Jul 2005 - Double Toe Times

Shuffle off to Buffalo
well... Grand Island, NY to be exact
By Elaine Brock
Another wonderful Nickel City Clogging Festival
was proudly presented by the Nickel City Festival
Committee on April 14, 15, and 16. A bright and
sunny Spring day greeted the many early birds that
arrived Thursday afternoon at the Holiday Inn
Resort and Convention Center on Grand Island,
New York, by the shores of our mighty Niagara
River. Visitors arrived from 13 states, as well as
our friends from Canada, in anticipation of another
fun-filled Nickel City weekend. The theme for the
weekend was “Back to the Country” with a celebration
of our clogging heritage!
Activities soon got underway Thursday with a fun
night and request songs played in the Settlement
Hall. We missed seeing Sandy Holdway, who has
run the program in the past, who was side-lined this
year due to a knee injury. However, Hanna Dash,
Charlie Burns, Brendan McCarthy, and Scotty Bilz
did a great job filling in with an overflowing hall of
cloggers. Charlie Burns was just amazed at the
large number of people who attended the festival a
day early and how it just keeps growing. “This is an
awesome workshop and the evening which was
supposed to end at I 0pm, continued on, as the
cloggers just kept on dancing!”
The Western New York Cloggers Association
gave a great big welcome to these featured national
instructors; Sallie Adkins, Ohio - Scotty Bilz,
Georgia - Charlie Burns, Kentucky - Mike Curtis,
South Carolina - Jeff Driggs, West Virginia - Shane
Gruber, Michigan - Jim Naylor, Quebec - Missy
Shinoski, Missouri - and Jill Gunzel, Arizona. Also
lending their talents to this impressive group were
our own regional instructors; Dale Burl, Hanna
Dash, Tricia Profic, Michelle Rohring, Melissa
Sawyer, and Lynda Vaadi, all of New York State.
Workshops began bright and early Friday morning
and continued throughout the day as the almost
550 cloggers hurried back and forth to find in which
of our 5 dance halls their favorite instructors had a
class. What a selection - - beginner through advanced
dances, plus seminars! Jim Naylor, teaching
here for the 3‘d year, commented, “There is
something here for everyone, a great size festival,
enough halls for a variety of levels of dance, and
Photos: Top: The 2005 Nickel City Instructional Staff
featured teachers from throughout the U.S and Canada.
Middle: “Tensation” made its debut at this year’s fetival and
is a conglomerate of dancers from throughout Western New
York.
Bottom: Scotty Bilz of Georgia poses with the Almost
Kickin’ Rhythm Cloggers of New York.
wonderful hospitality for all the instructors.” Shane
Gruber told us, “The Shane gang is here in full force
- - our turnout is so good that I cancelled my class
at home - - because most of us from Michigan are
(Continued on page 16)
The Double Toe Times July, 2005 Page 14