Old-Time Square Dance Walton Grange June 18 [Pinkster recordings are just below.]

 A Toe-Tapping Good Time To be Had by All 

A Traditional Round and Square Dance at the

Walton Grange, 135 Stockton Avenue

Saturday, June 18 at 7 pm

featuring The Tremperskill Boys

"Kick up your heels" is the apt phrase for enthusiastic dancers at a Catskills Folk Connection square dance.  But don't think that the fun is not for beginners.  At CFC dances, all square dances are taught so beginners can participate from the outset.  And remember that we welcome listeners who want to hear the old, familiar tunes - and maybe some new ones too!  

At the western edge of Delaware County, Walton has a rich tradition of music and dance.  It was the home of the Catskills ballad singer (and fiddler, and square dance caller) Grant Rogers, and has an active group of dancers from town and from surrounding communities.  Walton is also the home of the Walton Theatre which hosts music performers on its big stage and in its "coffeehouse," all planned by a sister-organization, Music on the Delaware. 

Walton Grange, #1454, is still active, run by local management.

Many people know the Walton Grange's location because it is at the turn everyone must take to get to the Delaware County Fair, proudly called "the Walton Fair."  It has also been the site of numerous town functions, including many square dances. If you are driving west from Delhi on St. Route 10, after entering Walton turn left at the traffic light. If you are driving east from Masonville or Trout Creek, turn right at the light. This is Bridge Street (also 206) and it leads directly to the Grange, the brick structure visible opposite the other end of the bridge. Some, like Wikipedia, mistake the former Armory, with its crenellated towers, for the Grange. The Grange is immediately left of the Armory which has been known as the "Castle on the Delaware."  

At 7 pm Saturday, June 18, the Tremperskill Boys will start the music for a traditional old-time square dance with John Jacobson and Dane Scudder, fiddlers and callers.  Accompanying them will be Amy Lieberman on bass fiddle, Sheila Addison on guitar, and Ginny Scheer on flute.  It will be an evening of familiar squares, with a few new ones thrown in, plus round (couple) dances and songs 

Masks are recommended, and by the 18th may be required, due to the unpredictability of Covid infection rates. The safest plan for dancers would be to wear a mask and to arrive in a group of eights, and dance only with that group. (Square dances are usually much more democratic than this, but these are not typical times!) Windows and doors will be open as much as possible to increase ventilation and seating can be arrange for social distancing  Check here just before the dance to see if Covid data has caused the dance to be moved to an outdoor location or to be changed to a concert. For more information, contact Ginny Scheer at gscheer.mcs@gmail.com or 607-326-4206. 

Catskills Folk Connection's square dances follow the Eastern tradition of rural family dancing.  This is not the kind of dance where you have to show a certificate of achievement in order to participate!  There are certain conventions and regional variations in Eastern square dance, but we'll make sure everyone knows about them .

Granges and community halls were common sites for square dances through most of the 20th century. In the 19th century, and for a time in the 20th, a dance was more likely to be organized as a "house dance." A farm family would put the word out and hire a fiddler. Guests would arrive after evening milking and would help move the living room and dining room furniture out of the way (onto the porch...even onto the lawn!).  The fiddler would set up between the two rooms, perhaps accompanied by a neighbor on the piano, or another musician on guitar, and call dances so familiar that everyone knew them.  Like the children who came to the dance with their families, the dancers had grown up going to house dances and might sing the calls along with the caller.  

Join us for a night of community fun and enjoyable music.  See you at the Grange!

Catskills Folk Connection is sponsored by the Roxbury Arts Group and is funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts Folk Art Program, by Gov. Hochul and the NYS Legislature, by HumanitiesNY Action & Vision Grants, and by the O'Connor Foundation.