The Modern Square

The Modern Square

Contents

Overview

Advertise In The Modern Square

Content Deadlines/Delivery

Donated Subscriptions

Subscription Dances

Overview

To get to the previous page, press the BACK BUTTON on your web browser. To return to the ASSDF Homepage, click on the ASSDF logo at the top of the page. This page was updated on Jan. 30, 2012.

is the ASSDF's monthly publication, containing reports from the various square and round dance clubs and organizations across Arkansas...as well as information on upcoming special dances. Subscriptions are currently $15 per year. The ASSDF, and your fellow square and round dancers THANK YOU in advance for your support, and subscription.

To SUBSCRIBE, or to RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION, print, and fill out this Subscription Form, or use the form that is in The Modern Square...and mail it, along with your check (DO NOT SEND CASH), payable to the ASSDF, for $15 per year, to Stan and Carol Stander, 5137 Greenway Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72116. They are the 2012 ASSDF Treasurer; they will forward the subscription address information to the Circulation Manager via email, and the database will be updated accordingly.

Please do NOT send the payment for your subscription to the Circulation Manager...as it will be DELAYED in getting to the Treasurer, and the database update may be DELAYED as well.

However, if you have an ADDRESS CHANGE ONLY (your subscription is NOT up for renewal), mail the form to Daryl Stout, P.O. Box 55655, Little Rock, AR 72215.

Also, please note that the ASSDF is NOT RESPONSIBLE for lost, stolen, or misdirected mail. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and/or print the Subscription Form, noted above.

PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY the information on the Subscription Form, as some recent subscription forms have been TOO ILLEGIBLE TO READ (I nearly flunked handwriting in the first grade, because of sloppy penmanship). If the letters ''get wet'' in the course of delivery, and the form gets ''smudged'', I won't know where to send the subscription...let alone contact the dancer to verify the information.

NOTE: The Circulation Manager has a LIMITED amount of extra copies of each issue each month, for those subscriptions do NOT make it to me by the 10th of the month, due to Postal Service delays, etc. It's first come, first serve...and once these are gone, unless your subscription was already in the database, you will have to wait until the next issue. Sorry for any inconvenience.

PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. If data from a Subscription Dance is DELAYED in getting to me (in case I have to miss a dance, due to severe weather operations (see item 14 at this link, or with my ad in The Modern Square), and because of Postal Service delays), it could take 2 months or more to restart your subscription.

If you have a question on your subscription, please CONTACT the Circulation Manager via information in The Modern Square, the ASSDF Officers page, or via this link.

And, please do NOT have someone else contact the Circulation Manager, concerning YOUR subscription...as the information then is ''second hand''. If the information they have is WRONG, it could take longer to fix the problem with your subscription. The only exception to ''second hand data'' is for the next of kin of a dancer who has passed away, to contact the Circulation Manager, to suspend the subscription, because of said dancers death. In rememberance of those dancers who are gone, but not forgotten, a special recognition page is located here.

NEW, FIRST TIME GRADUATES from square or round dance lessons, will receive a COMPLIMENTARY three (3) month subscription to The Modern Square...but it is up to the club caller, cuer, or officers to notify the Circulation Manager of the new graduates names, and addresses. This COMPLIMENTARY subscription is given, in the hopes it'll encourage the new dancer(s) to sign up for a regular subscription, for one year or more... and to keep them informed on square and round dancing in Arkansas. However, once their complimentary subscription EXPIRES, they are REMOVED from the database, unless they renew.

Please note that these subscriptions are NOT for dancers who have been through class before, graduated, danced a short time, dropped out of the hobby...and now want to get back in. If their name is already in the Subscriber Database, or they have been in the Subscriber Database before...they will NOT receive one of these subscriptions.

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Advertise In The Modern Square

Besides a yearly subscription (noted above), you can also support The Modern Square with placements of advertising in the publication. Note that rates are different for ASSDF Member Clubs, versus Commercial (non-ASSDF) members. ADVANCE PAYMENT IN FULL IS REQUIRED. These rates are current as of Dec. 24, 2011, but are subject to change without notice. The ASSDF Editor reserves the right to omit, condense, or rewrite all items submitted.

