from dance caller Fern Bradley:
"I'm writing to thank Bill, Gwen and Julie for the fine music they provided for my very "intimate" family dance session (at the 2005 NOMAD Festival) on Sunday. They were good sports, joining in our games when the crowd became so small (4 dancers) that no dances I could bring to mind would work. I was prepared for a variety of circumstances, but not that one! They were very supportive and helpful, and I appreciate that! I hope that I'll have the chance to work with them again in the future."
From Victoria Sahadevan Fossland, Chairman of the Board of Directors for
The Warren Public Library, Inc., Warren, Connecticut:
"On behalf of the Warren Public Library Board, the library's patrons and those
who attended the library's winter fundraiser, I would like to thank you and
The Reel Thing band for your contributions to the evening's success.
...You were very helpful with the coordination of the dinner with that of the
music and dancing. Everyone with whom I spoke enjoyed the music, whether they
chose to join the dancing or not. Your encouragement and the enthusiasm of the
band helped to bring the reluctant onto the dance floor and keep them there
for dance after dance. The event was truly a memorable night.
Thank you for your efforts; I hope that we will have the opportunity to work
together again in the future."
From Martie Smolka, Children's Librarian, Gunn Memorial Library, Washington,
Connecticut:
"I wanted to thank you all for the wonderful program, "Country Dances" that
you performed this past Tuesday evening for our kick off to summer reading.
It was very entertaining and uplifting. The live band was great and the tidbits
of history were quite interesting. I was very impressed with how you improvised
your planned program due to the fact that the group was much younger than we
originally anticipated. However, this did not deter from the enthusiasm that
you brought to the program. It was exciting to see how all the children (and
most of the adults)participated and really "got into it". It was very encouraging
to see even the youngest toddlers participating! I know that they all had a
really good time.
It will be my pleasure to contact you this fall for a "sequel" to this performance.
Once I have a better idea of what the schools will be doing, I will call (or
e-mail) you to see if we might do a Saturday program (schedules permitting).
Once again, thanks for a great evening of dance. Have a good summer!"
From the Bethel Beacon, 8/16/02 edition, Bethel, Connecticut:
"Reeled In (Caption under three pictures) The
Reel Thing, above, performed Sunday on the lawn of the Bethel Municipal Center
in the town's summer concert series. The group's lively tunes brought many to
their feet dancing, including Katelynn.. of Bethel.. and Mikaela.. of Newtown."