September 2026 Newsletter

Membership Matters

Going Totally Paperless

At our last meeting, your Board discussed whether to continue paper mailing of dance invitations and this Highlights newsletter. We concluded that there is no compelling reason to use printed paper, labels and envelopes, and passed a motion that this (September) newsletter will be the last one mailed. Starting in November 2026, with invitations to the December Ball, communications and registration will be paperless.

We recognized that all member couples have at least one partner with an email address. Also, an informal poll of some members who are not yet paperless had revealed that they would be willing to opt-out of paper if asked.

We discussed how to make this transition as seamless as possible for everyone. We assure you that payments by check will still be accepted. You will be able to reach us by phone and postal mail, as well as by email. Note the contact information at the end of this page. News about your club will still be posted on our website, in the private members’ section as appropriate. You can find the URL in the banner at the top of page one. Lastly, if we do not hear from you as the registration deadline approaches, we will continue to reach out and ensure that you do not miss an opportunity to participate in Debonair events.

There are three reasons for this change in procedures: workload, finance, and environment. First, generating printed newsletters and invitations duplicates much of the work required to post the same information online. Since the board is short of three member couples, extra effort falls to the remaining members. Second, there is significant expense in purchasing envelopes, labels and stamps, and in printing. Other dance clubs have made this change without reducing membership or attendance, so the financial effect should be positive. And third, we will avoid adding to the waste stream that goes into our landfills.

New Members

This month we welcome Kevin & Jacqueline Bury sponsored by John & Kathy Taecker, and Walt & Martha Weber sponsored by Jim and Robyn Alves. We also welcome back returning members, Bob Eltgroth & Mary Paquet and Peter & Barbara Rose. Please seek out these fellow dancers and greet them at future dances. Lastly, as always, we urge you to …Dance On
Joyce and Campbell Scott, Editors

Next Board Meeting

November 5th, at 7:30 pm, hosted by Ray & Lynda Barbieri, 147 Coventry Drive Campbell, CA 95008
Please send email to info@debonairdancers.org if you wish to attend.

Presidents’ Corner

Greetings Fellow Dancers –

We are looking forward to seeing all of you at the upcoming October dance.

We are all familiar with Halloween (or All Hallows’ Eve), but probably not as familiar with Dia de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead). There are a lot of similarities, even though the two holidays have different origins. Both holidays have a very long history with a lot of traditions and symbolism.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31st, and has its roots in pagan celebrations for the end of the harvest season and various festivals of the dead. It is linked to the Celtic festival Samhain, when the “door” to the Otherworld was believed to be opened so that the souls of the dead could enter this world. It has also been influenced by the Christian All Saints’ Day, which honors saints and the recently departed.

Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday, also celebrated in parts of Latin America and the US, to remember and pray for family and friends who have died. It is on November 1st, which is All Saints’ Day. It can be traced back to indigenous cultures in Mexico dating back over 2,500 years, who had rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors.

Dia de los Muertos is a joyous celebration to remember friends and family who are dead. Celebrations include visiting cemeteries, leaving food offerings shaped like skulls at the gravesite along with candles, incense and a picture of the dead person. There are also parties, with very colorful decorations and costumes, using vibrant bright colors, with a lot of lively music and dancing.

The purpose of Halloween is an appreciation of the afterlife and the survival after death. The literal meaning of the name is the night before All Hallow’s Day (aka All Saints’ Day).

While Halloween uses the symbols of pumpkins and ghosts, Dia de los Muertos uses the symbol of painted skulls and skeletons. Calaveras (skulls) and calacas (skeletons) are considered playful reminders that we shouldn’t fear death. On Day of the Dead, some people even paint their face like a skull to honor the dead. Sugar skull shaped candies are in abundance at many celebrations.

Come join us for a joyous time of dancing and remembering our dearly departed. Please bring a friend or two.

John and Kathy Taecker, Presidents

UPCOMING DANCE SCHEDULE
6:15pm – 10:30pm

Holiday Ball (formal) Friday, Dec. 11, 2026	Island Escape (casual) June 18, 2027
Sweetheart Special (dressy) Friday, Feb. 19, 2027	Boots & Bandanas Ball (casual) Friday Aug. 20, 2027
Gala Italiano (formal) Friday April 16, 2027	Oktoberfest (casual) Friday Oct. 15, 2027 costume optional

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Contact Regarding Reservations:
Email: event@debonairdancers.org
Phone: John Taecker at 408-866-0622