ClubHistory - Chi-Town Squares

Chi-Town Squares History

First graduating class
1988

Click photo for full view

The Chi-Town Squares was formed as a club in 1986/87 by Jerry Cohen and Ron Goodman. Jerry Cohen was a well known leader in Chicago's gay community and helped start many organizations. Ron Goodman was a DJ in various dance bars around the city, working at CAROL'S SPEAKEASY on Wells St. at that time.

Ron had learned to square dance in Seattle before he moved to Chicago. David Boyer, manager of CAROL'S at the time, heard of Jerry's wish to start a square dance club which he relayed to Ron. With that, CAROL'S, the last grand disco palace in Chicago, became the first meeting place of the Chi-Town Squares.

After advertising in the local gay newspapers, about thirty students formed the first class in September, 1987. Classes were held at the Wellington Avenue Church at Wellington and Broadway. A live caller was hired to teach the BMP class (basic through plus calls) the first year. A delegation from the club went to the 1988 IAGSDC (International Assc. of Gay Square Dance Clubs) convention, Cross Trails in the Desert, in Phoenix where they were officially accepted into the association.

Chi-Town Squares has continued to grow in numbers, quality of dancing and as hosts for dances ever since. In September 1989, the club hosted its first fly-in, The Great Chicago Crossfire. That fall, the club started its first advanced level class. That fall also marked the landmark year that Lin Jarvis joined the club to teach the basic level class. Lin taught all the BMP and advanced classes for many years. He and his wife Barb became very big supporters of the club and help us gain acceptance in the straight square dance community.

John Oldfield, our own Club Caller, took over teaching the Advanced classes several years ago. In the fall of 1995 the club offered its first Challenge Level class taught by Saundra (Sandie) Bryant. Saundra is a very well known international square dance caller and also a big supporter of the club. Our present home is Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1640 W. Foster Avenue in Chicago. Most dances and all classes are held there.

Saundra Bryant and John Oldfield are now our current instructors and are assisted by Michael Maltenfort and Larry Tradup, our newest up and coming callers.

Every year since 1988, a delegation from the club has attended the annual IAGSDC convention. In 1991, Ron Bast, a board member at the time, decided Chi-Town should host a convention and put a bid in for the 1995 convention. After much discussion, the club agreed to go forward with the idea and the ground work was set. A board of five members formed Tip The Cow, Inc. to start planning for the convention, Track 2 Chicago. Two years in the planning and a mountain of work done by many members all came together over Memorial Day weekend 1995. Around 1,100 square dancers from the fifty or so IAGSDC member clubs came to celebrate gay and lesbian square dancing for three days. To make the Convention even more memorable, the hotel was shared by all of the men and women in town for the International Mr. Leather Contest. The 'Leather tip' was the largest ever! The twelfth annual IASGDC Convention came off very well and the entire club had a great time hosting the national Lesbian/Gay Square Dance community. In July of 2010, we hosted the 27th Annual IAGSDC Convention, "Chi-Town Shakedown".

In other areas the club has grown, too. Many members of the club now dance regularly with the Recyclers, a straight Advanced/C1 level club. This club brings in quality callers from across North America to call every second and fourth Friday of the month except in the summer. Being accepted as a part of this group of dancers was one of the first big steps club members took into the other dancing community. In the fall of 1995 the MCASD (Metropolitan Chicago Association of Square Dancers) the mainstream square dancers association of over fifty local clubs accepted Chi-Town into their ranks. A hearty few have moved up and are taking lessons or dancing up to the C-4 level with members of other MCASD clubs.

In the spring of 1996 the second Campy Dancing Weekend was held at a Lutheran church camp, an hour west of Chicago.

We have hosted the 'Great Chicago Crossfire' Fly-ins since 1989 with over 110 dancers in attendance the last few of years.

On Sunday August 31, 1997 Chi-Town Squares celebrated its tenth anniversary as part of its annual Great Chicago Crossfire fly-in. The follow poem was read by its author Steve Wellman to help commemorate the occasion.

Tenth Anniversary Poem

by Steve Wellman

Though I haven't seen much glory yet

As the club's self-proclaimed poet laureate

My humble ego was greatly enlarged

When I was approached by the one's in charge

Who ask of me if I would say

A word or two to you today

And since we're here to celebrate

I'm happy to accommodate

I asked myself "what should I say

To make this celebration gay

'Cause happy thoughts I wish to give

I don't want to be negative

So since discretion rules the day

There's quite a bit I cannot say

"Although it would be so inviting

To talk about the petty fighting

And bickering among the board

These things" I said "must be ignored

It should not be among my jobs

To criticize the level snobs

Or those who push like macho men

Or need a shower now and then

I will not bitch when it's my turn

About those who will never learn

Of thinks Advanced is not enough

When they can hardly get though Plus

I can cannot tell them what I think

Of that putrid shade of pink

At times it is a mystery

If I am dancing with a he or she

But it would fill my soul with dread

To talk of this to them" I said

"Whiner whining over money

Callers jokes that are not funny

And Gary's little indiscretion

That thing I would never mention

I'll have to button up my lip

For though its just a Mainstream tip

Regroup is the most common call

These things I won't bring up at all

The vicious rumors we hear so much

A subject I would not touch

I said to me "Do not project

An image that we won't respect

Like how on most Sunday's without fail

While pounding down ice teas on sale

We square up in a drunken trance

And fumble through another dance

A tip we've heard a dozen times

And we break down on 'bend the line'

I also said to me "You hush

About those friends of Mary Jane Rush

The new class starting in the fall

Is well attended I recall

They're checking out the brand new meat"

I said "Now that I can't repeat

The club's disease I cannot say

Is hepatitis B or A

And I won't even start to speak

About the cliques we see each week

And I won't even start to say

Our styling is an awful way

That we do 'Sides face grand square'

to grind an ax would not be fair"

But oh my how the tongues would wag

If I ignored our things in drag

And please forgive me if I quote

From something I already wrote

"The SheDevils without regret

Exude hair spray and body sweat"

But let's not look just at the smell

Each name starts with the letter 'L'

Each SheDevil is heaven sent

And cosmetically incontinent

Applying make-up till its gone

And drunken Leda on the lawn

And the Honky Tonk Queen, Oh, yes it's true

That they've produced not one but two

And both times how they made us proud

'Cause they weren't pulled out of the crowd

No, they were contestants in the show

Unlike a certain Hamm we know

Now all along we've all been told

That Chi-Town Squares is ten years old

But we were not members formally

In the IAGSDC

Until 1988

And so in closing I will state

Although it is inopportune

We're doing this one year too soon

So I propose we find a chair

And do this thing again next year

31 August 1997