Full Page Ad Monthly Rate: $25 for ASSDF Member Clubs, $35 for non-ASSDF members.
Full Page Ad Yearly Rate: $300 for ASSDF Member Clubs, $420 for non-ASSDF members.

Half Page Ad Monthly Rate: $12.50 for ASSDF Member Clubs, $20 for non-ASSDF members.
Half Page Ad Yearly Rate:$150 for ASSDF Member Clubs: $240 for non-ASSDF members.

Back Cover Ad Monthly Rate: $35 for ASSDF Member Clubs, $50 for non-ASSDF members.
Back Cover Ad Yearly Rate: $420 for ASSDF Member Clubs, $600 for non-ASSDF members.

Two Center Pages Monthly Rate: $70 for ASSDF Member Clubs, $85 for non-ASSDF members.
Two Center Pages Yearly Rate: $840 for ASSDF Member Clubs, $1020 for non-ASSDF members.

All Other Ads Monthly Rate: $7 for ASSDF Member Clubs, $10 for non-ASSDF members.
All Other Ads Yearly Rate: $84 for ASSDF Member Clubs, $120 for non-ASSDF members.

Those taking out a one year ad will receive a one month insertion of their ad free of charge...basically, listing your ad for 13 times at the price of 12. A list of those businesses and individuals that advertise in The Modern Square is located here.

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In the past, I had sent out a Reminder Card, like the one above, to those whose subscriptions were to expire within the next two (2) months. However, due to complaints from several dancers (even though I paid for the cards and postage), the sending of these cards has long since been DISCONTINUED.

As a result, dancers will have to look on the mailing label of their copy of The Modern Square...or contact the Circulation Manager from the ASSDF Officers page... if they have a question on their subscription expiration date.

If your subscription does EXPIRE, it could take 2 to 3 months for your subscription to restart, because of required deadlines.

Or, if your issue of The Modern Square is returned as UNDELIVERABLE, your name will be REMOVED from the Subscriber Database... no matter how many issues remain on your subscription. This applies to callers, cuers, and dancers alike.

Basically, I'm sure that you wouldn't want a tax refund check, winnings from a sweepstakes/lottery ticket, etc. meant for you to go to someone else...so it's greatly appreciated if you notify me as soon as possible if your address changes.

If I get the data too late, it may take 2 months or more before you get your Modern Square at the correct address, and it COSTS the ASSDF money to take care of this. If a club does NOT get the list of new graduates to the Circulation Manager by the 5th of the month, the start of the complimentary 3 month new graduates subscription will likely be DELAYED.

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Content Deadlines/Delivery

For information to get into The Modern Square, it has to be in the hands of the Editor by the 5th of the month, preceding the month of issue (for example, May 5th for the June issue)...and the printer has to have it by the 10th of the month (if not before), preceding the month of issue. The printer can usually have it printed in less than 5 days, and then taken to the Postal Facility in Little Rock.

Because of this, I try to get the database to the printer no later than the 7th of the month, preceding the month of issue, so there can be time to resend the data, if need be.

The reason for the deadlines are that The Modern Square is handled under a ''bulk/periodicals rate'', which has LOWER PRIORITY than First Class Mail. Also, with recent changes to the Postal Service, mail delivery times may be slowed.

And, at times, because of schedule conflicts, the Editor may require an EARLIER date deadline for item submissions... please check The Modern Square for these announcements. If the Club Report, ad, etc. does not make it to the Editor prior to this deadline, it will NOT appear in the upcoming issue.

Take note that once the Circulation Manager sends in the subscriber database to the Printer, IT IS OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE ASSDF, and becomes THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRINTER. Once the publication has been printed, and taken to the Post Office facility in Little Rock (prior to the 23rd of the month, preceding the month of issue (such as November 23 for the December issue), IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE POSTAL SERVICE to get that delivered.

