Photo courtesy of Dave Hayes Mocci, 2001 Sundance Convention, Ft Lauderdale, FL, USA
Flags of Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and The Netherlands

According to Jerri Goldberg, one of the seven IAGLCWDC's Founding Members , the original purpose of our organization was "to foster communication and networking".

This resulted in the establishment of an Annual Convention with the purpose of fulfilling our greater list of purposes as stated in our bylaws:

1. To promote the culture of and provide education in country western dancing, activities and music to all persons without regard to age, sex, gender or gender identity, religion, national or cultural origin, sexual orientation, disability or HIV status.
2. To provide opportunities to its individual members for education in country western dancing as well as to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas among the member clubs.
3. To support and encourage the growth of its membership and improve communication among the member clubs.
4. To be a non-governing body of individual clubs.

The by-product of all this is that we get to dance and have fun together.

So join in! Get involved! And above all, have fun doing it!

Golden Hoe Club Service Dancing Boots
Golden Hoe Award

At IAGLCWDC hoedowns and conventions, we're all about dancing and fundraising, but just as importantly, we're all about having fun while we do it.

One of the ways we make sure everyone has a good time is to give an award "to that individual at an I.A.G.L.C.W.D.C. Convention who has been outrageous, noticed, and generally", through this person's actions, made sure that folks "had the best damn time at the convention".

This award is called The Golden Hoe Award.

A ballot box and special ballots will be placed at the Registration Table on Saturday evening during the dance and the winner will be announced at the General Membership Meeting during the traditional Sunday Brunch. Any registered attendee can vote and ballot stuffing is allowed!

Here is a history of the Golden Hoe Award, written by past Chair Tony Fay:

The 1st Toronto Big City Hoe Award was awarded in 1993. In 1999 at the Toronto convention was still called the "Big City Hoe" award as the convention was held at the same time as our usual hoedown event. In 2000 the Big City Hoe Award was awarded in Houston by the CC Wranglers as a continuing tradition as the Big City Hoedown group had disbanded and we (CC Wranglers) were going to continue the tradition until such time as there was no longer a Toronto club. At the meeting in Houston, Allan Blume proposed that the Big City Hoe award become a permanent fixture of the IAGLCWDC and that the award be renamed the "Golden Hoe". Therefore making the 1st official Golden Hoe to be awarded in Provincetown.

Club Service Award

The Club Service Award was created in 2001 at the annual convention in Fort Lauderdale, to be award annually to a member club "for extraordinary effort promoting the spirit of the IAGLCWDC and the gay and lesbian country-western community".

Other criteria are:

1. Awarded at Annual Convention
2. Nominees accepted throughout the year, coordinated by the Vice-Chair
3. Recipient club voted by Executive Board (one club, one vote)
4. Nominations open to all members of IAGLCWDC, except current office holder
5. Any individual member of a member club can nominate for the Club Service Award.
6. Only the DELEGATE from each club may vote.
7. Service award coordinated by Vice-Chair
8. Presentation of Award announced at General Membership meeting

Nominations should be submitted AT LEAST one week prior to The Houston Hoedown so that the Vice Chair will have time to receive them. If you submit your nomination later than that, you run the risk of not getting it to the Vice Chair in time.

Past awardees are

Annual	Club
2019 Seattle	Southern Country Chattanooga
2018 Louisville	no nominations
2017 Miami	no nominations
2016 Columbus	Club Bolo
2015 Montréal	no nominations
2014 Denver	Rain Country Dance Association
2013 Seattle	no nominations
2012 New Orleans	no nominations
2011 Philadelphia	no nominations
2010 Austin	Columbus Stompers
2009 Washington DC	Southern Country Chattanooga
2008 Tampa	Southern Line Atlanta
2007 Altanta	Club Bolo
2006 New York City	no nominations
2005 Dallas	Sundance Association
2004 Columbus	Othersiders
2003 Montreal	Southern Country South Florida
2002 Norfolk	none
2001 Fort Lauderdale	year created

Dancing Boots Award

The Dancing Boots Award aka Individual Service Award was created in 2000 at the annual convention in Houston, to be award annually to an individual member "for service about and beyond in fostering the spirit of gay and lesbian country-western dancing and the IAGLCWDC".

Other criteria are:

1. Awarded at Annual Convention
2. Nominees accepted throughout the year, coordinated by the Vice-Chair
3. Recipient voted by Executive Board (one club, one vote)
4. Nominations open to all members of IAGLCWDC, except current office holder
5. Any individual member of a member club can nominate for the Dancing Boots Award.
6. Only the DELEGATE from each club may vote.
7. Service award coordinated by Vice-Chair
8. Presentation of Award announced at General Membership meeting

Nominations should be submitted AT LEAST one week prior to The Houston Hoedown so that the Vice Chair will have time to receive them. If you submit your nomination later than that, you run the risk of not getting it to the Vice Chair in time.

Past awardees are:

Annual	Individual
2019 Seattle	no nominations
2018 Louisville	no nominations
2017 Miami	Dan Poeppelman
2016 Columbus	Lori Boldman and Sara Ernest
2015 Montréal	Jon Lee
2014 Denver	Don Curran
2013 Seattle	Tony Labella
2012 New Orleans	Charlie Monroe
2011 Philadelphia	no nominations
2010 Austin	Deron Pardue
2009 Washington DC	Shawn Swaithes
2008 Tampa	Helen Foshee
2007 Altanta	Lee Fox
2006 New York City	Jim Chakeres
2005 Dallas	Hal Moss
2004 Columbus	Dave Hayes Mocci
2003 Montreal	Jerri Goldberg
2002 Norfolk	Paul Ross
2001 Fort Lauderdale	Rebecca Heyman
2000 Houston	year created

The Officers of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Gay/Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs are pleased to maintain on record that as of June 22, 2006, we were and remain officially recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a Charitable Non-Profit Corporation under the provisions of Paragraph 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

etc

In random order: Kimber Keany ~ Ingu Yun ~ Terry Chasteen ~ Curtis Tutt ~ Jim Chakeres ~ Danny Rideout ~ Claude Godbout ~ Lisa Coopersmith ~ Mark Evans ~ Richard Sheftman ~ Scott Roewer ~ Drusilla Steele ~ Jim Coakley ~ Chad Graber New Mexico Dance Fiesta ~ Charlie Monroe ~ Eiki Yoshikawa ~ Joan McDonough ~ Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon ~ Klint Kendrick ~ Tony Labella ~ Jose Martinez ~ Daniel Craigmile ~ Rob Ollander-Krane ~ Lori Boldman ~ Michael Stevens ~ Alan Gaudet ~ Daniel Barutta ~ Cross The Line Dancing Houston ~ Keith Manning ~ The LA Wranglers ~ Cullen Ruff

In random order: Rain Country Dance Association ~ Mavericks ~ San Diego Coasters ~ Second City Country Dance Association ~ Southern Country Charlotte ~ The Dairyland Dancers ~ Toronto Wranglers ~ Club Bolo Danse Country Montreal ~ Dancin' Divas ~ Big Easy Stompers ~ Gays for Patsy ~ Dance Ranch Palm Springs ~ Big Apple Ranch ~ Scandalous ~ The Rocky Mountain Sway ~ Columbus Stompers ~ Southern Line Atlanta ~ ~ DC Rawhides ~ Manhattan Mustangs ~ The LA Wranglers ~ The Sundance Association for Country Western Dancing ~ Rainbow Ranglers Dance Club