Earlier in the week, I stopped into my favorite thrift store to have a look around.  I was looking for something specific (a wooden chair for a desk that I had bought there several days back) but it wasn’t too long before I was horribly sidetracked.

As usual, I ended up in the book and magazine aisle, wandering from shelf to shelf.  The shelves were poorly organized and filled with a lot of things that most folks might not find very interesting.  But experience has proven that if I look long and hard enough, I might find a rare gem.  Sure enough...

Now, I would like to think that I am past the point in my life in which I am tempted to buy things strictly based upon their weirdness or comedic value, but I guess some things are just too difficult for me to resist.  In this particular case, I felt that I could not part with a very strange magazine that I found jammed in between volumes of romance novels and self-help manuals. The magazine in question was the May 1968 issue of "Sets in Order:  The Official Magazine of Square Dancing". The advertisements alone made this purchase well worth its 59¢ price tag.

As a product of Kentucky public schools (K through 6), I have some personal experience with square dancing because it was a mandatory part of the curriculum back when I was in grade school. So at the very least, I know enough to honestly and steadfastly say that I never want to square dance again.  The main reason I picked this magazine up is to keep it as proof that I had actually laid eyes on it. A list of some of the featured articles in the magazine might give you a fair idea of its contents.  Here’s a sample:
"The Ten Commandments of Square Dancers"

"Dialog:  How Does one Go About Learning the Calls?"

"Phrasing: Part II" (this article explains how one matches the square dance "calls" to the beat of the music)

Now I don’t think mere words could do this justice, so I will include a few scans with this article so that you folks can experience the wonder firsthand.  Choose from a fashion tip and a music advertisement.

In its heyday, "Sets in Order" was apparently one of the most authoritative sources for the up-and-coming square dancing aficionado.  As of May 1968, "SIO" was in its 20th year of publication. There are some passing references to this magazine (called "SIO" by the square dancing elite) here and there on the Internet.   If anything, the May 1968 issue of "Sets in Order " is certainly proof that obscure media outlets were around long before public access television and the Internet.


Legendary square dance caller Whimpy Phillippe