We run what has turned out to be, after 7 years or more, a very successful dance series in Lenox, MA. The snacks are near and dear to my heart in our success. To start with, we made a decision early on to offer some snacks, with members of our organizing committee bringing them. One of our committee's sole responsibility was to prepare some platters as well, and we reimbursed her. Over time, when she left, we began to solicit snacks from the dancers. It is an excellent, and easy, way for people to contribute to the dance, to be a part of it. And the snacks serve as an excellent social mingling opportunity at the break. Instead of everyone retreating to their own chairs, people crowd around, laugh, have conversation. We pull a folding table out into the dance floor from one corner during the waltz, bringing out the snacks, and by the time the waltz is over, the snack table is ready to go. It really goes to the heart of building a real community. Several years ago we made a decision to buy our own sound system. It turned out to be a much more expensive investment than we originally thought (though well worth it.) We paid for it in several ways, but snacks helped. Just about every month when I did announcements I'd shill for money for the sound system, telling people that they could contribute to the sound system by dropping money in the baskets on the snack table. By this point we were regularly bringing large platters of fruit, and many dancers were bringing all kinds of other snacks. After taking out the $25 for the expense of the fruit, we were regularly getting $120 - $150 in donations. Our sound system ended up costing us over $5,000 and I bet we paid for 1/3rd to 1/2 of it with snack donations. And people still leave money, though not as much as when we were asking for it. It's a very self sustaining endeavor and people take pride in the participation. So, I wouldn't wait until "the dancers want it." Seed the snack table early on, and then ask people to start bringing their own. Make it part of the evening. Stephen Moore LenoxContraDance.org Lenox, MA On Jan 22, 2013, at 9:14 PM, Sue Robishaw wrote: