Hi Country Friends,
This month we (The Long Island Country Music Association) will celebrate our 30th anniversary. Everyone should feel proud and extremely pleased to share in this celebration because we truly are a unique group of friends that share this fun hobby of country music and dance. When I travel around the country and mention that we have an active country music association on Long Island, people are surprised and don’t often connect country music and New York together. Thanks to the many dance teachers, dance clubs, radio stations, event venues, and special volunteers over the years, we have kept alive this wonderful interest in country music and dance on Long Island. When I think about LICMA and why our organization has lasted 30 years, two things always come to mind – friends and fun. The lifelong friends we have met through this hobby have become very special and it’s fun to talk with a number of couples who have met and married as a result of meeting at a country dance. I’m sure you have noticed that I always end each president’s message with “LICMA is FUN Country”. One of the things we have continued to stress at dances is just have fun. Sometimes we struggle with a new dance move or a crowded dance floor but in the end, just laugh about it and remember we’re having fun with friends and that’s the most important thing to remember. I would like to again say Thank You to everyone who continues to support our Long Island country dance community for working together, donating their time to make events work, and continuing to support our love of country music and dance. Let’s celebrate our anniversary and look forward to another year of fun and time spent with good friends.
As you know, LICMA is a volunteer organization, and I’m extremely pleased to announce that during our yearly general meeting in March, the following members were elected to the board for a two year term – Jim Teeple, Kathy Burke, Donna Eidinger, Maria Gaiewski, Marge Tuthill, Jim Nash Vafeas, Tom Masone, Rene Masone, Terry Barrett, Mat- thew Skiba, and Eddie McGay. Please express your appreciation when you see these board members for their continued support and years of service to the association.
Our association doesn’t host dances during July and August because of all the summer activities and vacation sched- ules, but that doesn’t mean we stop dancing or looking for cool places to enjoy country music. To help make it easier to locate country events supported by our members and advertisers we are planning to send out an e-mail update during the summer with more “real time” country event information, so continue sending country news events that you think we all would enjoy to our e- mail box LICMA@LICMA.ORG. Also, please continue to share news on our Facebook page - let the group know where you’re dancing tonight – it’s always more fun when we’re joined by friends. Please make sure we have your current e-mail address. If you change your e-mail address or would like to provide additional addresses, please send us a message at membership@licma.org and our membership chairperson will update the records.
On behalf of the entire LICMA board, we would like to say thank you to the many volunteers who share this hobby and donate their time to make your association events possible. Please continue to show your support for the country bands, teachers, and sponsors that support our activities by attending their events and using their services. Have a wonderful summer and we look forward to seeing you soon.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
March / April 2015
Hi Country Friends,
It feels a lot like last year with every three days another snow storm or a blast of cold weather. We hope you have been staying warm and finding places to dance, although even that has been a challenge with so many events needing to be canceled because of weather. Our next dance is March 14th – so get out your green for St. Patrick’s and come on down and dance to the tunes from “Tied to the Trax” and learn a new dance with DJ/teacher Frankie K and Lynn.
Have you checked out our updated Dance Instruction page on the licma.org web site? This is a perfect time to sign up for a dance class or just get out of the house and burn some of those winter calories. There is literally dance instruction here on the Island every night of the week so be sure to check our updated page for current listings.
Our annual general meeting this year will take place on Thursday March 12th (7:30pm – 9:00pm) at the Paradise Dinner in Hauppauge – please call the hotline or see the web site for more details. I would like to encourage members to attend the meeting to meet the board members, share ideas, and explore ways you can help support our organization. I’m extremely pleased to announce we have three new members who have been appointed to the board – Terry Barrett, Mat- thew Skiba, and Eddie McGay. These new members and the following board members will be elected to the board for a two year term during the general meeting - Jim Teeple, Kathy Burke, Donna Eidinger, Maria Gaiewski, Marge Tuthill, Jim Nash Vafeas, Tom Masone, and Rene Masone. Please express your appreciation when you see these board members for their continued support and years of service to the association.
Be sure you have the May 16th LICMA dance on your calendars and plan on helping us celebrate our 30th year anniversary as the Long Island Country Music Association. Six Gun will be the band and lots of old friends are planning to attend.
