Regular visitors to Nat Bailey Stadium would no doubt be aware of
the existence of the man they call ‘Dancing Hans’. You can see him to
the left there, stomping out some Chicken Dance love, and that’s long
been the enduring image of the best darn cheerleader in minor baseball.

He
doesn’t get paid to come out to every home game and entertain the fans. He’s not looking for a career change, or a way to work up through the system and one day be GM. He just likes
coming out to the ballpark, dancing on a dugout, and getting the local
yokels worked up into a tween-innings frenzy or seven. People like Hans are a huge part of what makes minor league ball so much fun, and that volunteer spirit is something we sometimes take for granted. We get used to having guys like Hans around, and it’s only when they’re not there that we realize what we’re missing.

Last year,
unfortunately, Dancing Hans wasn’t dancing. He’d gone through some
health issues, but was back at the ballpark as soon as he could walk
again (much to his doctor’s concern, I’m sure), and if not for his wife
following him around with a big stick, to be used with force if his
toes started to so much as tap to the beat of YMCA, I’m sure he would
have wheeled himself around the bases on a hospital gurney during the
7th inning stretch. Instead, he helped out with the webcast game call on the final day of the season with his son, Tim.

Anyhoo, the relevance of all this comes from
my having opened one of the local papers, The Richmond Review, only to
find myself face to face with a huge full color model shot of the
Hanster himself.

And darn it all if Hans has a lot more volunteer work going on than just Chicken Dancing at The Nat!

So as a tribute to the skinniest gams in pro sports, I give you Dancing Hans’ 15 minutes of (local) fame:

The text:

"I read The Richmond Review so that I can keep up with what is happening in our fine community." 

Hans Havas, President of the West Richmond Community Association [who knew?], and President of the Richmond Youth Concert Band.

See the Richmond Youth Concert Band in concert along with the Richmond Orchestra on Friday, Feb 25 at Gateway Theatre as part of the Music Lover’s Concert.

Call 604-270-1812 for tickets. 

What’s hilarious is, this ad runs right beneath a Letter To The Editor that complains that someone on Jones
Road isn’t picking up their dog doody. Seriously - they even describe
how it’s a big dog, "judging by the size of what it leaves behind."

Some people change the world complaining about dog crap, others change it by giving and giving and giving.

Love your work, Hans.