Wayne & Mary Ann Kerr
Wichita, Kansas
Wayne and Mary Ann Kerr joined forces by marriage in 1985. Prior to that they both were involved in the “Wonderful World of Square Dancing” as singles. Collectively they have been involved in our favorite activity for 80 years. They’ve danced with many round and square dance clubs in and around the Wichita area.
They have contributed to our activity with a fully fledged cadre of KSDA and South-Central Kansas League of Square and Round Dance Clubs leadership roles spanning a 20 year period. This included five years as South-Central District Chairman and President of KSDA and ex-officio for two years. They were then on the Budget Committee for a number of years.
Because of their involvement in the South District, they were selected as the Spotlight Couple in the fall of 1999. They also took time to participate in an exhibition dance group “Puttin’ on the Ritz”.
Wayne and Mary Ann have attended many State conventions and have served as Dancer Coordinators for the entire convention, style show coordinators, and camping hosts. They have attended over 20 Nationals all over the USA, many times pulling their RV and enjoying the camping with friends. They represented Kansas in the Fashion Show at the National in Portland where they modeled a casual outfit at one end of the stage and then turned it into an evening outfit at the other end of the stage. They were teasingly called the “Kansas Strippers”.
In 1999 Wayne and Mary Ann were asked to see if Wichita would be interested in hosting a national square dance convention (NSDC). At the state convention in 2000, David and Sherry Hubbard were elected as the Proposed General Chairman and Hubbard’s requested that Wayne and Mary Ann be their Proposed Assistant General Chairman. Wayne and Mary Ann teamed with David and Sherry Hubbard to bid for and plan the 57th National Square Dance Convention©, “Promenade on the Prairie”. The Sunflower Board was organized and at the NSDC held in Denver Colorado in 2004, Kansas was awarded the 2008 NSDC to be held in Wichita, KS. Wayne and Mary Ann were even “Wagon Masters” for the RV caravan they organized and led to Denver and back.
Starting in 2001, Hubbard’s and Kerr’s attended every pre-convention, national convention and surrounding state conventions each year to promote the Wichita national in 2008.
In 2008 there were over 6,000 people in attendance in Wichita, KS. Wayne and Mary Ann served as Assistant General Chairman on the Sunflower Board from its conception until its demise in 2012.
Without the dedication, commitment and leadership of these two dancers and with the help of a hoard of willing, dedicated Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska dancers, the 57th National Square Dance Convention© would not have earned accolades as one of the best National Square Dance Conventions ever.