Do we have your current e-mail address? Because of the increasing cost of mailing material, we will be expanding our use of e-mail to share information with members so we can include more pictures, hot links and current information. If you change your e-mail address or would like to provide additional addresses, please send us a message at membership@licma.org and our membership chairperson will update the records.
I would like to again say Thank You to everyone who is part of the Long Island country dance community for working together, donating their time to make events work, and continuing to support our love of country music and dance. Check our web site (licma.org) and Dance Instruction page for the most current information and continue to follow us on Facebook. Stay warm, and we look forward to seeing you at the next dance.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
It feels a lot like last year with every three days another snow storm or a blast of cold weather. We hope you have been staying warm and finding places to dance, although even that has been a challenge with so many events needing to be canceled because of weather. Our next dance is March 14th – so get out your green for St. Patrick’s and come on down and dance to the tunes from “Tied to the Trax” and learn a new dance with DJ/teacher Frankie K and Lynn.
Have you checked out our updated Dance Instruction page on the licma.org web site? This is a perfect time to sign up for a dance class or just get out of the house and burn some of those winter calories. There is literally dance instruction here on the Island every night of the week so be sure to check our updated page for current listings.
Our annual general meeting this year will take place on Thursday March 12th (7:30pm – 9:00pm) at the Paradise Dinner in Hauppauge – please call the hotline or see the web site for more details. I would like to encourage members to attend the meeting to meet the board members, share ideas, and explore ways you can help support our organization. I’m extremely pleased to announce we have three new members who have been appointed to the board – Terry Barrett, Mat- thew Skiba, and Eddie McGay. These new members and the following board members will be elected to the board for a two year term during the general meeting - Jim Teeple, Kathy Burke, Donna Eidinger, Maria Gaiewski, Marge Tuthill, Jim Nash Vafeas, Tom Masone, and Rene Masone. Please express your appreciation when you see these board members for their continued support and years of service to the association.
Be sure you have the May 16th LICMA dance on your calendars and plan on helping us celebrate our 30th year anniversary as the Long Island Country Music Association. Six Gun will be the band and lots of old friends are planning to attend.
Do we have your current e-mail address? Because of the increasing cost of mailing material, we will be expanding our use of e-mail to share information with members so we can include more pictures, hot links and current information. If you change your e-mail address or would like to provide additional addresses, please send us a message at membership@licma.org and our membership chairperson will update the records.
I would like to again say Thank You to everyone who is part of the Long Island country dance community for working together, donating their time to make events work, and continuing to support our love of country music and dance. Check our web site (licma.org) and Dance Instruction page for the most current information and continue to follow us on Facebook. Stay warm, and we look forward to seeing you at the next dance.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
Friday, January 16, 2015
January / February, 2015
Hi Country Friends,
What a way to end the year 2014 – if you attended the November dance with the band Six Gun or the December dance with Southbound you know what I mean. As you all know, our new “dance” home is the Sons of Italy Hall in Deer Park and we certainly filled the hall for both of these dances. After a year of searching for a new dance location to replace the K of C in Lindenhurst, it was great to see the turn-out and I hope you agree with me that the momentum for country music and dance on Long Island is continuing to grow. This year our organization will be celebrating our 30th anniversary. Wow, it’s hard to believe the time has gone by so fast. It’s really fun to look back at some of the changes that have occurred. This was before I got involved with the organization, but do you remember when the monthly newsletter (The PONY EXPRESS) was the only way to share news, no web sites, emails, Facebook, YouTube, Kickit, or smart phones – really – I know there are some of you out there because we have a number of original members still actively involved. There was also a time when you could tell who was a couple by their matching country outfits – that often included a western hat. There are some dances that are classics like the el paso, the wooden nickel, and the sixteen step that are still danced. We’ve come a long way, and the one thing that has remained the same over all these years is the fun we share getting together with good friends. This year, as a number of us shared New Year’s Eve at the Polish Hall, the one comment I heard several times was – “I can’t think of a nicer way celebrate the year than spending it with our country friends having fun dancing”. Let’s continue to share the fun as we look forward to another wonderful year together. Happy New Year!
