Re: "Frequent Flyer" ID badge or item

At the first event (acetate badge holders), the caller requested that anyone who was an experienced dancer come up and get a badge to wear. As there were probably 150 people attending, from all over the country, it was helpful to see lots of folks wearing this. I had several newbies ask me for a dance as they felt it would be beneficial for them. At the second event, the "floor managers" stood near the sets and interpreted the caller's instructions. For the Virginia Reel, my set had two of them, one at each end. The caller let this become self-guided after the first time through, relying on the floor managers to remember the figures. One FM turned away, and missed prompting the "first corners do-si-do" when her companion FM skipped it. (No one died.) Often I will have a new partner inquire if I've done this before. Um, yeah, once or twice. Back in the early 80s I remember a regular dancer who'd always wear a T-shirt with a conversation-starter design (and no, not one of Steve Gold's toilet paper graphics). He'd been to Worlds Fairs and other fun places. For the second ball I attended last weekend, I added an antique lyre pin to my kit, and that worked well -- new partners would see it and we'd talk about playing music. Since posting my question, I have found a source of replica ferrotype CW-era badges (custom designs available) and some other suitable things from the scrapbooking world. And cool graphics from the LOC (Library of Congress) dance manual site. Playing at memorial events, I've noticed all the veterans slathered with commemorative items. I'm not wanting to create more business for the plastic engraved badge sellers (somewhere I have a "yellow rock"), but to assist the companionship of the room. --Karen D.