Big Fun Dance Weekend

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I’ve been to a lot of dance weekends, and by now I have some rather decided ideas of what makes a good one. So when I stumbled onto the perfect venue for a dance weekend, practically in our own backyard, it just seemed right to put one together.

Now perhaps you’re thinking, “Just what we need… another dance weekend.” But this one is different. For one thing, it features a reunion, on our home turf, of the Hotpoint Stringband, along with several other notable bands: Great Big Taters and ReelBop, and callers Bev Bernbaum of Toronto and Charley Harvey of Charlotte NC.

Then there’s the location. The beautifully restored

Eclipse Company Store with two great dance floors, capable air conditioning and the best food you ever ate at a dance weekend, in beautiful Athens County, Ohio (which was recently called one of the "Top 12 Great Places You've Never Heard Of" by Mother Earth News.)

Eclipse is a former coal mining company town just outside of Athens, jointly owned by a handful of good folks… this quiet area is also home to 13 houses, including a shotgun house, that are a mix of residences and small businesses (restaurants, bodywork practitioners.) It’s an hour and 15 minutes from Columbus OH and Charleston WV, two and a half from Cincinnati and three from Pittsburgh. Asheville NC is 6 hours away; Washington DC and Charlottesville, VA are 6 ½.

All the important stuff:

When:
Friday through Sunday, July 9-11, 2010

Where:
Eclipse Company Store, near Athens, Ohio. View the map HERE.

Cost:
$120, which includes all meals on Saturday, plus Sunday brunch. A limited number of working scholarships are available.

Registration opens:
March 1. Download and fill out the registration form on the FILES page of this site (click on "files" on the left sidebar). A $50 deposit is due with your registration, with the remainder due when you arrive for the weekend. We will go by postmark date, and will maintain a waiting list when the weekend fills.

Menus are HERE
Do check out the menus! They feature the best food you'll ever eat at a dance weekend... most of it local and organically raised. When you're in Ohio in July, there's some real food coming your way!

Lodging:
There are three options available for lodging.

1) Hospitality at the homes of local dancers. Bill Fanning is in charge of this. He'll get in touch with you after you register if you choose this option.

2) Motels/Hotels/B&Bs. We'll send or email you a packet of information about local options after you register if you choose this option.

3) The owners of Eclipse have graciously allowed us to camp on the lawn next to the building. There are no showers at the building but they can be arranged at the homes of local dancers if you choose this option; the restrooms at the hall will be available to you.

Subpages (1): Big Fun Food