Our annual general meeting this year will take place on Thursday March 12th (7:30pm – 9:00pm) at the Paradise Dinner in Hauppauge – please call the hotline or see the web site for more details. I would like to encourage members to attend the meeting to meet the board members, share ideas, and explore ways you can help support our organization. As you know, we are a volunteer organization and we need more help to keep things going. A number of board members and volunteers that we’ve relied on in the past are going to be snow birds this year so we need more help. If you are interested in helping out and possibly becoming a board member please send me a note at our new email address (licma@licma.com) or calling the hotline (515-775-5678) and leaving a message. Becoming a board member is a great way to get more involved in our country music and dance hobby and join a great group of folks who have fun together. Do we have your current e-mail address? Because of the increasing cost of mailing material, we will be expanding our use of e-mail to share information with members. If you change your e-mail address or would like to provide additional addresses, please send us a message at membership@licma.org and our membership chairperson will update the records. I would like to again say Thank You to everyone who is part of the Long Island country dance community for working together, donating their time to make events work, and continuing to support our love of country music and dance. Check our web site (licma.org) for the most current Long Island country dance and event information and continue to follow us on Facebook.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
What a way to end the year 2014 – if you attended the November dance with the band Six Gun or the December dance with Southbound you know what I mean. As you all know, our new “dance” home is the Sons of Italy Hall in Deer Park and we certainly filled the hall for both of these dances. After a year of searching for a new dance location to replace the K of C in Lindenhurst, it was great to see the turn-out and I hope you agree with me that the momentum for country music and dance on Long Island is continuing to grow. This year our organization will be celebrating our 30th anniversary. Wow, it’s hard to believe the time has gone by so fast. It’s really fun to look back at some of the changes that have occurred. This was before I got involved with the organization, but do you remember when the monthly newsletter (The PONY EXPRESS) was the only way to share news, no web sites, emails, Facebook, YouTube, Kickit, or smart phones – really – I know there are some of you out there because we have a number of original members still actively involved. There was also a time when you could tell who was a couple by their matching country outfits – that often included a western hat. There are some dances that are classics like the el paso, the wooden nickel, and the sixteen step that are still danced. We’ve come a long way, and the one thing that has remained the same over all these years is the fun we share getting together with good friends. This year, as a number of us shared New Year’s Eve at the Polish Hall, the one comment I heard several times was – “I can’t think of a nicer way celebrate the year than spending it with our country friends having fun dancing”. Let’s continue to share the fun as we look forward to another wonderful year together. Happy New Year!
Our annual general meeting this year will take place on Thursday March 12th (7:30pm – 9:00pm) at the Paradise Dinner in Hauppauge – please call the hotline or see the web site for more details. I would like to encourage members to attend the meeting to meet the board members, share ideas, and explore ways you can help support our organization. As you know, we are a volunteer organization and we need more help to keep things going. A number of board members and volunteers that we’ve relied on in the past are going to be snow birds this year so we need more help. If you are interested in helping out and possibly becoming a board member please send me a note at our new email address (licma@licma.com) or calling the hotline (515-775-5678) and leaving a message. Becoming a board member is a great way to get more involved in our country music and dance hobby and join a great group of folks who have fun together. Do we have your current e-mail address? Because of the increasing cost of mailing material, we will be expanding our use of e-mail to share information with members. If you change your e-mail address or would like to provide additional addresses, please send us a message at membership@licma.org and our membership chairperson will update the records. I would like to again say Thank You to everyone who is part of the Long Island country dance community for working together, donating their time to make events work, and continuing to support our love of country music and dance. Check our web site (licma.org) for the most current Long Island country dance and event information and continue to follow us on Facebook.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
Thursday, November 20, 2014
November / December, 2014
Hi Country Friends,
This is our November / December newsletter
so we want to wish everyone Happy Holidays as we
look forward to a New Year. It is good to look back and
remember how fortunate we are to be able to share good
times with friends and family, and reflect on how much
fun we’ve had this past year at a dances. As the Country
Music and Dance organization on Long Island, it’s been
a good year with some challenges after the Knights of
Columbus informed us they were selling the hall in Lindenhurst.
We are very pleased with the decision to make
the Sons of Italy Hall in Deer Park our new dance home
so be sure to mark your new calendars with our dance
dates for 2015.
