Crystal Falls Township Hall

On the corner of US-​2 and US-​141, this vintage structure from 1931 has the boxy, utilitarian look of an old municipal building from the Depression era. It does not attract any attention as an architectural marvel, which it is not. However, the interior has been totally redone. Surrounded by a beautifully maintained lawn and a flagpole out in front, this pale beige brick building could belong in virtually any community in small town America.
The building has been modified for a handicapped ramp, new bathrooms, all new windows and a refinished floor. It still has the old ceiling light fixtures that give it the distinguished look of antiquity despite the other changes. A small stage, big enough for a podium and maybe a few chairs and a table make it suitable for a small gathering or town meeting.
This utilitarian approach is also appropriate for the square dance that I attended on a cool July night. Being a city person much of my life, I never did square dancing. But that’s OK because our caller was a pro. He too had this utilitarian approach to the square dance. While he didn’t come out on the floor to demonstrate, he played the old records on a turntable, not a CD player or iPod, and verbally gave instructions on what needs to be done without ever leaving the stage the entire two hours.
A building needs a foundation and so does the square dance. Each group of dancers consists of 4 couples numbered from 1 to 4 in a clockwise rotation. From there, it’s a formula of simple instructions and movements, based around a simple «do-​si-​do», swing motion, the promenade, and the all-​important «corner girl» of your neighboring couple. After a 15 minute basic training of these fundamentals, it becomes a series of instructions spoken over the music, done slightly different each time. Midway through the dance as everyone got the hang of it, our caller threw in a few more twists and innovations to try. The squares suddenly became a pair of lines with two couples in each, moving in a circle or converging for a «lion’s roar» as they faced each other. Like the old building renovated to a higher level of functionality, the dance evolved in complexity as the night wore on.
After a third and final lesson before the last set of dances, couples bounded hand-​in-​hand between the two lines of other dancers as they all clapped along, turning into square dance pros. This ain’t no Dancing with the Stars but it’s not for sitting on the sidelines either. Anyone who sat too long got pointed out by the caller on the stage and had no choice but to come out and dance. And yes, even an 80 year old woman with a walker can do it, just not as long and as fast as everyone else… and she’s as old as the building where the dance was held.
So don’t write off a building on the side of the road from its external appearance. Likewise, square dances aren’t about cowboy hats, checkered shirts and farmer’s daughters at the county fair. There’s more to it as you now know.