More than 50 people turned out Sept. 21 at Totem Middle School for the first Happy Hoppers free lesson of the season.

Tim and Jen Shaffer of Lake Stevens came with their girls, Brie, 14, and Ellie, 11, and son Jaden, who sat and read.

“Please don’t make me,” he asked his parents.

They decided to come to the first one as a family because it was free, but Tim and Brie plan to continue as a “dad and daughter thing,” Jen said.

“It’s too bad more young people aren’t trying it,” she added.

Rod Davidson, president of the club, said he would like to get youth involved.

As the new club leader he led a concentrated effort to bring in new members. He challenged club members to ask people they know. He and others called people who had been involved or showed interest in the past. And they stood outside various popular stores for hours talking to people about the club.

“It was quite a recruiting effort we put together,” he said.

It paid off. The Totem auditorium was packed with people learning the right and left star, courtesy turn, square sets and California twirl, all within the first hour. Another free session will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 28. People that stay with it will pay $6 per lesson.

Davidson said Happy Hoppers is a mainstream club, which means dancers learn moves to about 75 calls. They then receive a certificate so they can attend dances at other mainstream clubs. Davidson said there are about 14 in the region, from Lynden to Kirkland. He said he and his wife used to go to up to four dances a week.

Davidson, 72, said he only started square dancing four years ago, but then admitted he actually first learned when he was a kid.

“I started as a young buck” in fifth- or sixth-grade growing up in Longview. Along with square dancing he learned disco, salsa, polka, cha cha and ballroom dancing. He even became a caller for three years.

The caller the other night was Scott Coon, who also is an Elvis impersonator. He announced that since there were more women than men, some put on sashes that said “Boy.”

“They know all the parts,” Coon said, asking for participants to applaud their skill.

Davidson said callers call to the level of the floor, meaning if dancers don’t know advanced moves they will call more basic ones instead so everyone has fun.

Experienced club members were on hand to mix in with the newcomers to help them learn the moves.

Jim LaMontague said he’s been square dancing for nine years. On his nametag many badges were attached to show some of his accomplishments.

“I love it,” he said.

Sandy O’Neill is in her third year of square dancing, but like Davidson she also danced some in her youth.

“Life changes, and I was single again, needed something to do, and wasn’t going to sit in a bar,” she said.

O’Neill has really gotten into it, even buying one of the fancy dresses. She goes to many dances, but sticks to mainstream “because I’m afraid I’d mess up the square” at a more-advanced dance. Along with square dances the clubs usually also offer line and round dancing. She likes being active and the social part of the dances, too.

“I like the exercise, but the cookie usually takes care of that,” she said with a smile.