A newsletter from 'Sureline'
SURELINE SUNDANCERS SPRING LODGE WITHAM ESSEX___________________________________________________________________________ 10th January 2009 RUFUS STONE. This week was a charity event to raise funds for Farleigh Hospice. Although Rufus lives in Essex and has been performing for some time, it was actually the first time he had been to entertain us. Unsure of what to expect, we were not disappointed, three good sets of mixed tempo traditional country songs and, a refreshing ,change to hear some songs other artistes do not do. Thanks Rufus, hope to see you again soon. Supporting Rufus in the breaks was host Bob, playing requests on his disco. Some money had been previously collected from the dance class and combined with the money raised on the night, a grand total of £728 was raised. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the fund and for the raffle donations, your all fantastic. A successful evening all round. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 16th January 2009 SPUR. Good to see Mark and James again looking very posh in their black suits and Stetsons. These lads had the floor full all night singing both traditional and modem country songs. The evening just flew by and not one, but two encores! They were a bit worried as they were going to travel up to oxford at the end of the evening and had a orange light keep flashing on their dashboard. They were hoping not to break down, hope they got there safely! Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 19th December 2008 CAMPBELLS COUNTRY. It was party night and the main act of the evening was the fabulous duo CAMPBELLS COUNTRY. Campbell has been performing for many years and because of his appearance, has affectionately been referred to as being Mr Pastry. Anyone over fifty would remember that great entertainer. The second member of the duo is Tim Richards. Both are excellent musicians and vocalists, and their performance was outstanding and well deserved the two encores at the end of the evening. A good mix of traditional country songs, middle of the road and modern so all dance styles were catered for hence the dance floor full all evening. Thanks lads a grand evening. In the 1st break, regular member of the club Sid Walker took to the stage and playing his guitar, sang four Christmas songs. a very enjoyable performance which had everyone singing along. There was also a cabaret act by Lyndi, Sid and Dave when they performed to put it politely, the bottom burping song which made everyone laugh. Gifts were presented to all the helpers whose contributions were greatly appreciated in the running of the Club over the last year. Well done. A fantastic evening which everyone enjoyed. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 14th November2008 JIM WORTON. Again another good attendance to see Jim. Some of us remember him from his ex fever days and appreciate a good talented artist when we see one. Jim not only has an excellent voice, he must be one of the best dressed solo acts on the circuit, changing clothes after each set. So many songs it's hard to choose, but the first song of the evening says it all and that was 'Love Somebody Like You'. Well done Jim, a great night. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 24th October 2008 THRELLBELLIES. It was no surprise to see a near full venue because Ed and Dave are a very popular, talented duo. The wit and humour injected into their performance is a delightful bonus to their musical and vocal skills. It was actually mine and my husband Tony's forty forth wedding anniversary and Duncan and Julies twenty forth, with a smirk on his face Dave dedicated a song to us which made us laugh. The song being, Going through hell!!!!. A great evening with an all round good mix of songs and we look forward to seeing you again. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 16th October 2008 An evening with BOB! A well attended evening with Bob playing requests for traditional and modem country songs. During the break there was a "Name the Shops" quiz. Despite a little friendly cheating between tables, nobody got all forty right! Bob and Sandra were celebrating their anniversary and were presented with gorilla slippers and a Native American teddy bear. A fun evening enjoyed by all there. With Christmas and a new year not far away, its a good time to thank all the visitors, helpers and venue staff for the support over the last year, it really has been very much appreciated. Special thanks to Bob and Sandra who work so hard to create such a happy atmosphere in the club and for treating everyone as part of their extended family. Enjoy the holiday and stay safe. Hope to see you all on January 10th for the next charity night. You can all dance from 6-12 so hopefully help to get rid of any excess weight put on from all those Christmas goodies! Seasons greetings to you all and a very happy new year. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 26th September 2008 BROADCASTER. A good turn out to see this duo perform a varied program of songs, As well as the usual songs there were also others not often heard such as, 'God Bless The Broken Road', 'Mud On The Tyres', 'Seasons' and 'Hillbilly Sue'.well done lads, a good evening. Attending also, were the Country trainers and other personnel from the Tiptree division of St Johns Ambulance. They were being presented with a much needed A.E.D defibrillator machine by hosts Bob and Sandra and regulars Alan and Chris. Both couples had previously held anniversary and birthday parties requesting donations instead of presents towards the cost of the machine. Their donations, together with a top up from members meant the machine was purchased and gratefully received by Chris the Country trainer. He also gave a talk on how the machine is used to help save peoples lives, thank you to every one who contributed. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 12th September 2008 HAYDENS COUNTRY. A welcome return for a very popular, talented solo artiste. Hayden knows exactly what to perform to keep his audience entertained, be it dance, or listening. Being such a versatile performer be is suited to performing in either line dance or, western venues. Hayden writes some of his own songs which are always a pleasure to hear. Thank you Hayden for yet another excellent evening and look forward to seeing you again. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 22nd August 2008 DARREN BUSBY. This guy is so popular its no wonder his name appears in the September edition of the magazine no less than fourteen times! Yes I did count!. Despite having had a sore throat, he gave a fantastic performance. A great personality and well deserved encores. Well done Darren. It was good bye to Denise and Sheila from down in the West Country. They come and stay in the aera fora few months each year and always visit the club, We will all look forward to seeing you again on your next trip. Thank you to all the helpers and bar staff, You do an excellentjob. