Today Is:
Strawberry Square
Square Dance Capital Of The South
Florida Square and Round Dance Hall of Fame
History of the Hall of Fame
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The Hall of Fame was organized to honor dancers, callers, cuers, publishers, teachers, organizers,
promoters and/or vendors for their contributions made to the dance activity statewide.
The Hall of Fame became a reality due to the work of Chet & Julia Vetter, Mori & Phyllis Sogolo,
Art & Martha Springer and Marty & Birdie Martin.
The first inductees were made May 19, 1983 at the state convention.
The square dance hall at Strawberry Square became the permanent home of the Hall of Fame at a
Grand Opening dance held on December 4, 1983.
At the State Convention, new members are presented with a small plaque to keep and a larger
plaque is installed at Strawberry Squares Hall for public viewing. As of the State Convention in the
year 2017, 90 inductees have been installed in the Florida Hall of Fame. These inductees consist of
dancers, callers, cuers, publishers and vendors. Some have qualified in two categories.
Display cases for past presidents of the Florida Federation of Square and Round Dancers,
the Florida Callers Association and the Round Dance Council of Florida have been provided by the
Hall of Fame Committee.
Each of the five area associations have a plaque displaying persons from their area who have been
honored as person or couple of the year.
An additional plaque lists the State Convention General Chairman and Caller Chairman & Cuer
Chairman for each of the State Conventions.
The Hall of Fame is financed through funds derived from State Conventions. The three sponsoring
associations, Florida Federation, Callers Association and Round Dance Council, each contribute
one-third (1/3) of expenses.
The Selection Committee is a group of dancers, callers & cuers from every area of the state and
both sexes are represented. These are known only to the Hall of Fame Committee and not to each
other. Members of the Selection Committee must have been active in the Florida dance activity for
at least 10 years, have visited & danced in a number of areas within the state and be knowledgeable
of what is going on. Voting is done in secret by sending resumes & ballots to each voting member;
ballots are completed & returned to the Hall of Fame Committee Chairman without revealing the
name & address of the voter. The ballots are opened in the presence of a quorum of the Hall of
Fame Committee.