2015 Area Fall Festivals LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM September 15, 2015
Page 59
T
he 45th Annual National
Railsplitter Contest weekend
features many period events,
activities and displays representing
life as it was for Abraham Lincoln.
Railsplitter opened on Friday
evening with a Civil War Ball. While
not required, many of those who
came to the dance wore authentic
period clothing, which means big
hoops for women and string neckties,
Civil War Ball
Story and photos by Jan Youngquist
John
Petter of
Springfield
International
Dancers
calls a
dance.
vests or maybe suspenders, and some in military uniform, for men.
The dances are designed to be very social, moving dancers from one partner to another.
Members of Springfield’s International Dancers - John Petter, Larry Peetz, Phyliss Jones
and Hedy Homnen - took turns explaining the movements to each dance. Hoemnen is an
original member of the group that was started in 1975 to lead authentic German dances for
the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial. The dancers now do several styles of dancing for events.
When the music began, just like in a square dance, they called out what came next step-
by-step. Dances varied in tempo and in tone from genteel formal manners to the crazy
scampering fun of the broom dance where one man dances with a broom until the music
stops and everyone must switch partners and odd-man-out picks up the broom to dance.
harkens to a time
of beautiful
clothing and gentlemanly manners