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 8th August 8th 2008 Paul Bailey. We saw the talented artist PAUL BAILEY tonight in a packed venue to. An excellent mix of tempo songs and there was added fun when everyone joined in to do a barn dance progressive style. A great night and congratulations also to D and G and R and L celebrating there anniversaries. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ July 25th 2008 Disco. Hosts Bob and Sandra but they were ,.away in Spain so the 'choirmaster' Danny ran a request. disco evening rather than cancel the evening. It was well attended and everyone there enjoyed the evening. Thank You, Danny, as it saved a night of being at home in front of the box! It was good to hear a lot of the older country songs too. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ July 11th 2008 Dane Stevens. A very popular artiste who is always welcome to perform at the club. He always draws a good crowd of members and visitors, and all are guaranteed an excellent evenings entertainment. Dane your a Starr! It was good to see Dane's wife Kath again and as usual, she joined the dancers throughout the evening. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ June 27th 2008 Tequila Sunrise. Due to going on holiday and then mislaying my notes, I unfortunately missed the deadline for August issue of the magazine. To bring things up to date, on June 27th we had TEQUILA SUNRISE. A great 4 piece band. Execellent musicians, great vocals and a Ist class choice of various tempo songs. Three encores at the end of the evening which the lads were only too happy to perform. Had the time not already over run they would have done more. Well done lads. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ May 9th 2008 Nashville Rose. First vist to the club for the band members Ray, Steve and Ratchel. Travelling from Birmingham they got stuck in a traffic jam on the M40 due to accidents. Despite their hold-up adding a couple of hours to the journey, they made it to the club with enough time to set up. Commendable on the bands part is having the sense to allow extra time when they travel long distance. Considering no one had seen this band before it was a good mixed sets of the traditional, and also the more modem songs means this band is suitable to play both country or line dance clubs. The fireman, I'v Been Better, some days you gotta dance, holding you, any man of mine, tempted, walking backwards and Birmingham turnaround, were just a few of the many songs sung. Two encores, at the end of the evening and a definite yes show of hands to book the band again in the furture. Well done! Congratulations to all the members celebrating birthdays last month too many to list you all sorry. Thank you to all the helpers and the bar staff who do a wonderful job, much appreciated. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ April 25th 2008 JIM WORTON. Slight change to the usual run of the evening. Bob the host was not feeling so well so instead of him being MC and DJ the clubs 'choirmaster' Danny stepped in. Despite a few hic cups with the equipment he did a good job. Jim was realy on top form and his performance was brilliant! His guitar playing during the 'past the point of .rescue' was stunning. an excellent evening from a 1st class performer. And yes, we did all see the snob between Sid and Tony during 'just a kiss' lol Val ___________________________________________________________________________ April 11th 2008 HAYDENS COUNTRY. A welcome return to the club for this very talented, popular artiste. It was Haydens birthday on the 12th so he was presented with birthday balloons to decorate the stage. As usual Hayden played an excellent selection of both older and newer songs with various tempos to suit all dance styles be it line or partner. Good to see Angie and John (Haydens parents) again who we know give him a lot of support. Well done! Val ___________________________________________________________________________ March 28th 2008 STEVE SCOTT'S CHANGES. A good night from the boys with old and new country and a few sixties which kept the dance floor full. Danny's choir joined in with The river which bought a smile to the boys faces. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ March 14th 2008 KEVIN BARRY A popular artist who gave three sets of of mixed songs appreciated by all there. A good night. It was also charity night for cancer. Thanks to the Spring Lodge Center for donating raffle money. A final total will be announced soon. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ February 29th 2008 CARDY-N-COKE plus BOB KEELEY A rare treat for visitors to have not one but two acts to share the evening. What a fun night it was with Cardy n coke playing at their best and Bob proving that as a solo singer he was fantastic and a great performer in his own right. Young Jo joined Bob on stage for bye bye love receiving a big applause. there was also a jam session by all artists which had everyone singing along. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ January 25th 2008 SPUR This duo of young lads who go by the names of Mark and James were making their first appearance at the club but I'm sure we will see them again. Young they may be but they certainly know their stuff, and what a surprise it was when they explained they play mostly country music. A rare treat now-a-days. A very good, entertaining evening with lots of real country songs, and two encores. Well deserved! These boys have got what it takes to be a real success in future years. Book them and you will not be disappointed. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ January 11th 2008 DANE STEVENS A Pleasure to see this very talented artiste back to entertain us. Dane is always very popular and as usual there was a good turnout. The performance was excellent and he kept the dance floor full all night. Well Done Dane. He will be back again on July 11th, so it will be another good night to look forward to. Also, in the club was Dane's wife Kathy, and when she is not busy selling merchandise she eill be on the dance floor joining in the line dancing. Thanks also to dane for helping Bob the host out when there were a few problems crop up with the sound system in the break. Val ___________________________________________________________________________ 2007 SUNDANCERS Thank you to all the artistes that have appeard recently at both the Shoreline Sundancers and Silverwings clubs here in Essex, especially since the new year. I apologise for the lack of written reports to both artistes and members alike. As many of you know my husband's sole surviving parent, his father, died during Christmas holiday, after a short illness. It has been a very emotional and busy time for us having to sort everything out. Thank you for all the messages and cards we received, and for the support received from all our country friends. What more can I say, except normal reports will resume soon. Thank you all.Val and Tony Spurgen