Garner State Park Pavilion
The Whip....what a great dance!!
by Chuck Williams, Bellevue, Nebraska
I am a "displaced Texan (Corpus Christi) who now lives on the outskirts of Omaha Nebraska, but one of the true "veterans of Garner State Park" and the Whip (1961 ~ 1966). There are still a few us around, however, my contact with many of them is very limited since I live so far away.
Several years ago, I learned the Whip is still "alive and well" and still being danced in Texas. You can imagine my surprise to know that this great dance is still popular, I thought it died with those of us who stopped going to Garner in the mid and late 60's because we went to college or Viet Nam.
During the 60's (and probably 70's as well), there were several of us who were very serious dancers at Garner. Many of the "Whippers" were from Houston, Baytown, San Antonio, Leaky, Uvalde, with a few from Corpus Christi. Garner Park was THE central meeting place for learning to Whip. Most of us did anything (legal) we could to raise money to go to Garner during the summer. I lost track of how many lawns I mowed. I would make three to four trips a summer, each lasting a week or longer.
For the serious dancers like myself, our biggest objective was to learn as many steps as we could, and perfect our technique. Of course, we always managed to find some good looking partners along the way (Californians think they have pretty girls...ha!... Texas Rules)! An added benefit was the great entertainment that would come to Garner. B.J. Thomas was a regular visitor. His band, B.J. Thomas & The Triumphs, recorded the song, “Garner State Park”, sung by Don Drackenberg, which played on the jukebox for years. Several others would come up routinely, Gene Thomas, Johnny Winters, Jay Frank Wilson, Johnny Rodriquez, Roy Head, and too many others to mention. Many times, after the dance, we would all go to someone's campsite to listen to them jam.
I remember one girl's family in particular. The Zimmermann's, had one of the best campsites in the park. They came to Garner every summer and spent a full month there, some how, Mr. Zimmermann was able to finagle around the parks policy of only being allowed to keep your camp site for thirty days. The Zimmermann's' were the "parents" of so many kids like myself, who would come to Garner without adult supervision. As long as we behaved ourselves, we were welcome. Their daughter, Carol was an outstanding dancer who "loved to whip". Over the years Carol taught me many great steps.
During the day, we would meet at the pavilion, and practice, practice, practice. The "slick slab" was a section of concrete on the pavilion floor that was usually dominated by those who practiced spinning. We could perfect our spin there, so that in the evening when the pavilion was crowded, we had the technique down well enough to spin without the benefit of a slick surface.
I can't remember clearly when the style of Whip changed to the "push", but it really brought on a lot of controversy. The traditional style looked more like the swing, but the "push" brought on stiff arms, shorter steps, and SPINNING! The "rock step" was in and the swing was out.
My years at Garner were amazing! There were so many kids learning the whip, it was incredible! Every night of the week, the pavilion was crowed with kids either learning to Whip or perfecting their steps. I forgot the year the park rangers started ending the dances at 11:00 p.m. and enforcing a park curfew. But even then, if there was a celebrity like B.J. Thomas in the park they would always find a "party" at someone's campsite to jam. And believe it or not, after all those hours of virtually non-stop dancing, we would still practice our steps on the dirt camp site ground while the guys were jamming. We were OUT OF CONTROL!
There was a section of the pavilion designated for "learners". Most of the more experienced dancers stayed clear. Boy, did we have the egos! As with many dancers we developed subtle hand signals, so our partners would know what step we were going to do next. The competition became serious, but strangely enough we never had a dance contest, that I recall. The best dancers were just "kind of well known". Even though he doesn't know it, I regarded Bill Jones as the "King". He was smooth as silk, moving from one step to another without a flaw. I studied every one of his moves and committed them to memory, so I could practice them later.
At home, during the school year, if I wasn't dancing with my bedroom doorknob or the window blind draw string, I was at my Whip partner's house (Jane Jones, no relation to Bill) practicing. She and I spent hours practicing steps, and working on technique.
We returned to Garner the summer of 1963 where we were finally "recognized as great dancers". That year, I met a girl from Baytown, Judy Roush, who I nicknamed (Popcorn). Her family owned and operated a dance studio in Baytown. Judy was an awesome dancer and could whip like an expert. Some how, [there is a God in Heaven], Judy and I hit it off, and my life changed. She taught me so many steps, spins, techniques, it was incredible! I thought I died and went to "Whip Heaven". For the next three years, she and I went together [long distance] and each summer would return to Garner. Judy always had more new steps to show me....duh!!! ... after all she was a dance instructor at her parents studio. She also introduced me to some of her male dance partners, who were willing to share their steps with me. Back then, my talent was spinning, some how I had great balance and technique. Now days, I get lost in a circle!
Strangely enough, I don't dance these days. My wife (California girl) never really learned to dance during her school days. Our adult life together was filled with so many other interests we just never got to dancing. A few of my Garner friends who I keep in touch with are surprised that I never pursued dancing further.
I was drafted right out of high school, and quickly joined the Air Force before reporting to the Army. As I traveled over the years (spent 25 years in the Air Force), my devotion to dancing just kind of fell by the wayside. However, in 1995 at my 30th high school reunion, my old Whip partner from Corpus Christi and I had a blast. We had a great evening dancing without too much embarrassment (the whip really does come back like riding a bike). I remember several school mates approached us that evening and complemented us on our dancing. A few wanted to try the "whipping skills" again. It was a hoot!
I don't know if this story will "muster" any fond memories from fellow Garner Lovers', but I have certainly enjoyed writing about my memories. For those of you still Whipping, thanks for keeping a great dance alive. It brought me and many others some really great times. Best of luck, "keep Whipping".
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