If your address in the database is CORRECT, but you still are not getting your copy of The Modern Square by the first or second day of the month of issue (not including Sundays or holidays), then you MUST contact the Post Office in your Zip Code area, to put a tracer on the publication, and you must complain vociferously. I have heard instances of where certain carriers ''didn't feel like delivering the publication'', and it came back to the Circulation Manager as UNDELIVERABLE, resulting in SUSPENSION of the subscription, until I was contacted by the subscriber. The SUSPENSION for UNDELIVERABLE addresses applies to callers, cuers, and dancers alike.

I seriously doubt that the ASSDF can find an economical, viable option, should continued delivery of The Modern Square via the Postal Service, becomes impractical. They have lost several pieces of mail to/from me (bills, etc., square dancing and otherwise), and they wonder why people are going to alternatives such as United Parcel Service, Federal Express, email, etc.

Plus, going to ONLINE ONLY would put those who do NOT have/want a computer or internet access ''out in the cold'', as it were...not to mention no longer needing a Circulation Manager, Editor, Third Vice President, Club Reporters, and Subscription Dances...plus it'd mean no practical way for clubs to get information out to all the dancers on an event, dance, etc.

As Circulation Manager, I have both an ASCII copy, and an Excel copy of the Subscriber Database as a crosscheck. In rare instances, address data can become corrupted for a subscription, or I can overlook an entry...all of us make a mistake at one time or another... on the dance floor or elsewhere. But, this is more the RARE EXCEPTION, rather than the rule...and that can be fixed. But, unless I am contacted that there is a glitch (by the person whose subscription is affected...NOT someone else)...I have no way of knowing.

However, if the subscribers address is CORRECT, and the printer is doing everything they should, then the problem is again with the Postal Carrier in that specific area. It costs at least $6 to send an item Certified Mail/Return Receipt Requested, and it would be COST PROHIBITIVE to do so...let alone sending subscriptions via First Class Postage.

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Donated Subscriptions

At times, I will donate subscriptions (usually 5 at a time) to The Modern Square...as prizes with a dances Teacup Auction. Because of scheduling, weather and health issues, I may not always make one of these special dances, to get the forms in person.

If you happen to win a subscription at one of these dances (noted on the Specials And Benefit Dances Page)...please return the form with all the information to me in the provided self addressed stamped envelope as soon as possible afterwards, and please note the applicable dates for the form...as the form will NOT be valid before, or after certain dates.

While the subscription cost for these has already been processed, if I don't receive the form, you won't get credit for the subscription. Note that the ASSDF is NOT responsible for lost, stolen, or misdirected mail. While I have my correct address on the self addressed stamped envelopes, some pieces of mail are apparently going into the ''proverbial black hole''...as I never receive the items.

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Subscription Dances

Subscription Dances are where dancers can sign up for, or renew their subscription to The Modern Square. The following is a list of these scheduled dances, and it was last updated Jan. 30, 2012. While I personally am unable to make most of these dances (due to health issues, severe weather operations, etc.), at least one of the ASSDF Officers will be there. Please check with the Club Contact listed below, prior to travelling to the dance...to be sure that the dance hasn't been cancelled or postponed at the last minute, for weather or another reason. Subscription Dances can always be rescheduled, if need be. All times listed are U.S. Central Time.

If your club would like to schedule one of these Subscription Dances, please contact Bob and Judy Mullins, 12 Garita Lane, Hot Springs Village, AR 71909, (501) 915-9895. Please try to schedule your dances at least three (3) months ahead...so sufficient time can be had to get it into The Modern Square, and onto the ASSDF website. You may schedule a Subscription Dance as far ahead as one year in advance.

If the Subscription Dance information below is incorrect, please contact me via this link, or from the information listed on the ASSDF Officers page...with the details. Again, this is taken DIRECTLY from The Modern Square; however, I sometimes unintentionally make typographical errors in transposing the information...or I may be delayed in getting it posted, if I have computer, internet, or weather issues.

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No Subscription Dances Known Of At This Time.

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