No matter where you go, mention that you are from Yorkton and immediately someone will ask, "Oh, do you know Earle Park?" Then they will tell you they danced to his square dance calling, whether it be in the United States, England, Japan, Australia or in Canada.

When Earle joined the Yorkton Rotary Club in 1950, he was named chair of the Youth Committee. By this time various youth programs undertaken by the club were no longer popular and with the help of Russell Baldwin, principal of the Yorkton Collegiate Institute, Earle looked for a new program.

It was during this time that Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth) and the Duke of Edinborough were on a visit to Canada and square danced at Government House. This event became the headline in all the papers and at a meeting of a group of students, Earle suggested a square dancing program for the young people.

Earle enlisted the assistance of Stuart Thompson, a high school teacher who had taken folk dancing at university; Merv Phillips of CJGX who supplied records; and Jake Sherwin , a Dunleath farmer who called square dances.

The first night of square dancing, 130 students arrived at the hall. This Rotary young program carried on for several years.

Earle made a trip to Phoenix, where he attended square dances. He also purchased a record player and microphone. He was now in business as a square dance caller.

Later in 1951 Earle headed up the Family Squares, made up of 160 to 200 adults who danced regularly at the Dr. Brass Auditorium.

That same year, the Kinsmen Club of Yorkton sponsored the Don Messer Jubilee group who put on a show at the air base. Mr. Messer asked for a caller to call a tip or two at the dance following the show, and who was that caller? Earle Park, his first calling to a live band.

The next year Earle called on a weekly show on CJGX radio. He also travelled for a week with Don Martin of Calgary who called at dances at the various summer fairs. It was there he met a Texas caller, Joe Lewis.

In 1953 he joined up with Mr. Lewis, gaining more knowledge and experience in calling. He met another national caller, Bob Osgood, editor of the National Square Dance magazine, and through him other national callers. He was invited to call at one of the national square dance recording sessions.

In 1954 he attended a week long camp in California for square dance callers and round dance teachers. It was a learning experience in voice projection, timing, enunciation, dress, and other niceties and essentials.

His first "big" calling event was in Portage la Prairie with 250 dancers and 300 spectators.

In Saskatchewan's Jubilee year, Earle was guest caller at a dance in Regina. That year square dance clubs were started in Foam Lake, where Corky Birt started his career as a caller; Norquay, Saltcoats, Russell, and Wynyard. Earle remembers taking the passenger train to Wynyard in the morning and returning to Yorkton by freight train that night.

More clubs were started and in 1956, the idea came up to have a weekend of instruction for leaders in the province. With the assistance of the Saskatchewan Power Corporation, the Valley Centre Institute was formed with two square dance callers and two round dance instructors staffing the camp. Earle was instructor caller for 15 years with the Institute.

By 1957 Earle was calling about every night of the week and several men were taking instruction from him to serve their own communities as callers.

In June of 1958, Earle and a group of his dancers appeared at the official opening of CKOS-TV.

Earle was on staff as a caller for the Fifth Atlantic Square Dance Convention, held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, where he called for 1,000 dancers. This led to forming an international convention made up of dancers from the Manitoba, Saskatchewan, eastern Montana, and North and South Dakota.

In 1960 this international convention was held in Estevan with Earle and his wife Jean as honorary dirctors, a position held until Jean's death. Earle was staff caller for a majority of the conventions.

By 1962 Earle led regular square dance tours throughout the United States and Canada. He was invited to call at a "special" in Toronto featuring Hank Snow, Charlie Chamberland from the Don Messer show, Stu Phillips from Edmonton and Gordie Tapp. In the band were members from the Happy Gang.

Later in 1963 he called at the opening of the Squaw Rapids power project. At this event, Earle made a recording with the Don Messer orchestra.

Earle led square dance tours all over the world. He has called for square dancers in China, Malasia, Majorca, islands in the Caribbean, Canada, Hawaii, England, Scotland, Paris, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, various countries in Africa, Taiwan and in Japan where the Prince and Princess (now Emperor) danced to his calling.

His entire party was invited to have lunch with the Prince and Princess.

Earle and Corki Birt held "Corona Capers", a weekend of square dancing, each year in Yorkton from 1960 to 1991. Dancers came from all over to take part in this weekend.

He taught school children from 1960 though to 1999, mostly in Yorkton at Angus Spice and Simpson Schools, grades 3 to 7, though he did teach high school students as well.

He now teaches line dancing and round dancing on a regular basis. Recently Earle was guest caller of square dancing in the Community Players production of Oklahoma.