Brush with fame

Oinky gets a taste of showbiz!

Unbeknownst to the audience, the props we use on stage sometimes have a life all their own! As Fancy Free Cloggers made final adjustments to our routine for the Hee Haw show at Smoky Mountain Encore, the stuffed toy pig carried by one of my teammates was deemed too small to be visually effective. Our team seamstress has a pattern and can make one for future shows (we plan on using this dance throughout the year), but she didn't have time to create a custom pig before the trip to Tennessee...

It's a banner day for this veteran clogger!

"I'm on a pole!" This was the announcement made by Jim Kimmerly, my 94-year-old clogging teammate, when he arrived at dance class shortly after Memorial Day. The real kicker: He wasn't kidding!

NINETY-FOUR and still on the dance floor: Happy Birthday, Jim!

Close your eyes and picture a birthday party for a 94-year-old. Done? Okay, open your eyes.

In your mind, did the birthday boy drive to his clogging studio, strut inside amidst a "king's highway" formed by applauding teammates, and spend the evening eating cake and dancing? 

Nope, this is not one of those annoying "you don't know AARP" commercials; this is real life at Fancy Free Clogging Studio!

Time to Disco: Smoky Mountain Encore!

Smoky Mountain Encore Clogging Workshop is worth the drive from Ohio to Tennessee! Or the flight from Florida, or the drive/flight from Canada! 

Not only do you get the chance to enjoy Gatlinburg, you have up to ten classes to choose from at any given time during the workshop! 

Naomi Fleetwood-Pyle taught an intermediate-level routine to Carrie Underwood's "Dirty Laundry."  If you did not take this class, pull out your syllabus NOW and read part C of Naomi's cue sheet! 

Smoky Mountain Encore Clogging Workshop: disco and clogging and bears, oh my!

If the combination of disco costumes, clogging, and the Smoky Mountains is wrong, I don't wanna be right! I'm totally cool with leaving out the bear, though! 

Most of my team made the drive from Ohio to Tennessee on Thursday. 'Twas a fantastic day for a drive! (Yep, JT brought sexy back; I'm bringing the word 'twas back.) 

Driving to Gatlinburg was actually my first excursion out of the house since surgery last week! My teen passenger was willing to take the wheel for a while if I needed a rest, but that wasn't necessary.  

All That! and a trip to the beach.

Myrtle Beach, SC. Friday, July 15, 2016. Section B, Row 4, Seat 13. My vacation became way more awesome with a ticket to see All That! at the Carolina Opry!

I saw All That! perform in their "home" theater once before -  the last time Dieter held his Beach Jam competition - but the audience was full of cloggers. What would it be like on a "normal" summer night?