Ranch resident Alan Rocke (right) won the June door prize of wine, wine charms, and engraved corks, presented by SBR Western Dancing Co-Chair Janelle Authur and Door Prize Coordinator Jeri Pfeiffer (left and center). (Photo by Rocky Hart)
Janelle Authur
Ranch Western dancers celebrated the USA’s 250th birthday a few weeks early two steppin’ to the Country music of the Clear County Band on Friday, June 5. Dancers filled the Sol Ballroom floor from the first to last dance, with Western dancers from Tucson and the SaddleBrooke and Sun City Oro Valley Western dance clubs joining the fun.
The SBR Social Dance Club began offering monthly Western dances in September 2021. Since then, the monthly dances feature some of the best Country music talent in Southern Arizona and one of the largest dance floors in the Tucson area. New bands are sprinkled in with “bring them back again” favorites, including Clear Country with its steel guitar, keyboard, guitars, and great vocals.
The highly popular “Hold My Beer” Band returns to the Ranch on Friday, July 10, as dancers “bring the summer heat to the Sol Ballroom dance floor.” The July dance features a “Sun Bird” special registration fee of $10 for members and $12 for non-members.
Perennial favorite Wild Ride takes the stage on Sept. 11 as the club celebrates five years of Western dances at the Ranch. The Mark Miller Band plays on Friday, Oct. 2 and the Jesse Colt Band on Friday, Nov. 6. The Jack Bishop Band will bring the year to a close in its first appearance at the Ranch on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
Each monthly Western dance includes a door prize, with entry requirements that change each month—such as cowboy boots, hats, or jeans, or something in a specific color or pattern. For July, dancers who wore “something red, white, or blue” were eligible for the drawing. Ranch resident Alan Rocke won a bottle of wine, wine charms, and wine corks engraved for the USA’s 250th birthday by Ranch resident Leland Vulcan.
All levels of dancers are welcome at the monthly dances. We dance a variety of dance styles, including the Two-Step, Western Waltz, swing, Partner Pattern, 3-step, the Barn Dance, and a Western line dance or two. We wind down the evening with a tribute to our adopted state of Arizona, with dancers partnering up for “I Love You Arizona.”
Don’t know how to Western dance? The club offers Western dance lessons throughout the year on a rotating basis, including Arizona Two-Step, Western Waltz, and Partner Pattern. For more information on the Western dances, band schedule, and/or lessons, go to the club’s website at sbrsbdc.com.