From: bwalls@eng.auburn.edu (Bryan K. Walls)
Subject: North Alabama Country Dance Society Jan. Newsletter
Organization: Auburn University Engineering
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 07:32:04 GMT

North Alabama Country Dance Society 
Newsletter -- January 1993

Dances at the Burritt Museum
7:30 - 10:30 PM
Saturday, January 9, 1993
Intermediate to Advanced Dancers
Friday, January 22, 1993
Beginning to Intermediate Dancers
$4.00 for paid subscribers, $5.00 for others

Calendar:  A mixture of dance opportunities in and out of Huntsville. In
Huntsville it has the specific place, outside it has city and state.
Call or email me for details on any of the items.

Jan	9	NACDS Dance (int-adv) -- Fred with Space City String Band	Burritt Museum
	15-18	American Ski Dance Weekend	Laurel Highlands, PA		
	16	BCDS Dance	Birmingham, AL
	21	Country Dance Class from Comm.Ed.-- Fred Beckett teaching	Westlawn Elementary
	22	NACDS Dance (beg-intermed)-- Harry Delugach with Thistledown	Burritt Museum
Feb	12-14	19th Knoxville Dance Weekend -- Steve Zakon with The Cheshire Cats & more	Knoxville, TN
	13	NACDS Dance (int-adv) 	Burritt Museum
	26	NACDS Dance (beg-intermed)	Burritt Museum
Mar	13	NACDS Dance (int-adv) 	Burritt Museum
	19	NACDS Dance (beg-intermed)	Burritt Museum
	26-28	12th Annual Playford Ball -- with Bare Necessities	Nashville, TN
Apr	17	NACDS Special Sound System Benefit Dance (beg-wealth)	Burritt Museum
	23-25	New England Folk Festival Association 49th Annual Festival	Natick, Massachusetts
May	7-9	Panoply of the Arts	Big Springs Park
	14	Hugh O'Brien Youth Foundation Practicum	Burritt Museum
The listings in the calendar are nice, but may not mean a lot unless 
you're familiar with the event. Some details: 

Fred Beckett (the most hirsute of our callers) will be teaching a
Community Education course on Country Dancing (that's what we do at
the Burritt) for six Thursday nights, starting on January 22, at
Westlawn Elementary. If the class makes (minimum of 8 people), he
would like some experienced dancers to volunteer to come and help
teach by demonstration. Call Fred (534-8566) for details, or see him
at the dance.

The Knoxville Dance Weekend is on Valentine's Day weekend each year
on UT campus. It caters to contras, but has nice tastes of various
other things, including squares, swing, cajun, Pat Shaw, and couple
dances, with excellent workshops on all of the above. There are
several Huntsville faces there every year, and it's well worth the
trip.

The Playford Ball is on a different track. It's a weekend of English
Country Dancing, culminating in a dress ball. Less energy but more
grace than its contra cousin, English Country appeals to some tastes
more than others. I've gushed before about Bare Necessities, a band
to die for, who will be playing throughout the weekend. The
Huntsville Folk Dancers will be holding workshops to learn the dances
that will be done. Call me for more info. Note - not on the calendar
in a Playford Workshop in Nashville, on January 16, starting about 2:00
in the afternoon. There will be a potluck after practise, and a joint 
dance with the local Scottish Dance group. Sounds like fun!

Christmas Dance:  It was a sold out party! The old church was cozy
with 70 people, the band, and a ton of yummy viands, but music,
dancing, and calling were great! Harry Delugach said, "Now we know
how to get people there: raise the price and limit attendance!"
Possibly true but not yet policy. See you at one of this month's
dances, regular price, regular place, regular time. Remember, January
is prime dancing season!

Steering committee:  The steering committee will be meeting at 5:00PM
on Sunday January 10 at Chuck & Soos Webber's place, 1623 Monte Sano
Blvd., Huntsville, 539-3747. Come if you're interested.

T-shirt Designs Solicited: Angela Martincak made the excellent
suggestion that we sell NACDS T-shirts to help raise money for the
sound system. If anyone would like to come up with a design for such
a shirt, get it in by the January 9 dance, and we'll try to have some
shirts by February. Design ideas, other good money raising
sugges-tions (actually good suggestions of any kind), or donations
can be dropped in the suggestion box at any dance. 

Dance Tip of the Month: Don't wear cleats.

Black Mountain Gossip: Back in November, I mentioned that the second
weekend of the Black Mountain Festival had been cancelled. Recently I
heard some more news (or gossip) I thought I'd pass on. A guy
purchased the festival in 1991 from David Peele. Peele declared him
in default soon after and sued for the money. The festival did fairly
well over the last two years, but in October most of the performers
from the first weekend weren't paid and the second weekend cancelled.
In court on Dec. 16, the new owner received a 10 year sentence,
suspended on condition that he make restitution within a specified
time, though proceedings were delayed by a bomb scare connected with
his car. It turned out to be several flares taped together in a
bundle as, he said later, a practical joke. On the next day he was
jailed for failing to provide certain information to parole officers.
The future fate of the festival is uncertain, but rumor has it that
David Peele may attempt a revival. I sure hope it doesn't die!

Brasstown week: Heard it was great! Sigh -- no firsthand report!

Newsletter subscriptions or renewals: are $6.00 a year, and can be
sent (with checks made out) to me or paid at the dance.  You are also
welcome to call with any questions about events on the calendar. 

Bryan Walls	 4304 Holmes Ave NW	Huntsville, AL 35816	(205)837-0656
bwalls@marvin.msfc.nasa.gov