Put on your dancing shoes and join your family and friends for a time of fun, music and square dancing! The Earl Scruggs Center, 103 S. Lafayette St., Shelby, is sponsoring a "barn dance - without the barn" on Saturday, March 18, 2017, from 2-4 p.m.
"This is recreational family fun square dancing," says Adrienne Nirdé, museum curator and collections manager for the Earl Scruggs Center. "No experience or partner is necessary - although experienced and partnered dancers are very welcome." Dances will include the Virginia Reel, the AEIOU Circle Mixer and the Cotton Eye Joe.
Laura Wheeler will be the caller for the dance, and the Log Cabin String Band will provide live music.
Wheeler teaches line dance classes at the Dover Foundation YMCA and the Ruby Hunt YMCA. A couple of summers ago she took a square dance calling class at the Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College, and she soon became hooked.
"Every time I do one of these dances I hear people say, 'We should do that more often,'" says Wheeler. "It's just fun! I would encourage folks who may be unsure about the dancing part to just come and watch and listen. They may just get inspired and decide to join in!"
Wheeler assures first-timers that she will "talk them through" the moves.
"They are called square dances, but what we do are not necessarily four couples in a square," she says. "We also do circles and other formations - it's very beginner-friendly."
Wheeler says it is also a huge benefit to have a live band at the dance.
"They can adjust to what is going on in the dance," she says. "It's much better than a recording that will just end after three minutes - most of these dances are much longer, and the band can just keep on playing!"
The Log Cabin String Band is an old-time music group whose members hail from the Kings Mountain area. The band plays old-time fiddle tunes with an emphasis on the traditional string band music of North Carolina and southwest Virginia.
The Earl Scruggs Center Spring Square Dance is free for members and $5 for general admission. To help families keep costs down, there is a maximum $20 per family admission cost.
For more information, visit earlscruggscenter.org and click on the "Events" tab; or search for the "Earl Scruggs Center" on Facebook, and then click on the "Events" tab on the bottom left of the page; or call 704.487.6233.

By April Hoyle Shauf

Special to Shelby Shopper & Info