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Remembering Don Osier

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“Live a happy, healthy, productive life and help others do the same.”

Maine’s contra dance community lost a broad-smiling, thoughtful presence when Don Osier died on February 8. His partner, Sarah, sent us the obituary that is copied below. She explained that Don had cardiac bypass surgery this past October. In February he had surgery to correct what they thought was a relatively minor issue, but it became a major surgery and he died from complications. Don’s family is planning a celebration of his life in the spring.

On the dance floor, Don was an exemplar of gentlemanly behavior: considerate, polite, and courteous. He had a zesty swing, and delighted in sharing dancing with others (including his work colleagues, for whom he hosted a dance with the Franklin County Fiddlers upon his University of Maine retirement.)

After dancing was paused during the pandemic, Don occasionally emailed items of interest: podcasts about the human experience, songs with lyrics he found powerful, news of fellow dancers, and even an occasional photo. He valued connection, especially through singing and dancing in community with others.

There’s not always time between a do-si-do and allemande left to deeply acquaint ourselves with our fellow dancers — people who are complex, interesting, and multi-faceted. But when we take the time, we realize what a gift it is to connect with them. Don Osier was a person to treasure. He will be missed.

The view of the harbor in winter

Donald Osier Obituary

Donald Osier, 72, died peacefully at sunrise on Thursday, February 8 after a brief illness. Donald was born on September 14, 1951 to Theodore Osier, a New Harbor native, and Lois Osier from a Connecticut farming family. Raised in Manchester, Connecticut, Donald graduated from Manchester High School, then attended and graduated from Bates College in 1973. He also earned a master’s degree in counseling from Michigan State University.

Don lived by the following mission: “Live a happy, healthy, productive life, and help others do the same.” He worked in education his whole life – as a science teacher in Hanover, MA, a guidance counselor in Owl’s Head, and in different capacities in the University of Maine system for 31 years. For many years prior to his retirement in 2019, Don served as the Director of Learning Success at the University of Maine at Augusta.

Don moved to his father’s family home in New Harbor in 1992. He relished his deepening friendships with neighbors and friends, some of whom he had known since childhood. He also enjoyed making improvements to the house, fishhouse and wharf, helping neighbors, and tending his garden. He loved it when people would pull over, roll down the car window and say how much they admired his prized gladiola patch.

Don loved to sing and dance. Over the years he sang classical choral music, barbershop, madrigals, community theater, and opera. He performed with a number of Midcoast Maine’s wonderful choral groups including Tapestry Singers, Oratorio Chorale and the St. Cecilia Chamber Choir.

An enthusiastic contra dancer, Don went to dances all over Maine as well as contra dance festivals and camps in 18 other states, England, and St. Croix. Contra dance was even part of Don’s retirement party.

One of Don’s grandfathers, Elmer, was a lobsterman and, for many years, head boatman at the Audubon Camp on Hog Island. Don carried on those traditions in his own way. In his younger years, Don was a staff member on several Audubon cross country expeditions. Later, once he had settled in New Harbor, Don used the fishhouse as a workshop to repair or restore more than one skiff for friends and neighbors.  He also volunteered at the Carpenter’s Boat Shop in Pemaquid.

Don wrote the following words in a profile for his 50th reunion at Bates last year: “The stairs to the first floor in my house come down to a door looking north across the head of the harbor. I look across the harbor every morning and notice the changes from the day before. It keeps me humble to be reminded that my life is one tiny part of an immense universe that keeps moving on regardless of my day-to-day experiences. And so, the journey continues.”

Donald is survived by his brother, Carl, Carl’s partner Steve Collins; by Sarah Tomasello, his loving partner; and by Marshall Hansen of Northfield, Minnesota, Don’s college roommate and lifelong friend.

A celebration of Don’s life will take place in the spring. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to any of the organizations mentioned here or to a group or organization important to you.

Condolences, and messages for Don’s family, may be expressed by visiting www.StrongHancock.com.

