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Chicago Tribune

Glenview Squares celebrates 75 years of square dancing with ‘Denim & Diamonds'

For 75 years, square-dance lovers have heeded the call—or should we say calls—of Glenview Squares. The second oldest square dance club in Illinois has been thriving since it started in September 1950 at the Junior High School Building on Waukegan Road, which later became the site of the old Glenview Police Department. To celebrate the 75th anniversary, the Glenview Squares hosted a 'Denim & Diamonds' dinner and dance on May 16 at White Eagle Banquets in Niles. Nationally-known square dance caller Andy Allemao came from California to call the dances. Janice Cha of Morton Grove, who joined Glenview Squares in 2003, said 130 people attended the Denim & Diamonds event. 'We had a silent auction, photo booths, a raffle, a cash bar and a delicious dinner,' Cha said. 'We had half dancing and half chatting and visiting with friends.' Mundelein resident Marla Schneider, who is president of Glenview Squares along with her husband Kerry Stein, said the event 'was wonderful. It really turned out well. We recognized all our visitors who attended the dance and supported us. We also recognized all of our current board members and committee chairs for all the work they've done in the past year. And then we introduced the newly elected board. Then we danced and celebrated the night away.' A video of photos from the past 75 years was going and there was a writeup about the history of the club, Schneider said. The start of Glenview Squares was part of a trend, Cha indicated. 'Seventy-five years ago, square dance clubs were popping up all over the place,' she said. 'You could have found a square dance club in almost every town.' She believes that the reason Glenview Squares is still going strong is because, 'We had the right people in place—people who were able to envision different ways of doing things.' That was particularly apparent in 2014 when Glenview Squares reduced the teaching list from 100 calls to 50 calls. 'That's way too much for people to learn,' Cha explained. Cutting the number of calls to learn in half allowed the club to offer lessons twice a year and welcome more new members. There are currently around 110 members in the club. In order to become a member, you have to have learned the first 50 calls. The membership fee is $125, which covers all regular club dances between June and May. There are dances the first and third Friday of each month, September-May. The main dance venue is First Presbyterian Church, 824 Waukegan Rd., Deerfield. Cha reported that Glenview Squares has done fun things over the years. 'I took it into my head that we should do flash mobs,' she said. 'Pre-pandemic, I helped spearhead several flash mobs.' The first flash mob was near the Bean sculpture in Millennium Park. The group has done demonstrations of square dancing at such places as Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo. 'During the pandemic, we took square dancing online,' Cha said. 'When the weather got better, we took square dancing from Zoom to outside in a parking lot.' The club is run by 17 members—elected officials and committee chairs. Some club members take the next step, as did Cha's husband, James Cha, who became a caller in 2017. After taking two classes in calling, 'I got hooked,' he said. 'I kept going to caller school and I kept working with much more senior established callers and I learned how to call.' He described square dancing as a puzzle. 'Everybody starts on a square called their home spot,' James Cha said. 'My job is to move them all around into different formations, have them interact with the other members of their square, and then get them back home using only square dance calls. There's a lot of strategy in moving folks around and making sure that they end up back with their original partner back home.' Club President Schneider praised 'the teamwork, the camaraderie, and the fellowship' of belonging to Glenview Squares. 'Also, it keeps your mind very active.' Cha concluded, 'Square dancing is such a natural way to meet people who are generally nice folks and learn something that will keep you active well into your later years, challenging your body and your brain at the same time.' Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.