History of Our Club:
Square dancing is the American folk dance. It was born in the days when our country was young, carried westward by our pioneer forefathers and is a treasured heritage of our American culture.
In the 1930’s, Lloyd “Pappy” Shaw introduced western square dancing to thousands of Americans with exhibitions by his students from the Cheyenne Mountain School in Colorado. Since then, square dancing has become a favorite leisure time activity for millions of dancers around the world. It has kept pace with many of the styles, types of music, and technological advances of our society while remaining wholesome, family fun.
The PI-R Squares dance club was founded in the Spring of 1950 after a series of 10 lessons were conducted by Caller Joe Rantz (From “The Boys in the Boat” fame) at the Empire Way Community Hall. The idea of square dance lessons had been a Skyway Community Club effort by Morris and Jean Woodward and friends. The name PI-R Squares was derived by Morris from the formula for the area (A) of a circle which is or PI-R Squares. A membership application for the Central Puget Sound Council was submitted March 10, 1950.
During the first dance year 1950 – 1951, lessons were held on the 2nd Thursday and dances on the 3rd Saturday at Holly Park Community Center with Joe Rantz and club members doing the calling. The club members, with Joe’s encouragement, organized independent calling lessons and the calls were then used in the club dance program. On March 10, 1951, the club held their 1st anniversary dance.
Along with the selection of new officers for the 1951 – 1952 dance year the club decided to go with club callers only, with no paid instructor. One of the club callers, Burt Glazier, was asked to MC and teach round dances. Many members and officers resigned or moved away that year. The outgoing officers recommended a return to a paid instructor caller.
At the beginning of the 1952 – 1953 dance year, continuing through 1958 – 1959, Burt and Marj Glazier became the teachers/ callers for the PI-R Squares. Burt and Marj added two annual summer traditions, a Cowboy Breakfast and a Campout. These two events have kept the members thinking about dancing, encouraged family participation and by demonstration of how much fun dancing can be, brought new people to our classes.
The club moved to Rainier Vista Club House and the Riverton Masonic Temple before finding a long-time home at Hagen’s Barn in 1964. Hagen’s Barn was owned by a square dancer and was mostly used for square dances. After Mr. Hagen’s death, his wife was forced to sell the barn and the cost of renting the space was so expensive, we were forced to move to the Meridian Grange in Kent in 1999 where we continue today dancing on the second and fourth Saturdays each month September through May.