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Join us every Friday evening from September to April at Duggan Community Hall for a fun and exciting year of square dancing with the Country Sunshiners Square Dance Club. No membership required to join in the fun. Pay at the door each week and if you decide to join our club, we would love to have you.
Accelerated Mainstream Square dancing is an amazing workout for your entire body and mind. From core, arms, legs and mind you can count on square dancing to keep you staying in great shape.
Get involved today and start building lifetime relationships.
Get involved today and start building lifetime relationships.
Our Square Dance Club's History
By 1953, there were seventeen square dance clubs in Edmonton. Many which were run and organized by callers. The newly formed Country Sunshiners registered with the Edmonton District Square Dance Association in 1981 by Wally and Iris Ewen. Originally they danced on Sunday afternoons at Garden Hall on Wye Road, a few miles east of Sherwood Park. The Edmonton based Country Sunshiners have always been known for welcoming beginners and other club members to participate in their dances. The women originally wore a royal blue dress and men, a white shirt with a royal blue tie, yoke and cuffs. With a banner containing black lettering and a white lamb on a blue background edged with gold piping and a white mascot lamb named Curly Q, they started being exposed to the public. In 1982 the Country Sunshiners began their first performance by participating in the Cooking Lake parade, and by winning two trophies. In 1984 the club began lessons at the Leefield Community Hall and later making it a part of the Leefield Community League's program. In 1985 the Country Sunshiners were introduced to round dancing by one of their couples, Pat and Alma Falardeau. By popular demand round dancing and square dancing became a part of the club's dances. Community building through social gatherings has always been an important part of the square dancing community. Clubs exchange visits, and to ensure the return visit of a host club, the visitor would "steal" their mascot. This practice continues among square dance clubs in the Edmonton area. Country Sunshiners continue to be busy with a schedule filled with annual Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's, St. Patrick's, Spring Dances, campouts and many other public events and performances. Continually growing in membership, relationships and skill, the Sunshiners have have evolved to the strong, fun and relevant square dancing club they are today.
Resources taken from "The Mill Woods Country Sunshiners History"
Article written by Tim Hydzik
By 1953, there were seventeen square dance clubs in Edmonton. Many which were run and organized by callers. The newly formed Country Sunshiners registered with the Edmonton District Square Dance Association in 1981 by Wally and Iris Ewen. Originally they danced on Sunday afternoons at Garden Hall on Wye Road, a few miles east of Sherwood Park. The Edmonton based Country Sunshiners have always been known for welcoming beginners and other club members to participate in their dances. The women originally wore a royal blue dress and men, a white shirt with a royal blue tie, yoke and cuffs. With a banner containing black lettering and a white lamb on a blue background edged with gold piping and a white mascot lamb named Curly Q, they started being exposed to the public. In 1982 the Country Sunshiners began their first performance by participating in the Cooking Lake parade, and by winning two trophies. In 1984 the club began lessons at the Leefield Community Hall and later making it a part of the Leefield Community League's program. In 1985 the Country Sunshiners were introduced to round dancing by one of their couples, Pat and Alma Falardeau. By popular demand round dancing and square dancing became a part of the club's dances. Community building through social gatherings has always been an important part of the square dancing community. Clubs exchange visits, and to ensure the return visit of a host club, the visitor would "steal" their mascot. This practice continues among square dance clubs in the Edmonton area. Country Sunshiners continue to be busy with a schedule filled with annual Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's, St. Patrick's, Spring Dances, campouts and many other public events and performances. Continually growing in membership, relationships and skill, the Sunshiners have have evolved to the strong, fun and relevant square dancing club they are today.
Resources taken from "The Mill Woods Country Sunshiners History"
Article written by Tim Hydzik
