Retro Fair Haven Brownie Girl Power Dancin’ — Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect

Fair Haven Brownie Troop #6 square dances in 1968
Photo/Sally Van Develde

With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon and National Women’s Day here, thoughts of girl power and good dance for tradition’s sake come to the forefront.

When talking girl power, scouting, back in the day when girls had little power, comes to mind. And, with the girls, in the 1960s, it all started with Brownies at about age 7. And then there’s that thought process of dancing to your own tune, of course.

Well, back in 1968, the girls of Fair Haven Brownie Troop #6 did a little dancing of their own, to a familiar vintage tune, and they even got a patch, or some sort of pin or commemorative token, to mark their success in rehearsing and doing the dance on stage.

What the girls did was some square dancing on the stage of the Knollwood School auditorium. The song the dancing was done to was Bow Belinda — “Bow, bow, bow, Belinda … Bow, bow, bow, Belinda … Bow, bow, bow, Belinda, won’t you be my partner?” OK. It was so bad, it was cute. And check out those knee socks.

Tradition? Well, the girls were amenable to a square dance. It was also a bit less complicated than a, let’s say, an Irish jig or river dance.

The gusto? Well, they did a lot of clapping and swinging, so that was certainly good enough. It’s the effort and girl power that count.

So, the Retro Pic of the Day takes us back to young girls starting young by daring to master a little dance. It brings us back to a simple good time, learning experience and that scouting idea that anything is possible for girls. A little dance, some familiar faces and awkward moments in dance only serve to make them strive more.

Now, get your girl power on and daaaaaance! Bow, Belinda!

Recognize these scouts? Troupe #6! Any troupe members around?