One day a friend called up and asked if I would like to go with him to an outdoor event somewhere down there in Lincoln County Oregon. He confessed he wanted to see a girl that was doing a new dance performance of some kind. Clogging! She was clogging down there somewhere near "Home Depot Bay" Oregon.
We drove straight through, barely stopping for breakfast and gas for fear of missing a single step of her performance.
We made it with about
an hour and a half to spare so we were easily able to get a place to sit right close up in front, however my friend picked an inconspicuous spot midway in the assemblage of metal chairs. We took off our coats and left them on the chairs to hold our places so as not to be too conspicuous of fans.
The dance started up and I must say she was a pretty girl but somewhat a clumsy sort or at least she seemed unsure of her footing as she clogged amateurishly on the wet board walk of the little coastal towns sidewalk.
I saw her again at a dance where the street was shut down in front of a friend of mine's place called Barrel Head Lumber. Actually, she was a
very pretty girl. I should have seen that right away. After all, that kind of dancing is very difficult especially for a girl with such lovely little ankles. She needed to wear and tap rhythmically those big wooden two clogged sandals to properly perform the clogging dance.
I saw her again clogging in front of Leonard Toates Insurance down in Waldport sometime after that. We left at the intermission because the announcer promised that the next session would include involuntary participation from some members of the audience. My friend sure didn't want to get caught in an embarrassing situation as he so awfully much wanted to make his first impression on her a most memorable one. I too did not want to make a bad impression either. I did not want her or my friend to see how so completely smitten with her I had so quickly become. I was simply there to accompany and support him in his first ovation to her. I did and would try to remember that as best I could in the future.
I noticed so great an improvement in her I wondered if anyone had considered making her the "head clogger" of the group. She should be put right out in front where no one could miss her!
In a week or so my friend called me and asked if I would like to see his little clogging darling stamp about up at the State Fair there in Salem, Oregon. Well, admission tickets are kind of high, but I must admit I did not want to miss a single performance by her, besides I really think my timid friend needed the moral support of a confident good looking fellow such as myself if the need arose for an introduction. I secretly held out the hope.
Our little lady had most assuredly gotten past the clumsy look of an amateur clogger and had advanced to the second row of a three row deep ensemble. Now, she held a position right in the middle of the whole group. Mind you she was quite a beautiful and clearly talented girl. I had no doubt that she would soon become the "head clogger" she deserved to be.
She was the kind of natural beauty you see at the coast or on the ski slopes with streaming blond brown hair and summer tanned skin so soft and lovely she would never need makeup too enhance her looks. God and mother nature had done all that for her. We had to leave before the end of the Salem performance due to an unfortunate incident that had occurred under the grandstand bleachers at Buckaroo Bills Beer Gardens. No further discussion was ever made as to the matter but basically it involved a strangers ill mannered comment about a big "breasted gal" who is soon turning "head clogger!"
The next performance was announced in the Newport Herald published in Newport Oregon once a week. It turned out our dancing heart throb was a local girl who had received general notice up at the big city of Salem and would be part of the featured event at the Tillamook County Fair the coming week.
I called my friend and asked if he had seen the favorable article in the paper about the
"Cloggers of Lincoln County" and especially the good news about our gal moving up in the ranks. I asked if he would like to ride with me this trip. We agreed to meet at my house and drive up in my van right after work on Friday to get a good look around the fair grounds in the morning and get our bearings for the clogging event set to begin at 10:00 o'clock sharp!
How could I have missed the absolute beauty and living grace and sexuality of this young women. Her eyes were blue violet green depending on the light and the hand embroidery of her peasant blouse which she wore loosely bound at the bosom. The dance began and I was enraptured by her performance. She danced and whirled around and around all the while keeping perfect time to the music supported by her long legs spinning her lovely capable form about the floor. She had advanced to front and center of the dance group for all to see. How she bedazzled me. She had indeed made it to "head clogger" and what a sight she was.
We left without making an attempt to speak to her at the break. My heart was in my throat and I was afraid to speak as her eyes and mine had for just one precious moment found each others through the crowd. I figured she had recognized me from having been present at other performances and I did not want her to think I was being too forward. My friend agreed and we made our way home post haste.
I waited over a week before I looked up the location for the next performance. I found no notice in local advertisements or bulletins posted at gathering places. I went in to Kenny's IGA and bought a News Guard and read it clear through without finding a thing about my new girl dancing in any venue anywhere in Lincoln, Marion or Polk County.
I sent away for a Portland paper to see if the troupe had found fame well away at that "
fare" city found at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia River. If she found her deserved fame in that big city I might very well loose her forever. For weeks I looked everywhere. I cruised the waterfront bars of Newport and Taverns of Lincoln City and occasionally hoped for a glimpse of her at Pirates Cove or at Garibaldi Days.
Rumors circulated that she had been "discovered" by the big city crowd and had been coaxed into posing part naked in one of those mens magazines. I do declare I spent too big a part of my paycheck each week looking for her there!
I looked for her for weeks on end then into months which turned into a year in vain.
Till it dawned on me.
SHE HAD BECOME A "HEAD CLOGGER"
This weeks article brought to you by GENERAL CHOW who reminds you GENERAL CHOW is all you will need at this years GLORY DAYS EVENT AT CANYON CREEK CAMPGROUND CAMP SHERMAN OREGON
