This is the time when we’d normally be signing up for Branch memberships and working on dances for the Fall Dance and New Years Ball. But this is a far from normal year. Your COM is working on ideas to keep dancers engaged and keeping up-to-date on the situation so we can return to dancing once it is safe to do so.

One decision the COM made is to offer two levels of subscription this year: an RSCDS-only level that is what the Branch pays to HQ for your subscription and a Branch level that is the normal subscription covering the HQ subscription and Branch activities. While we would love for all to subscribe at the Branch level, we understand people may not feel able to do so and we want to offer an option for dancers to remain registered with the RSCDS. Headquarters in Edinburgh continues to offer regular online dance classes with teachers from around the world, as well as music programs and newsletters, to encourage your staying engaged with dancing and help you to keep up your dance knowledge for when we are again able to dance together.

The new membership form is available on the membership tab. Also, we are working on offering the ability to subscribe through PayPal, so if that is your preference, check back here over the next few days for when that is available on the membership tab.

The COM would love to hear from the membership with any ideas you have about how to think about dancing while we are unable to meet in person, so feel free to email chicagoscd@gmail.com with any thoughts you have.

This year’s New Year’s Ball weekend will be a celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the founding what became the Chicago Branch.  In addition to our usual Ball and Tea dances, we will have a banquet prior to the Ball.  Also this year we have added two great musicians, Colyn Fischer (fiddle) and Dave Wiesler (piano), to our usual line-up of Tim Macdonald (fiddle) and Jeremy Ward (violon – but cello this year).  Both the Ball and Tea dances feature dances written by or about Branch members or Branch friends.  All details and a registration form are available on the Special Events page. Come join us in celebrating 40 wonderful years of dancing!

Now that the new season has started, it’s time to register as a member and prepare for the Semi-Annual General Meeting and Fall Dance.  Membership forms are available on the Member Information page.  Membership supports both local events and maintaining Scottish Country Dancing worldwide.  The SAGM and Fall Dance are scheduled for Sunday, November 24th at the Fermilab Barn.  Details and the program are on the Special Events page.

If you missed the SAGM and Fall Dance, you missed a fun time. The dances were fun and we had plenty of good food (mostly desserts!) for the potluck. It is not too late to become a member of the Branch and you can do so by downloading the form from the Member Information page and mailing it to Sue McKinnell. Remember, membership is to a worldwide group of people who dance the same dances we do, so you can always find someone to dance with no matter where you wander.

Now it’s time to get ready for the annual New Year’s Ball weekend! This year it will be January 19-20 at the Baker Center in St Charles and we will have Tim Macdonald and Jeremy Ward back with their marvelous music. Dance programs and cribs are up on the special events page and we will soon have prices (most likely the same as last year) and registration information there as well. Mark your calendars now.

It’s that time of year again when you sign up for membership in the Branch and the RSCDS.  Updated forms are available on the member information page.  Pricing is the same as last year.

We will hold our semi-annual general meeting (SAGM) on November 10th in the Fermilab Barn, followed by a potluck supper and the Fall Dance. (more details on the special events page).

Come see how the Branch works and enjoy an evening of dancing!

We will hold our semi-annual meeting Saturday, November 11, 2017 at the Fermilab Barn.  The main purpose of this meeting is to approve the treasurer’s report for the last season.  Everyone is welcome to attend, whether a member or not, and can join us for a potluck supper followed by the Fall Dance (program and times on the Special Events page).

Also, note that the current membership form is available on the Member Information page.  Please consider joining the Branch to help support Scottish Country Dancing in the Chicagoland area. You can download the form from the page and mail it to the Branch treasurer with your check.

The Silk & Thistle group meets every Tuesday evening (7:30-10:00 p.m.) and anyone interested in trying SCD is welcome to join us.  We will be celebrating Halloween (October 31st) with themed dances.  Come dressed in costume, bring snacks, and have a great time!

The Loch Mich group hopes to have events scheduled later this year – check the class page for specific details.

We are working on the programs for the New Years Ball and Tea Dances (January 20 and 21, 2018) and will upload them to the Special Events page once they are set.  We are looking forward to dancing again to the music of Tim Macdonald and Jeremy Ward – always a pleasure.

Geek week is coming up quickly!

April 29th at 6 p.m. at the Irish American Heritage Center.

Come dressed as your favorite character for a night of themed Scottish country and ceilidh dances. Any and all are welcome, whether you’re transporting the ring of power to Mordor or practicing your witty retorts at Pemberley.

Geek Week 2017 flyer

Gather your Gillies. Smooth your sashes. Prepare your kilt pins.

The New Year’s ball is just a few short days away. Be sure to register in advance to let us know you’re coming. Or just show up ready to dance and you can pay at the door.

We’ll see you on January 21 at the Baker Center in St. Charles!

Greetings to all!

Hope you are putting, or plan to put, Scottish Country Dancing in your life this Fall. Between our Loch Mich and Silk&Thistle classes, you should have plenty to choose from and keep your life busy.

You won’t want to miss the Silk and Thistle Halloween Party on 10/25, nor the special Star Trek 50th Anniversary Loch Mich evening on 11/30.

Remember about our SAGM and Fall Dance on 11/12 at Fermilab. Hope to see you there.

Regional events you may be interested in:

Doesn’t this just make everyone want to get up and dance?

We definitely need to have a traditional ceilidh at some point.

Until we can make it happen, visit your own virtual ceilidh with Visit Scotland:

http://ceilidhexperience.visitscotland.com/

And start planning our own event. I vote for Strip the Willow!