2019 Square Dance Tour

Join Mike Seastrom, Wade Driver, & Tom Crisp

September 17 – October 1, 2019

2019 Brochure

Registration Form

2019 Short Itinerary

Pack your bags and stay in the small alpine village of Grassau located on the edge of the Bavarian Alps between Munich and Salzburg.  Tour during the day and, time allowing, be home in time to dance after dinner.  This is the tour of a lifetime.

Featured Callers

Two weeks filled with square dancing fun!

Dance with host callers Mike SeastromWade Driver Tom Crisp every day. The Bavarian village of Grassau is located 1-1/2 hours south of Munich and is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe.  Southern Bavaria offers spectacular mountain views, luscious green countryside and friendly local people with proud traditions.  This is not your typical rushed whirlwind European tour, dragging suitcases on and off busses daily with endless city bus tours.  During the entire tour, you’ll stay in one modern Bavarian hotel or a vacation apartment, all with private shower. From here is where we will tour out to local places of interest.  This vacation allows plenty of time to enjoy the very best of Southern Germany and parts of Austria.  We have our own private area for evening dancing.  We will also visit local square dance clubs, a fun time for all even if you don’t dance.  You’ll experience a personalized guided tour with your friends at one super low price with nearly everything included.

 About Mike

IMG_4580Mike Seastrom has been dancing since 1960, and calling since 1963. He started dancing after losing a bet to his mother and calling when he tried to show his 6th grade teacher what “square dancing was really like”. He taught his first class in 1963 after borrowing money from his folks to buy a small sound system and was able to pay them back before the class was over.

After receiving his doctorate in 1976, Mike joined CALLERLAB in 1977, and has been Chairman of several committees, as well as an annual presenter for interest sessions and seminars at CALLERLAB conventions. Mike served on the Board of Governors from 1984 to 2003 and completed a two-year term as the CALLERLAB Chairman of the Board in 1994. He was also awarded the Milestone Award in 2001 by two of his mentors, Bob Van Antwerp and Bob Osgood. He submits the monthly CALLERLAB Viewpoint articles to “American Square Dance” magazine and his articles have appeared in various publications around the world.  Mike currently teaches for the Buckles & Bows.

Mike records for Rhythm Records, regularly does Caller Clinics, and helped produce an Introduction to Contra Dancing package for R & R Video, with the California Contra Callers Association.

Calling has given Mike the opportunity to travel extensively in the United States, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. Mike enjoys dancing as well as calling and still feels that “dancing as a team of eight” is the best recreation in the world.

As a practicing dentist, calling is an avocation for “Dr. Mike.” He feels so fortunate to receive such tremendous support from his wonderful and understanding family and staff.

 14670747_10206292514666535_7670765994893266733_nAbout Wade

In 1957, Wade Driver learned to Square Dance from his father in Atlanta, Georgia. It was then that he performed his first singing call and has been calling ever since.  In 1966 Wade graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis and served his time as an officer in the Navy. Upon discharge from the Navy, he began to pursue a civilian career while continuing his education at Georgia Tech University in Atlanta.  In 1975, after moving to Houston, Texas, Wade quit his regular job to pursue Square Dance calling as a full time profession. In December of 1975, he produced the first records on the “Rhythm” label.

Since 1975, Wade has made Rhythm Records one of the top Square Dance labels in the world. He personally has recorded such hits as “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend”, “Boogie Grass Band”, “Dream Lover”, “New Attitude”, and many others. The success of the label is due primarily to Wade’s management and musical skills.

Wade and his wife, Helene, live in Spring, Texas. Wade has three children, two step children, and four grand children.  In addition to calling at home, he travels all over the world calling various Specials, State Conventions, Square Dance Resorts, and other Festivals. He has called in almost every state in the union as well as Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, England, Germany, Sweden, Austria and Canada.

Wade has been a member of CALLERLAB since 1975 and is a past member of the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee. He is a  recipient of the CALLERLAB Milestone Award.

tomcaller3About Tom

Tom started dancing in around the age of 15.   Mom needed a partner.  Later, when stationed in Ramstein AB, Germany, Tom & Gina looked in on a beginner’s class.  They were hooked from the start.  Shortly thereafter, Tom was reassigned to a Canadians Base in Baden Soellingen near Baden Baden, Germany.  Soon Tom & Gina were dancing with the Canadians without ever finishing a class.  It was a short time thereafter in 1968; Tom tried his hand at calling.  His first tip with the club was two singing calls.  The caller was going to be absent the following week and asked Tom to call the dance.  Tom agreed, but would be only taking requests for #1 or #2 of the two memorized singing calls.  Six months later Tom was the club caller without ever going through a callers course.  That was the beginning of Tom’s calling career.

Tom was stationed in Germany a total of 14 years on and off, and during those years he called for several clubs and most of the European festivals to include dances in Spain, England, Holland, Luxemburg and Greece.  Tom went on to organized a Square & Round dance vacation that ran every Easter at the Chiemsee Armed Forces Recreation Center for several years.  He served as president and training director for the European Callers & Teachers Association (ECTA).  Since moving to Tucson in 1983, Tom has been the caller for the Shriner’s Club, the Saguaro Swingers, Green Valley Squares and Far Horizons Squares. He now regularly calls for the Thunder Mountain Twirlers in Sierra Vista.  Just recently, Tom & Gina built a square dance hall on their 10 acre self-care horse ranch.  Tom stays active calling in the new hall and for clubs in and out of town and enjoys doing first night square dance parties.   He recently recorded his first singing call by Johnny Horton, “I’m Ready, If You’re Willing”.   Tom enjoys dating his wife, square dancing, contra dancing, dixieland jazz, computers, fixing things, good German traditional music and hefeweizen beer.  He values good friends, honesty and a solid warm handshake when one looks you square in the eye.

2014 Group Photo

Here is some of what you get with this tour:

  • Personally escorted vacation with expert travel guides and national callers
  • Round trip airfare from most US international airports
  • Two full weeks in the village of Grassau
  • Bavarian Hotel Sperrer with modern rooms and private shower
  • Choice of  Vacation Apartments at Haus Gamsei
  • Travel by luxurious motor-coach with bathroom – family owned by Kreuz-Risen
  • Free admission to places of interest listed & all square dancing
  • Full European breakfast buffet everyday
  • All dinners included except two.
  • Visit the orginal world famous Munich Hofbrauhaus
  • City tours in Salzburg, Munich & Innsbruck
  • Oberammergau – the wood carving capital
  • Local Farmers’ Museum
  • Alpine ski lift ride
  • Traditional Bavarian Schuhplatter Show
  • Boat trip on Lake Chiemsee
  • Neuschwanstein Castle & Herren Island Chiemsee Castle
  • Berchtesgaden Salt Mines
  • Salzburg Mozart Dinner Concert
  • Experience the Original Munich Oktoberfest
  • Visit the Munich Dip-n-Divers, the Flying Dandelions and the Zugspitz-Promenaders Square Dance Clubs.
  • Special Invitational Square Dance in the village.
  • “Aufwiedersehen” Banquet and much more!
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castle

Grassau

Grassau Germany

Grassau

Ramsau Germany