Visalia Smooth Dancers
VSD's Golden Anniversary Dance
It was a dressy affair as Visalia Smooth Dancers gathered on Oct. 11, 2025 to celebrate the club's 50th anniversary.
A VSD formation dance team performs a choreographed waltz routine.
Many thanks to Tim Inouye for supplying dance tunes.
Country two-step and WCS.
Marivel executes a turn with Matt.
Paul and Wendy
Maria
Sukhdeep shares an image with Art and Alice.
David and Maria chat in line.
An original first edition of Dance Whispers graced the display table courtesy of David and Carol Bixler.
Admiring VSD memorabilia.
Wendy decorated a wall with golden numbers (she made them). Decorations by Wendy and Carol.
Karl and Carolyn visit Nancy and Bart of Fresno.
Jim and Sue
Sally and Kelly share a table.
Dance friends Deborah, Yvette & Jeanette.
October Dance Report
- Carol Bixler's club history
- Halloween quilt winner
- Dance performances
By Sallie Holden
On October 11th, at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Exeter, sixty-three people celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Visalia Smooth Dancers club. Florence Kabot and Lew Griswold were at the reception table greeting quests. The wonderful and creative decorations done by Carol Bixler and Wendy Storey reflected the theme with gold and white balloons on the stage, flowers on the tables, and two huge vases of the same flowers on the dessert table. Their husbands, David Bixler and Paul Storey did the heavy lifting. Diane Sellers did a conscientious job of arranging the numerous desserts. Dinner was catered by Rocio's of Tulare, an excellent meal of Mexican staples: chicken enchiladas, beans and rice and a green salad. Margaret Moholt arranged that. Margaret’s daughter, Mary Envoldsen designed the flyer that advertised our event.
The evening began with an hour’s dance lesson from Susan Morelock, series of creative waltz steps. Tim Inouye was the music person and played his usual great variety of dance music.
Tom Giampietro was the master of ceremonies and kept things moving along. He gave a brief history of the club from its inception to the present. Carol Bixler created a table of written materials about the club’s history, including a list of all past queens and award winners. She also had a poster of historical facts from the year that the club was created. Who knew gas was fifty three cents a gallon in 1975?
There was time for announcements and door prizes. There were a lot of the latter, including a quilted Halloween themed wall hanging which was won by Myra Nielsen.
Entertainment was provided by the current formation team, who performed a waltz. Dancers were Carol and David, Paul and Wendy, Greg and Barbara Uichanco and Tim Inouye and Sallie Holden. Paul Storey and Kelly DeFonte also performed a waltz.
You know the phrase “it takes a village”? Well, it takes a committee. Thanks go to Carol and David, Paul and Wendy, Diane Sellers, Margaret Moholt (not officially on the committee but willing to help, as always), Mary Envoldsen (ditto), Tom and Sue Giampietro, Tim, Florence, Lew, and Alice Lyons. Turns out Alice is skilled at tying balloons.
Sallie
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