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Swing your partner and dosey-do, don’t let go. September is National Square Dance Month, here we go!

Square dancing was first documented in 16th-century England, but familiar in France and throughout Europe, too. As European immigrants settled in North America, they brought the dance with them. In the early years of the country, there was mixing of dancing styles between black and white people. The stereotype many Americans have of square dancing as an activity for old white people is a misjudgment. Early forms of square dancing actually have roots in the African-American slave communities.

The Western American square dance may be the most widely known form worldwide, possibly due to its association in the 20th century with the romanticized image of the American cowboy. Square dancing is, therefore, strongly associated with the U.S. Nineteen U.S. states have designated it as their official state dance. Though square dancing has undergone considerable development since then, many countries and regions have attained the status of square dancing as a folk dance.

GRAB A PARTNER

The art of square dancing requires a few standard requirements, beginning with dancers. Four couples, eight dancers total, arranged in a square, with one pair on each side facing the middle of the square. Women are positioned to the left of the men, known as the corner. The dance moves counterclockwise in a circular flow. The handhold is when one dancer’s hand comes together with the other dancer’s hand. When the grasp is broken, the handhold is over. To Allemande left means to hold left hands and walk around each other, then return to their original position. The Ladies Chain is when the ladies are singled out to walk towards each other and hold right hands. While walking through, they drop hands and give the left hands to each others’ partner.

HISTORY

While we were unable to identify the source of National Square Dance Month, in the early 1970s, efforts were being made for a Congressional resolution for September to be declared as National Square Dancing Month. No evidence has been found at this time that a decision, joint or otherwise, was made.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Participating in a local square dance club is also a great way to get involved in the community and make life-long friends. Joining a square dance class is the best way to learn how to swing your partner and dosey-do!

Use #NationalSquareDanceMonth in social media.

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May 14th ushers in National Buttermilk Biscuit Day to celebrate this high-rising breakfast staple.

Biscuits are made using baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast. A typicalbuttermilk biscuit recipe contains flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and buttermilk. They are often referred to as a “quick bread,” indicating they do not need time to rise before baking. While being made, the dough is beaten and folded to incorporate air, which expands while baking, causing the biscuit to rise.

Before the American Civil War, biscuits emerged as an inexpensive addition to meals. This sturdier bread product soon became popular as people realized it absorbed the gravy on their plate better than plain bread. Soon a new family favorite, biscuits and gravy, was created.

Alexander P. Ashbourne patented the first biscuit cutter in 1875.

Supermarkets offer canned biscuits that are refrigerated until ready to be baked. In 1931, Ballard and Ballard patented these refrigerator biscuits.

Biscuits have been a staple of the Southern United States cuisine for many years and are often made with buttermilk. Traditionally served as a side dish with butter, they are also served at breakfast with molasses, light sugarcane syrup, maple syrup, sorghum syrup, honey, jam or jelly, or as a breakfast sandwich.

HOW TO OBSERVE #ButtermilkBiscuitDay

Share your favorite recipes and biscuit combinations. Aside from biscuits and gravy, give these biscuit ideas a try:

Make biscuit breakfast sandwiches with eggs and cheese.
Serve biscuits with your favorite soup. It’s better than dumplings!
Use biscuit dough to make pizza crust. Partially bake the dough before adding toppings.
Warm biscuits with butter and jelly satisfy every time.
Serve biscuits with pork chops, pork loins, or pulled pork.
BBQ and biscuits hit the spot, too. They soak up the juices quite well.
Whenever you have fresh fish, serve homemade biscuits. Catfish and biscuits are particularly delicious.
Who likes tomato sandwiches during the summer? When fresh tomatoes ripen on the vine, slice them up while they’re warm. Add a little bit of mayonnaise and sprinkle of salt and sandwich them between two warm biscuits.
Don’t forget dessert. Biscuits make an excellent base for strawberry shortcake. Just add a little sugar to your dough to sweeten it. You’ll make up the rest of the sweetness with the strawberries and whipped cream.