If you are receiving our monthly dance reminder
email messages, then you have seen some of the changes
we have implemented. We are using a program called
“Constant Contact” to more effectively manage email
distribution and message quality. We plan to use email
as the primary method to stay connected with members
so make sure we have a current address – or multiple addresses
for couples in our records. (Send updates to us
at our NEW email address at LICMA@LICMA.org) We
have also updated our web site (licma.org) and are using
a new program that will enable us to more easily update
information. Our plan is to include some of the timely
information that is currently in the PONY EXPRESS
newsletter like dance instruction on out the new web page.
As we begin another new year, please think
about ways you can help support our country music
association and give back to your community. Serving
on the LICMA Board of Directors is an excellent way to
contribute and help shape the direction of our organization.
Several of our board members are spending more
time in Florida this winter, so we need volunteers to help
with the newsletter and communication, membership,
and dance stuff - if you are able to help, please send us a
note or call.
On behalf of the entire LICMA board, we would
like to say thank you to the many volunteers who share
our interest and donate their time to make your association
events possible. Please continue to show your support
for the country bands, teachers, radio stations, and
sponsors that support our activities by attending their
events and using their services. We look forward to seeing
ya'll real soon.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
This is our November / December newsletter
so we want to wish everyone Happy Holidays as we
look forward to a New Year. It is good to look back and
remember how fortunate we are to be able to share good
times with friends and family, and reflect on how much
fun we’ve had this past year at a dances. As the Country
Music and Dance organization on Long Island, it’s been
a good year with some challenges after the Knights of
Columbus informed us they were selling the hall in Lindenhurst.
We are very pleased with the decision to make
the Sons of Italy Hall in Deer Park our new dance home
so be sure to mark your new calendars with our dance
dates for 2015.
If you are receiving our monthly dance reminder
email messages, then you have seen some of the changes
we have implemented. We are using a program called
“Constant Contact” to more effectively manage email
distribution and message quality. We plan to use email
as the primary method to stay connected with members
so make sure we have a current address – or multiple addresses
for couples in our records. (Send updates to us
at our NEW email address at LICMA@LICMA.org) We
have also updated our web site (licma.org) and are using
a new program that will enable us to more easily update
information. Our plan is to include some of the timely
information that is currently in the PONY EXPRESS
newsletter like dance instruction on out the new web page.
As we begin another new year, please think
about ways you can help support our country music
association and give back to your community. Serving
on the LICMA Board of Directors is an excellent way to
contribute and help shape the direction of our organization.
Several of our board members are spending more
time in Florida this winter, so we need volunteers to help
with the newsletter and communication, membership,
and dance stuff - if you are able to help, please send us a
note or call.
On behalf of the entire LICMA board, we would
like to say thank you to the many volunteers who share
our interest and donate their time to make your association
events possible. Please continue to show your support
for the country bands, teachers, radio stations, and
sponsors that support our activities by attending their
events and using their services. We look forward to seeing
ya'll real soon.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
Monday, September 1, 2014
September / October, 2014
Hi Country Friends,
Wow! – What a great summer we have had this year. When you look around the country and see forest fires, floods and other crazy weather stuff we need to be thankful for the wonderful summer we’ve had on Long Island. It’s also been a good summer for country events on Long Island with a bunch of concerts at local parks, wineries, fire companies, and favorite summer spots like Eisenhower Park, and the Venetian Shores – if you have been following the country scene on Facebook you’ve seen some of the fantastic sun sets from shore concert locations.
Even though we’ve seen many people at some of the local events, we’ve really missed seeing all of our country friends during our summer break and are really looking for- ward to our first dance of the fall on September 20th. The Joe Bayer Band and DJ / teacher Lyndy will keep everyone dancing all night at our new dance location – The Sons of Italy in Deer Park. It will be great to catch up with everyone and hear about concerts, events you have attended, and exciting places you have visited.
Beginning with our dance in September, the Sons of Italy hall in Deer Park (also known as the Constantino Brumidi Lodge) will be our new dance home. After exploring many halls that could accommodate our group and holding dances at different locations, we have decided this hall works the best for us. It is centrally located on Long Island, easy to find with good access from major roads, the hall has a good dance floor, and the management at the hall has been very open to working with us on our events. Please see the directions and dance schedule on page 8.
