First, the folk programming on what used to be my favorite radio station suddenly got cancelled.
And now, an announcement about the abrupt cancellation of the longest-running dance series in Michigan. (Aside to 'DET listeners: what department did Henry Ford Museum hire Caryn Mathes for?)

Some of us got the message (below) and hit the keyboards. We've established a Yahoo group (save-lovett-hall-dance) and the e-mails and letters are flying fast. (Unlike a radio show, we can't just pick up and move to another huge beautiful hall with a teak floor and beautiful decor and marvelous acoustics. See for yourself: http://www.hfmgv.org/calendar/contra/contra.asp, http://www.hfmgv.org/catering/default.asp,
http://www.hfmgv.org/catering/lovett_ballroom.asp)

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Hello Fellow Dancers & Musicians,

The Olde Michigan Ruffwater Stringband and I wanted to share the news
of the wrap-up of our longstanding Lovett Hall American Contradancing
series with you. The December 5th, 2004 special "Holiday Dance" and
the February 6th, 2005 "Experienced Dance" will be the last two dances
in our long running monthly winter & spring series that began October
4th, 1981. Lovett Hall will no longer be available for regularly
scheduled weekend dances.

Please join us at one or both of these remaining dances to help us bid
farewell to a great hall.

The February 6th, 2005 dance will be our official closing celebration.
Thank you for coming and sharing the afternoon with other experienced
dancers from Michigan and across the country. This would have been
our traditional "Advanced Dance" but we wanted to include dance
friends who dance comfortably well who may not completely enjoy
strictly advanced dances. An advanced dance or two will be included.
We'll have lemonade and cookies to augment the dancing. We'll bring
memorabalia from across the years for you to chuckle and reminisce
over. We would enjoy your joining us for a group photo of this last
dance.

We could not have linked together 23-1/2 years of dancing at Lovett
Hall without you. We're so thankful for the fun, satisfaction and joy
that each of you have brought to us by dancing with us there. We look
forward to seeing you at other dance venues across the State and
around the Midwest.

Thank you for distributing this to dancing friends.

My apologies for the short notice. This change has all happened in
the last 4 days.

All the best,

Glen Morningstar