Club History
Now
Then
September 2017
Left to Right
First Row: Linda Banty, Carolyn Hargrave, Frances Merritt*, Jeanette Conner*, Janice Haley*, Rose Beacham*, Maurine King, Brenda Adcock
Second Row: Steve Berry*, __________, __________, Prudence Boseman, __________, __________, Larry Williams, Emily Ferguson, John Ferguson
Back Row: Donald Lynch*, Barry Hargrave, David Zimmerman, Richard Rumplik*, Jack Boseman, __________, Marshall Beacham*, __________, Mr. Adcock, __________,
* Current Member
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Lake Life Magazine Summer 2018
By Ruth Richey
Contributing writer
Warm nights, cold beer and couples dancing the Shag to the sultry swing sound of beach music is what’s happening every Sunday night at the Lake Gaston Lions Club.
Susan and David Zimmerman have been dancing together since their high school days, then college and now for many decades until Susan’s knee replacement has sidelined her for the moment.
“We’ve always danced,” explained Susan “The shag is really an unusual dance. Once you start doing it you make it your own.”
Susan’s love for shag dancing inspired her to start asking around to see if others were interested in bringing this popular Carolina phenomenon from the Atlantic Ocean beaches to the shores of Lake Gaston.
When she discussed her dream with Billy Benson, the owner of Watersview Restaurant volunteered to let her find an instructor to teach shag dance lessons on the lower level of his popular place at Eaton’s Ferry Bridge. Later the group moved to the Lions Club on Stanley Road.
Janice Haley also shared “a lifelong dream” to start a shag club here. When she retired, “I thought, “What’s wrong with this place? There’s no place to shag! I’ve been shagging a long time”
Haley, who was teaching shag to the lake area residents at Watersview, joined with the Zimmermans to launch the Lake Gaston Shag Club this past September.
On the first meeting night, 64 people came to shag and learn dance techniques.
“It’s just a really easy beginner step,” Susan Zimmerman explained. “You can do so much with it and it makes you look like you know what you are doing. It’s a very pretty dance.”
Many of the shaggers are members of Lakeside Lutheran Church. “ The women were so excited and the men were like ‘no way! It just gets in your blood. We have so much fun together,” Zimmerman continued.
The club now attracts shaggers from Kerr Lake, Roanoke Rapids and other shag clubs. Some are diehard shaggers” others are part-time residents who mainly live here in the summer, Haley said. Some are retired and others are still working and there are married and single members.
You don’t have to be old to learn to shag,” Haley said. We are looking at middle-aged people as the new generation of shaggers.
Haley also has her sights on the youngest generation. She will be working with the Kerr Lake Shag Club to teach the dance to 30 children this cummer at the Vance County Charter School. She has seen children as young as 4 years olds doing the shag and many young teenagers have taken up the steps.
Haley was almost 50 years old when she took shag lessons from a hall-of-fame dancer in Raleigh, N.C.
“I grew up in a freewill Baptist home and we didn’t dance, saw people shagging and thought it was the prettiest dance I’ve ever seen in my life,” Haley said. “We need more men to learn how to shag.”
Scott Miller admits he was a little bit reluctant to hit the dance floor. “I have no rhythm and never learned to dance.”
“Truth be told my wife dragged me,” Miller said. “She does line dancing and I had two left feet. I still have two left feet but they seem to go in unison now.”
Miller actually looks forward now to Sunday nights, especially when the weather precludes outdoor activity. We’re getting some really needed exercise, social activity with our friends and making new friends.
Jack and Prudence Boseman have totally adopted the shag lifestyle. They belong to several shag clubs and attend many events such as the SOS (Society of Stranders) Spring Safari at Myrtle Beach.
“When the children were young, we took lessons but we got busy doing things for the children and put it aside,” Prudence said.
“As we were getting older and the children were gone, we decided to do something for ourselves,” Prudence said. “Whenever we see a dance, we make an effort to go. Shaggers are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, You make great connections.”
Prudence says the couple has to consult their dance calendars before taking care of their grandchildren. Their two daughters “just roll their eyes but they are glad we are active.”
Carolyn and Barry Hargrave are another duo who had not danced in many decades. The two used to attend football games and dance the night away in the 1980s.
“We’re kind of learning the steps right now,” Carolyn said.
“We enjoy meeting the people around the lake and we’ve always enjoyed beach music.”
The Lake Gaston Shag Club meets from 6 to 7 o’clock, Sunday evenings for shag instruction, including technique and dance etiquette. Shag dancing (including some line dancing held from 7 to 8 or 8:30 p.m.
The club, which now boasts nearly 80 members, encourages others, to join their group. Membership, Which includes the lessons, is $20 for individuals or $40 per couple.
The club recently met the criteria to become members of the Association of Carolina Shag Clubs (ACSC). “That’s a huge accomplishment for the first year,” Janice Haley said.
For more information, contact the club president, Janice Haley at 252-813-0639