Author: Ken

On behalf of the “Lindy in the Park” crew, thank you all very much for your generous donations and support in replacing the stolen Lindy in the Park sound equipment.  Thanks go to:

Chad Kubo: For lending his gas generator.
Hep Jen: For lending her mixer-amp, speakers, speaker stands, and CD player.
Jeff Eldridge & the San Diego Lindy hoppers: For taking up a collection in San Diego at their “Lindy by the Bay” event and donating the proceeds to LitP.
Joe & Heidi (New York): For contributing to LitP even though they’ve never even been to LitP (but we hope they will someday soon).
JP O’Connor: For supplying us with fancy new yellow LitP signs.
Michael Martin: For shuttling me around to shop for new sound equipment.
Rachel Donovan & Jeff Yih: For raising over $900 in donations at LitP LITE on Thanksgiving day alone!
Steve Prince: For helping me load, unload, transport, setup, and break down all the sound equipment for the last 5 Sundays and for shuttling me around to shop for a new hand cart.
Alex Yan (Seattle), Clark Breyman, Mike Daniele, Peter Mansfield, and Trish Richman: For their extremely generous donations!
Everyone Else Who Donated: For contributing to LitP and making it all possible.

It means a lot to know that so many people enjoy and care about Lindy in the Park.  As noted above, we received donations from all over the country, from as far away as New York, all the way down to San Diego, and as far north as Seattle.  And, for me,  the fact that Lindy in thePark is entirely funded, supported, and organized by the swing dance community for the swing dance community, makes it such a wonderfully unique and special event–one which I am pleased to be a part of.

With all of the generous contributions from so many people, I’m am happy to report that we have raised enough money to replace all, and, with certain items, even upgrade, the sound equipment stolen in November.  With your wonderful support, I am confident that Lindy in the Park will continue to thrive for many years to come.

Thank you again,
Ken Watanabe
Lindy in the Park co-founder, organizer, DJ
ken@lindyinthepark.com

But LitP WILL continue, including this Sunday (11/25)!

In case you haven’t heard yet, my car, along with most of my swing music collection and the LitP sound system which were inside my car, was stolen late? Sunday night on the 18th of November). I have filed a police report, but I have not yet heard from them with any new information.? My car insurance will cover the car itself, but it will not cover the other items (As Laura Palermo has already pointed out, renter’s insurance or home owner’s insurance normally covers the loss of items inside a stolen car). Unfortunately, I do not have renter’s or home owner’s insurance.

And again, YES, there WILL be a Lindy in the Park this Sunday (11/25) as usual–same place, same time. Jen has been gracious enough to loan us her own sound equipment and CD collection, Chad Kubo will be loaning us his generator, and Burnie will be letting us use his wireless mic. And thanks to the generosity of Michael Martin, Trish Richman, and others, we’ve got everything else we need to pull it off, and we hope to see all of you out in full swing.

If you would like to help support LitP, any donation, however large or small, would be greatly appreciated. There are two ways to donate:

1. Online
We have set up a PayPal account for online donations. You may send donations via PayPal (http://www.paypal.com) to the following Email address: “lindyintheparkdonations@hepjen.com”

2. In Person
You may also contribute with cash or check (payable to Ken Watanabe) at Lindy in the Park on Sundays. Simply deposit your donation in the red bucket or red collection box.

All donations will go to directly towards Lindy in the Park to replace the equipment that was lost. As you probably know, Lindy in the Park has always been a community-supported event, run completely by volunteers with equipment paid entirely by donations collected over the years from the Lindy Hop community. I feel this is one of the things which makes Lindy in the Park so unique and special, and one of the reasons why I enjoy organizing Lindy in the Park so much. The lost LitP equipment is really the community’s loss, but together as a community, we will rebuild, and Lindy in the Park will continue to thrive for years to come.

Thank you for the enormous support we’ve already received from so many of you: your kind words, offers of all kinds of equipment, and donations to help replace what was lost (Rachel and Jeff were already able to collect over $500 at the special Lindy in the Park LITE on Thanksgiving day–Thanks guys!).

Again, thank you all,
Ken Watanabe
Lindy in the Park organizer, co-founder, DJ
ken@lindyinthepark.com

Sunday, October 28, 2007, 4:00-6:00pm

Announcing a 2-hour, all-levels workshop class that will teach you the Shim Sham!

• Learn this universally popular group line dance, originally a tap routine, later adopted by swing dancers in the 1930s, and today, danced by swing dancers around the world!
• Classic jazz steps include the Shim Sham Step, Shim Sham Break, Push Step with Crossover, Tacky Annie, Half-Break, Boogies, and Shorty George!
• Taught by Hep Jen & Ken Watanabe!

WHERE: Same location as Lindy in the Park: south sidewalk of JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (Yahoo! Map of approximate location)

PREREQUISITES: All levels, no experience necessary, no partner required

COST: $20 per person – Register in person with Jen or Ken, in advance or at the workshop

CONTACTS: Ken: 415-420-3147, ken@lindyinthepark.com; or Jen: hepjen@hepjen.com

Hope to see you at the workshop,
Ken & Jen

Check out the Fog Files program on KFOG 104.5 FM for a piece about Lindy in the Park and our upcoming 11th Anniversary (on Sunday, August 19), at the following dates and times (the times are approximate, so tune in a few minutes early to be sure to catch the full article):

Tuesday, August 14, 8:50 PM
Wednesday, August 15, 8:40 AM
Thursday, August 16, 2:50 AM
Sunday, August 19, 7:50 PM
Monday, August 20, 5:20 AM

And I hope to see all of you this Sunday (August 19, 2007, 11am-3pm+) for LitP’s special 11th Anniversary Dance & BBQ Potluck!

Ken Watanabe
Lindy in the Park co-founder, organizer, DJ
ken@lindyinthepark.com

SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2007!
On Sunday, August 19, 2007, come celebrate 11 years of free swing dancing in Golden Gate Park with a special 11th anniversary edition of Lindy in the Park.? To celebrate, we’re having a BBQ potluck and extending the music and dancing hours until at least 3:00pm.? We’ll supply the BBQ’s; you supply some food to BBQ, side dishes, drinks, or utensils to share.? Come out and party, dance, see your friends, reunite with old friends, make new friends, eat some delicious food, and have an all-around great time!

WHO:
We’re trying to notify as many Lindy hoppers as we can (old, new, and everyone in between), so please help spread the word to all your friends.

WHY:
Celebrate 11 great years of Lindy in the Park, the longest-running regular lindy hop dance event in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first Lindy in the Park took place on August 18, 1996 with 13 enthusiastic dancers and a boombox. Over the years, Lindy in the Park has grown to average over a hundred fifty dancers each week and has become a San Francisco swing dancing institution.

WHEN:
Sunday, August 19, 2007 11:00am-3:00pm+

SCHEDULE:
Music & Dancing: 11:00am-3:00pm+
Free Beginner Swing Dance Lesson with Hep Jen: 12:30pm-1:00pm
BBQ Potluck: 1:00pm-3:00pm+

WHAT TO BRING:
Food for BBQ’ing, side dishes, salads, desserts, drinks, ice chests with ice, plastic utensils, paper napkins, plates, or cups, etc. to share? (BBQ grills and charcoal will be supplied.).

WHERE:
The regular LitP location: The wide sidewalk area of John F. Kennedy Drive between the 8th Ave. and 10th Ave. park entrances, between the de Young Museum and the north entrance to the Music Concourse.? Yahoo map of LitP’s approximate location.

Hope to see you there!
Ken Watanabe
Lindy in the Park co-founder, organizer, DJ
ken@lindyinthepark.com