History of the Grenville Gremlins

History of the Grenville Gremlins Square and Round Dance Club 

        Over a period of two years (1969-1970 and 1970-1971) a group of aspiring square dancers danced in the North Grenville District High School, on Rideau Street in Kemptville.  Their caller was Don Holmes from Winchester.   Don was a novice caller, but he successfully called Basics to these dancers, while improving his skills as a Square Dance Caller over these two years.

  In September 1971 the Grenville Gremlins Square and Round Dance Club officially formed and became a member of  the Ottawa Square and Round Dance Association. (OSARDA) which later became Eastern Ontario Square and Round Dance Association (EOSARDA).  The founding group chose their name from the North Grenville District High School (where the group had danced for the previous two years), and the name of the local baseball team: the “Gremlins”; thus the name “Grenville Gremlins”.   A local pharmacist, David Harkness and his wife, Muriel, were elected as the first President Couple in September, 1971. 

  The new Club moved to Leslie Hall in September 1971 with Don Holmes teaching the Basics of Modern Square Dancing to an enthusiastic class of beginners who  graduated in April 1972 .   During the early years some dancers learned Round Dancing between Square Dance tips;  however, as the years went by Round Dancing went by the wayside and is no longer a regular occurrence. Nevertheless, on the occasions when a Round Dance Cuer visits our Club , we do invite them to "Cue" a dance.

   Among the founding members of the club were Karl and Ellen Cryderman,  Alf & Margaret (Peg) Campbell and  Bob & Evelyn Kelly.  Jack and Doreen Pinder-Moss, joined the Grenville Gremlins shortly afterwards and continued as active members until the end of the 2005-2006 dance season.  In September 1975, Preston and Muriel Gilmer started their Basics class and graduated in the spring of 1976.    Muriel and Preston were active dancers until 2023 and in 2016, were presented with "Honorary Memberships" -- the only members of the Gremlins to have been so honoured to date.

  Though we have thought of Leslie Hall as "home" over the years, it was not always the case.  Between 1975 and 1982, the Gremlins occasionally danced at Eastern Breeders main office building on old highway #16, as well as at the Masonic Hall in Kemptville.  These moves were do to scheduling conflicts with St James Church - the proprietors of Leslie Hall.

Beginning in 1982 the Grenville Gremlins sponsored a dance dubbed "the Applefest".  This dance was held annually at Kemptville College and attracted several hundred dancers who were treated to excellent dancing and fellowship all topped off with apple pie and ice cream at the end of the evening.  Unfortunately, by 1998, the College was no longer able to host the dance and that 1997 marked the "end of an era".  President couple Gerry & Doris Hebberd  along with Past President couple Doug & Heather Hughes oversaw the organization and presentation of the the last Applefest dance.

The Club has a mascot called  "Gremmy Gremlin".  During the years of the Applefest, (1982-1997), Gremmy was presented to the dancing couple who traveled the farthest to attend the Applefest Dance.  This included many international dancers from the four corners of the globe!  Gremmy would be brought back to the couple's home club with the stipulation that he be returned to the Applefest Dance the following year.  Although "Applefest" is a distant memory, Gremmy continues to join us for special dances.

  In 2000, the Grenville Gremlins initiated a new tradition unveiling their New Year’s Eve for the first time.  That dance was held a Leslie Hall, but due to the overwhelming response from dancers the decision was made to change the venue to a slightly larger facility.  Future NYE dances would be held in St. John’s United Church hall. We also sponsored dances for charity.  In September of 2005 and 2006 the Grenville Gremlins co-hosted with Kim & Lil Hamilton (a local Caller / Cuer) a fundraising dance for the  North Grenville Community Hospice (renamed the Beth Donovan  Hospice). 

The Grenville Gremlins held their 35th Anniversary as a Square Dance Club at the North Grenville Municipal Centre on Saturday, 17 March, 2007.  More than 125 dancers attended from 16 Clubs in Eastern Ontario Square & Round Dance Association (EOSARDA) area.  But it was our 40th anniversary dance that was most memorable.

The Gremlins celebrated their official 40th Anniversary as a Square Dance Club at the North Grenville Municipal Centre on Saturday evening  22 Oct, 2011.  We were delighted to have 13 former members of Grenville Gremlins (Edith Buckingham, Lawrence & Margaret Homes, Helen Holmes, Bob & Evelyn Kelly, Betty Scott, Joe & Doreen Sparling, Ray & Ruth Thompson and Hank & Goldia Tym) join us for our evening of celebration.  Former members invited who did not attend for various reasons were: Alf Campbell, Karl & Ellen Cryderman, Sue Ewing, Doug Hughes, Lillian Lancaster, Don & Sandy MacCaul, Muriel Mercer, Audrey Miron and Don & Shirley Reid (former Caller).  The dance was a huge success with almost 30 squares from 22 clubs; that is 230 dancers celebrating with the Grenville Gremlins!  Paul Adams, (Mainstream & Plus) and Andy Himberg-Larsen (New Dancer to Basic) called while Gerry & Jim Sawtell cued Rounds.  Peter & Lois Etue coordinated the arrangements with the support of all the active Grenville Gremlin dancers. 

On September 24  2012 the Grenville Gremlins once again moved from Leslie Hall, this time to the newly built North Grenville District High School.  This proved to be a short-lived move and for various reasons the Club returned "home" to Leslie Hall in September 2014.  Unfortunately, Leslie Hall was pronounced uninhabitable (condemned) in early 2017 and forced a further move to a new venue - the North Grenville Municipal Centre, for the dance year commencing September 2017.

2015 marked a significant event as well.  That was the year that the "Gremlins" officially changed their name to "Grenville Gremlins Square Dance Club".  It had been several years since the Club had a Cuer for "Rounds", so it was decided to officially change the name so as not to mislead members or guests.

With the arrival of COVID in March of 2020, our dance year was cut short and dancing was curtailed "until further notice".  Little did we know that it would be 2 years before dancing could re-commence.  Though not quite back to normal, the 2022/2023 dance year got underway in September -- with a lot of catching up to do!  2023/2024 has us back in full swing. 

The Grenville Gremlins have enjoyed many years of fun and fellowship with many dancers who have come and gone and eight excellent callers:

        Sept 1971 to Apr 1972 - Don Holmes of Winchester called Basic.

        Sept 1972 to Apr 1974 - Don Holmes called Basic and Mainstream.

        Sept 1974 to Apr 1975 - Reg Pollard of Brockville called Basic and Mainstream.

        Sept 1975 to Dec 1978 - Don Reed of Kemptville called Basic and Reg Pollard called Mainstream.

        Jan 1979 to Apr 1993   - Paul Adams of Orleans called Basic and Mainstream.

        Sept 1993 to Apr 2005 - Winston Mount of Addison called Basic, Mainstream with Plus tips.

        Sept 2005 to Jan 2007  - Ivan Barron of Richmond called Basic and Mainstream.

        Jan 2007 to Oct 2016   -  Andy Himberg-Larsen of Ottawa, called Basic, Mainstream with Plus tips.

        Oct 2016 to present     -   Geoff Clarke of  Carleton Place, called Basic, Mainstream with Plus tips.

updt: 18 Apr 24