halls, putting up tables as needed in the vendor hall. Friday during the day and on Sunday when the dancing is done. Contact: [email protected] if you can help. Pass this along to persons who might be interested in assisting.

Calling all clubs and councils--have you made arrangements to put together a basket for the basket raffle at Mid-Winter Festival??? It is now time to start gathering items for the basket. No alcohol, no to***co, no lottery tickets. They are due on Friday afternoon at Mid-Winter in the Vendor Hall. See you there!

Next meeting is November 19 at 1:30 p.m.
Will have more information to share afterwards.

For those expecting a program book in your club in November, a reminder that the books will be available at the registration desk when you arrive for the Festival weekend. The final price is yet to be determined. Flat folds will also be available. See you there!

If you are thinking about doing something good, think about paying for a youth to attend Mid-Winter. There are many who would like to attend, but don't have the funds to attend. $25 will send a youth to Mid-Winter for the full three days. $20 will send a youth for Saturday only. Contact Karyn Buchheit at [email protected] for more information and details.

Now is the time to start or continue to think about the used clothing form to fill it out as you go through your closets and deciding on what to take to Mid-Winter for the clothing sale. The form is on the website and so are the directions for using the form. Please make sure you read the rules and do your best to make it easier for the data input person and sales personnel to assist you when you arrive to put the clothes in the store.

** 2024 Oregon MidWinter Festival, Albany OR ** Annual Squaredance Festival

The first visitation of the MWF traveling square is to the Mid-Willamette Area Fall Festival on September 30. There will be ribbons and registrations available for the dancers to purchase. Come and see us to get yours and enjoy the dancing.

Program books will be available at the registration desk for $1.00 each. Flat folds with the schedule will also be available for use.

The Callers Clinic at Mid-Winter will be held on Saturday morning at 9 am. Terry Halley will be the moderator. It is recommended that the callers attend to increase their knowledge and ask questions of the guest callers, Jet Roberts and Scott Bennett. They have plenty of ideas to share.

Just a couple of notes from the meeting last Sunday. There will not be a grand march but do come and meet the chairs and the entertainers. The Randall Award will be announced also. The Education Seminar will not be held for 2024. It will be reconsidered for 2025. More tomorrow when I have had a chance to read the minutes closer.

I have been told that we are over 200 registered for Mid-Winter Festival 2024. Good job everyone. Now get your club members and friends who dance to register also. There is lots of room at Linn County Fairgrounds for all of us to dance. Let's see if we can fill it up more.

As of the last meeting, there are two youth callers and one youth cuer for the demo at the Heritage Mall during Mid-Winter.

Vendors signed up so far include: Petticoat Junction, Designs by Keith, Purely Magical Skin Care, Sq-Dini, Jewelry from the Southwest, and Poppa's Sewing Room. Look for them when attending Mid-Winter in January.

Stay tuned in January 2024 when the 2025 registrations are available. It is all "International" talent. Not sharing names until the 2024 Mid-Winter Festival is mostly over. Just enough to pique your interest.

A flyer from the website editor, Ferrous Steinka.

The next meeting is September 10 at 2 pm. Notice the change of time for this meeting. It will allow the Federation people time to get from Springfield to Albany after the Federation meeting. Make your plans to attend. Time to get program book submissions sent to Zola Jones in PDF form and to Aaron Gibbons in Word form.

Don't forget to get your room reserved at the motels and the campground for Mi-Winter. They are ready for us to call or visit to make the reservations. See the post elsewhere here on Facebook for the listings.

A few notes from today's committee meeting. There will be a little line dancing under the tutelage of Colleen Witt. Schedule is being worked on as I type.

As you prepare for the new season of dancing, it is time to go through your closets and see what does not fit, needs mending, or just no longer to your taste, and get it ready for the resale room at Mid-Winter. Sheila Machado is in charge again and is planning for another big year of sales.

There will be split the pot again, so start saving for some luck of the draw during Mid-Winter. The tickets will be waiting for you as you enter the dance hall. Don't forget to stop and get some before you dance.

The next MWF meeting is August 13 at the Fairgrounds in Albany. Let any committee member know if you have any questions that need to be answered.

I made my hotel reservation at the Holiday Inn Express and when I got home, it showed only one night, and my name was horribly misspelled. I called and at first was told the Mid-Winter block was for only one night and I informed him that the Festival is for the entire weekend. He finally got it to take and got my name spelled correctly. I'm not even going to show you how it was spelled. I even spelled it to him when I was there. Geesh!!!!! But at least I have a room for the correct number of nights.

Here is some news from today's meeting. There will be food onsite in January. The steps to the stages will have handrails for ease in going up and down from the stage. There will be 800 program books printed and some flat folds will be available also. They are going to work on having some intro to line dancing workshops. Time frames to be worked out.

The next committee meeting is June 4 at the Linn County Fairgrounds at 1:30 p.m.
Let me know if you have questions for me to take to the meeting.
Will post more when I know more.

We talked daily schedules, meetings, lunch and dinner breaks, and after parties today.

One piece of news from the meeting today. There will be a spiral bound program book in 2024. You have been asking and you will get one. They may be for sale with a visitation person or at the door. Maybe both. Stay tuned. So far 109 people have registered. Ribbons are available.

Meeting on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Stay tuned for more information about the Festival.