BFS Board ~ Fond Farewells and Warm Welcomes

The changing of the calendar brought changes for BFS, including transitions on the Board of Directors. At the end of 2023, Alex Mann & Jennifer Armstrong completed their terms and Sunniva Brady & Bella Salman started theirs. Read about Bella & Sunniva on the Leadership page; we are thrilled they have joined the Board!

We’re deeply grateful to our departing board members, Jennifer & Alex, who both were in the first generation of BFS organizers beyond the co-founders. (Alex served continuously since 2012; Jennifer completed her first term in 2015 then returned in 2022 for a second stint.)

Alex Mann and his spouse, Anne Dreesen

Alex Mann dedicated 11 years to Belfast Flying Shoes, including serving as treasurer. A dancer since the late 1970s, he has a keen interest in the living history and culture of social dance traditions. Alex regularly shared interesting tidbits from the Ball-Room Manual of Contra Dances and Social Cotillons Dance Manual that was published in Belfast in 1863, as well as his own research into early dance musicians in Maine. He also helped create the map of 19c dance venues that’s displayed on the third floor of the Belfast Free Library.

To his Board service, Alex brought a steady hand, thoughtful leadership, humility, good humor, and generosity of time and energy. The latter was evidenced in many realms, including his dependability for setup and cleanup on First Fridays. Alex also possessed an unfailingly pleasant demeanor & positive personality. When complex issues were discussed, his calm and measured manner helped maintain the board’s culture of civility and consensus-building.

Known for his grace and sweet smile on the dance floor, Alex’s commitment to preserving and appreciating the good things in life ranges from dance “chestnuts” (repertoire that’s been around for aeons) to the stand of American Chestnuts he cultivates at his home property in Waldo County.  We trust he’ll be part of the BFS community for years to come.

Jennifer Armstrong

Jennifer Armstrong has been an advocate for music and dance all her life, performing and teaching fiddle, banjo, storytelling, and play party dances. As a board member, she provided the nonprofit with a profound understanding of the importance of participatory music and dance. Jennifer helped keep our collective compass pointed at the bright star of community-based arts.

For several years, Jennifer co-led the All Comers Band, bringing exceptional musicianship, a vast repertoire of tunes, and unfailingly cheerful stage presence. A former board colleague reflected on Jennifer’s contributions: “It’s not necessarily a board member function, but, dang, Jennifer has such a sweet southern fiddle rhythm!”

Jennifer nurtured the local music and dance community in her career, too, including sing-along concerts for older adults, storytelling sessions, and school residencies, including several BFS programs. Read more at jenniferarmstrong.com. Her eclectic repertoire ranges from bagpipes to seated square dances, ancient tunes to original songs. And, of course, a healthy dose of fiddle and banjo! Jennifer moved back to the mountains of Asheville NC last spring, but she will be back in Maine every now and then, including at the August weeks of Maine Fiddle Camp. We hope she’ll keep in touch!

Rays of Sunshine – December 2023

We’re thinking a lot about human connection these days, as an example of goodness in the world.

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At the recent First Friday Dance Series, such bonds were obvious.

  • Parents danced with their children (from babies to teens)
  • Hands and hearts reached out with encouraging smiles… and with belly laughs when things went a little rogue
  • A longtime dancer linked the current celebration with its past traditions, urging us to highlight how fun it is to wear one of the silly hats for the BFS Birthday Party
  • Folks commented on the colored flags honoring each of the 37 musicians who played in the All Comers Band for the first time during the past year

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Virtual linkages are compelling too.

We love to hear when folks are jazzed about BFS programs, and in November, travelers from North Carolina shared how much they appreciate the weekly Flying Shoes Radio Hour on WBFY. They love hearing contra dance music over the airwaves and connecting with BFS from afar!  (The Radio Hour also gets kudos from neighbors, dancers, musicians, and other WBFY deejays.)

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We value partnerships with other organizations, such Bagaduce Music.

