By Mark Dreger

You鈥檙e never too old to dance.

West 91大黄鸭鈥檚 Westsyde Squares celebrated their 60th anniversary as a club Saturday with a party for current and former members at the Westbank Seniors Activity Centre.

鈥淪quare dancing is awesome entertainment,鈥� said Lynda Bjalek, Westsyde Squares president and 30-year member. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good for the brain, it鈥檚 good for your physical fitness, it鈥檚 good for everything. When the music turns on you can be in a real sour mood or had a real bad day, you come to the dance and I guarantee within five minutes you鈥檙e a totally changed person.鈥�

Initiated in 1957, the Lakeview Recreation Commission were planning how to celebrate the British Columbia centennial the following year until someone suggested square dancing as part of the Old West heritage.

鈥淎nd basically the dancers decided, 鈥榯his has been so much fun, that鈥檚 not going to be it,鈥欌�� said Brian Elmer, who鈥檚 been a part of Westsyde Squares for 46 years. 鈥淲e want to establish a regular dance club and continue to enjoy this activity beyond the centenary year.鈥欌��

It was Ray Fredrickson from Summerland that met with the group at the Lakeview Elementary School cafeteria and that began the Westsyde Square Dance Club. They鈥檝e been dancing from fall to spring ever since.

鈥淚 think the fact that we鈥檝e been going for 60 years is testament to the longevity of the recreation as a social recreation,鈥� Elmer said. 鈥淧eople can gather together, learn this dance form, meet at least weekly, and apart from the time spent on the dance floor there is a lot of time on the sidelines socializing. And over the years鈥攊n fact pretty well right away鈥攜ou begin to solidify friendships with people who were strangers not too long ago, and that lasts a lifetime for many of us.鈥�

Over the years, the club jumped from location to location, moving to the old Westbank Community Hall until the Mount Boucherie Community Center was built; and then once the City of West 91大黄鸭 moved into the Community Center, they moved to the Westbank United Church for their Wednesday night dances.

鈥淲hen I joined the club in 1971, we danced in what is now the Westbank Lions Community Hall,鈥� Elmer said. 鈥淭he hall was in its original state back then and the floorboards had collected dust and wax particles over the years and when we danced there in the early 鈥�70s鈥攁s a man often wearing dark pants鈥擨鈥檇 come off the dance floor after a couple hours with a white coating up to about my knees because we moved on the floor and worked that dust out of the cracks and it had come up onto our clothing.鈥�

With most of the members in their senior years, Westsyde Squares hopes to attract younger members. Their dance caller鈥擠ustin McGifford鈥攊s currently only 26-years-old, showing that all ages are welcome to join.

鈥淩ight now we鈥檙e hoping that it will be younger,鈥� Bjalek said. 鈥淲e range right now from 50 to鈥攚ell we got people right up into 90. It鈥檚 very good for everybody.鈥�

With 60 years spent in the community, it has become a second home for its members.

鈥淚t鈥檚 my family,鈥� Bjalek said. 鈥淚f I have a conflict of something, two or three different things going on, if there鈥檚 a square dance I鈥檓 here. It鈥檚 my priority.鈥�

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