Topper's 2012-2013 Dance Season; March 15th 2013

Did You Know? - Originally, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the color green and its association with Saint Patrick's Day grew.

Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St. Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century.

Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the ubiquitous wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs has become a feature of the day.

In the 1798 rebellion, to make a political statement, Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on 17 March in hopes of catching public attention.

The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from a song of the same name.

Irish Sayings...

"The Irish don't know what they want and are prepared to fight to the death to get it."
Sidney Littlewood

"A man in love is incomplete until he has married, then he is finished."

"An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto one blade of grass to keep from falling off the earth."

"A hair on the head is worth two on the brush." - Oliver Herford

"The Irish gave the bagpipes to the Scotts as a joke, but the Scotts haven't seen the joke yet."

"Don't talk about a rope in the house of someone whose father was hung." - Colin Farrell

Did You Know? - One of the busiest big bands in Southern California, the Tracy Wells Big Swing Band has developed an enthusiastic following of fans from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Corporate events, private parties, public dances, summer concerts in parks and malls, and winter holiday celebrations augment the regular bookings of the band in hotels and clubs.

In addition to the extensive programming variety that includes the best big band literature of today, the repertoire features hundreds of exciting re-creations of the Big Band Era's "Great Moments in Swing" as performed by Count Basie, Harry James, Glenn Miller and others. The band's roster is filled with impressive resumes and national reputations, making the Tracy Wells Big Swing Band one of the very few authentic, top-calibre big band organizations in Southern California.

Tracy Wells – A Long Beach resident,Tracy is a transplanted Midwesterner from Quincy, Illinois. In earlier years he led big bands at the U.S. Naval Academy and at the University of Missouri. Later in Southern California he was featured with the Johnny Ricardo Latin band, free-lanced with jazz groups, vocal groups, and led other bands. Tracy is a trumpeter, vibraphonist, vocalist and arranger.

Irish Sayings...

"God is good to the Irish, but no one else is; not even the Irish"

"My mother's menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it."

"Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat."

"Sometimes I think I am a genius. Then I realize I've already seen this episode of Jeopardy."

Irish Sayings...

"Being Irish is very much a part of who I am. I take it everywhere with me."

"We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English."
Winston Churchill quotes (British Orator, Author and Prime Minister during World War II. 1874-1965)

"If ignorance is bliss, why aren't there more happy teenagers?"
Unknown

"The Irish ignore anything they can't drink or punch."
James Boswell

"The Irish are a very fair people, they never speak well of one another."

"I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours."
Jerome K Jerome