Check out the full palette of Scandinavian music, dance & song programs coming up this weekend with Swedish “folk-appella” group, Kongero

Click poster for info

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Some folks “connect the dots” between BFS and things they encounter in their daily lives.

To wit, 5 different people sent us this article! (What’s more, their various identities represent a full spectrum of BFS involvement: committee member, musician, dancer, board member, teaching artist, donor, volunteer, program partner, mentor, and supporter.  Talk about affinity!)

Check out Why Don’t We Dance More? (from the New York Times)  or follow this link to a PDF.

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BFS programs are part of the continuum, as the past flows through the present into the future.

Related to this circle of life is the news we received about two longtime dancers:

Percy Norton would like the Eastern Maine contra dance community to know that Kim Morris passed on November 8 with complications of an infection in her blood. Kim was well known in wildlife management circles, by virtue of her position as Maine’s moose biologist up until she retired in 2007 with MS. Dancing and listening to the music were central to Kim’s and Percy’s lifestyle and enjoyment of life.

Percy and Kim were a pleasure to see on the dance floor, whether at the Blue Hill Town Hall, the Orono dance, or beyond. The couple had awe-inspiring skill and grace as dancers, but also had zesty energy, a wicked sense of humor, and a directness that was delightful (both on and off the dance floor.) In the larger world, Kim’s prominence as a woman biologist in Maine helped break the glass ceiling in that field. We who knew Kim can be grateful to have shared joyful times with her; she was a true gem. Email [email protected] for Percy’s mailing address if you wish to send a card.
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And speaking of couples, Cindy Larock & Don Cunningham met at a contra dance. After being in a relationship for more than two decades, they got married just moments before the December dances! And the wedding couple and their two attendants stayed for the First Friday festivities. Cindy (a pillar of the Maine folk scene) called a Quebecois dance, Don played in the All Comers Band alongside his son-in-law (who played for dancing for the first time ever!), and all four of them waltzed while the All Comers Band played Amelia. Congratulations, Cindy & Don! We wish you deep joy.

 

Gratitude

The Thanksgiving holiday can have many meanings, but it always provides an opportunity to reflect with gratitude on the gifts of this world. Here are some reasons we’re giving thanks:

~ Living in this beautiful corner of the place we call Maine, homeland of the Wabanaki, the People of the First Light.

~ Dancing, singing, and making music with people of all ages (including at the recent OH! Flying Shoes dances at the Rockport Opera House!)

~ Program partners who help BFS bring participatory folk arts to the community. (Mark your calendar for our upcoming collaboration with Bagaduce Music: a weekend of Scandinavian music, song & dance programs!)

~ Celebrating 18 years of Flying Shoes on December 1 (time for the party hats and frivolity!)

~ Reminders that we “really ought to get down on [our] knees and thank providence” for what is good in our lives. (This Hidden Brain podcast helped us pay closer attention to gratitude!)

The Enemies of Gratitude

 

 

VOTE Tuesday November 7

TOMORROW, Tuesday, November 7, is VOTING DAY! 

Statewide ballots include referendum questions, and local ballots have candidates for public office and other important decisions.

Want to inform your choices?

 

Why vote?

Flying Shoes programs are effective because they entail participation; the same is true of democracy, citizenship, and voting! Active engagement is the key!

Maine has one of the highest voter turnout rates in the nation, partly thanks to same day voter registration. Let’s keep rocking the vote, with high participation by eligible voters of all ages & demographics! (Just like the All Comers Band and the BFS dances.)

Here are additional nonpartisan resources.

Use them, share them, and get out there and vote! (If you’re from away, and can’t vote in Maine, get the scoop on voting in your state!)

Democracy Maine is a collaboration of three nonpartisan organizations, partnering on advocacy and education efforts:

The Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections, and Commissions has a bunch of info, including these useful pages:

In closing…

Dancing and playing music with other people can bring lots of joy, and voting can be really FUN TOO! It’s a great chance to smile and see your neighbors. So, go out there and participate by voting!