TMU’s Hoedown is one of my favorite Student Life events. I’ll never forget touring as a junior in high school, and my tour guide gave me one quick look and said, “you would LOVE our Hoedown.” He was right. Going to the line dancing classes held by the Stockwells, two of TMU’s beloved former employees, builds excitement in the six weeks leading up to the real-deal-shindig. From simple dances like “Neon Moon” to complicated and chaotic ones like “Swamp Thing,” repetition proved key in learning, and the laughter and time together brought the sweetest sense of community.
This year’s Hoedown was one for the record books, with over 500 students in attendance. A sea of straws, felts, and bandanas covered the dance floor and Densmore Farm’s facilities were stretched to the limit for a night of dancing and fun “down on the farm.” Behind the barn, the sky looked as if it had been painted, with pink and blue streaks framed by smokey-grey clouds.
TMU Dining outdid themselves with BBQ and pork ‘n beans, with caramel apples for dessert. Sitting together and fellowshipping over supper was such a gift, and there was such joy in catching up with friends whose schedules are often too busy for week-to-week visits! Out back, spike ball was set up and a cornhole tournament commenced.
When the dancing started, the barn cleared out and the allotted dance floor swarmed with people. After a quick run-through of each dance from the lessons, we grapevined, spun, and (some of us) stumbled our way through, cutting up and carrying on all the while. The dancing didn’t stop at dark, and it wasn’t terribly long before old favorites like the “Cha-Cha Slide” and “Footloose” were busted out.
With full hearts and exhausted bodies, we made our way back to campus, another Hoedown in the books!
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