MARILYN HAGERTY: Have you ever heard of the Shirley polka?

Dear Shirley,

Have you ever heard of the Shirley polka?

Well one of the 49 Shirleys who showed up for the Shirley-Marilyn lunch last week said she never liked it. She said the words, in part, say, "She's got ants in her pants and she thinks she can dance."

We had lots of laughs. Everybody knew everybody else by first name. There were 49 Shirleys and 13 Marilyns. They came together only because they share the same first names. And as they left, mostly giggling, they said they hoped we could gather up the Shirleys again next summer.

Well, we just might, Shirley. Surely, people named Shirley are laughing and light hearted. Shirley Cyr of Oklee, Minn., said, "It's a nice name. I've had it more than 80 years."

Shirley Seddon Iverson of Crookston has a Shirley Temple doll. And the name Shirley was popular back in the days when the child movie star with the long curls was the darling of the movie screens.

Shirley Lunde of Badger, Minn., said she was named after Shirley Temple. Shirley Fugleberg of Roseau, Minn., said there were five Shirleys in her high school graduating class in 1976.

Because the name Shirley has become so precious, there are clubs that have sprung up. The first one was founded in Australia 17 years ago. And, would you believe, Shirley, that we had a bona fide member of the national Shirley Club at our luncheon last week?

She's Shirley Solberg from Fargo. She's hoping we'll have another Shirley gathering next year. For no reason. For no business. Just for the fun of it. Next year we would have big tables for Shirleys. Smaller tables for Marilyns. And maybe an itty bitty table for anyone named Donna. Who knows?

There will be a lot of water flowing beneath the Sorlie Bridge by that time.

Tonight we have UND playing Valparaiso in football at the Alerus Center. I am hoping my plane will be in from New York in time for me to get there. This has been a wild, wild week planned for me in New York City. It is like a dream, Shirley.

I was scheduled on national television and radio shows. And now I can come home and mow the lawn and vacuum under the bed.

Love from your sister Marilyn and greetings from Shirleys of the Grand Forks area.

(Reach Marilyn Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or by telephone at 701-772-1055)

Reach Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or (701) 772-1055.