We are working on several improvements you will see in the coming months. The technical committee has been working on plans to update our web site to make it easier to maintain and keep information current. We are also going to be implementing a new email messaging service to improve the reliability of delivering messages. There are also other opportunities for people to help support LICMA. As you know, we are all volunteers so having people step up and share some of the work is really appreciated.
One additional need is for someone to work with Bill Teresco to transition the responsibilities of the newsletter editor. This is a great way to stay plugged into the Long Island Country news and provide a service that is enjoyed by our entire membership. If you are able to help, please send us a note, call, or speak to a board member at a dance.
On behalf of the entire LICMA board, we would like to say thank you to the many volunteers who share our interest and donate their time to make your association events possible. Please continue to show your support for the country bands, teachers, radio stations, and sponsors that support our activities by attending their events and using their services. Enjoy the rest of the summer and we look forward to seeing “you all” soon.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
Sunday, June 1, 2014
May / June 2014
Hi Country Friends,
It was wonderful to see so many people at both of our new dance locations in Deer Park and Babylon, and a special welcome to the new people who attended. We want to extend a big welcome and say thank you for joining the association and helping to support country music and dance in our area. Our next dance, May 17th, will be held at the Hibernian Hall in Babylon. Every hall has advantages and challenges, so as we work through these changes please continue to give us feedback. As we begin our planning for 2015 we hope to be able to establish a location that works the best for our organization and will feel more like home each month.
Our association doesn’t host dances during July and August because of all the summer activities and vacation schedules, but that doesn’t mean we stop dancing or looking for cool places to enjoy country music. To help make it easier to locate country events supported by our members and advertisers continue checking our “Events Calendar” located on our web site (licma.org). We are planning to send out an e- mail update during the summer with more “real time” country event information, so continue sending country news events that you think we all would enjoy to our e-mail box LICMA@ yahoo.com. Also, please continue to share news on our Face- book page - let the group know where you’re dancing tonight – it’s always more fun when we’re joined by friends.
Newsletter Request – After many years of being the newsletter editor Bill would like to pass this responsibility on to a new person. Our newsletter is one of the important com- munication tools we use to keep our community connected so we are looking for a volunteer or perhaps a team of two people to continue to manage this important publication. Please see a job description on page 5 and call or send me a note if you are interested in learning more about this position.
On behalf of the entire LICMA board, we would like to say thank you to the many volunteers who share this hobby and donate their time to make your association events pos- sible. Please continue to show your support for the country bands, teachers, and sponsors that support our activities by at- tending their events and using their services. Have a wonder- ful summer and we look forward to seeing you soon.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
It was wonderful to see so many people at both of our new dance locations in Deer Park and Babylon, and a special welcome to the new people who attended. We want to extend a big welcome and say thank you for joining the association and helping to support country music and dance in our area. Our next dance, May 17th, will be held at the Hibernian Hall in Babylon. Every hall has advantages and challenges, so as we work through these changes please continue to give us feedback. As we begin our planning for 2015 we hope to be able to establish a location that works the best for our organization and will feel more like home each month.
Our association doesn’t host dances during July and August because of all the summer activities and vacation schedules, but that doesn’t mean we stop dancing or looking for cool places to enjoy country music. To help make it easier to locate country events supported by our members and advertisers continue checking our “Events Calendar” located on our web site (licma.org). We are planning to send out an e- mail update during the summer with more “real time” country event information, so continue sending country news events that you think we all would enjoy to our e-mail box LICMA@ yahoo.com. Also, please continue to share news on our Face- book page - let the group know where you’re dancing tonight – it’s always more fun when we’re joined by friends.
Newsletter Request – After many years of being the newsletter editor Bill would like to pass this responsibility on to a new person. Our newsletter is one of the important com- munication tools we use to keep our community connected so we are looking for a volunteer or perhaps a team of two people to continue to manage this important publication. Please see a job description on page 5 and call or send me a note if you are interested in learning more about this position.
On behalf of the entire LICMA board, we would like to say thank you to the many volunteers who share this hobby and donate their time to make your association events pos- sible. Please continue to show your support for the country bands, teachers, and sponsors that support our activities by at- tending their events and using their services. Have a wonder- ful summer and we look forward to seeing you soon.
“LICMA is FUN Country”
Jim Teeple
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