12th Annual Wild and Wonderful Weekend!
January 15-18, 2009
Wild and Wonderful Weekend takes place in the Randolph County Community Arts Center during the three-day holiday celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday. All of the dances and workshops will take place at RCCAC in the lovely Great Hall, with its wonderful oak floors and great acoustics, and in the adjoining Arts Center Classroom buildings with its smaller rooms for jam sessions and workshops.
The weekend kicks off at 8 PM Friday with an evening of dancing, featuring live music by the Stove Stokers.
During the day on Saturday and Sunday there will be a variety of workshops, dances and jam sessions. There are evening dances Saturday and Sunday, and the weekend will end with a Monday morning farewell dance.
The Randolph County Community Arts Center volunteers, well known for their good cooking and hospitality, will be offering soups, an assortment of salads, desserts and drinks for Sunday’s lunch for just $7. There will be both vegetarian and non-vegetarian choices available. Other meals are on your own. Snacks and beverages will be available during the dances. You are welcome to bring other refreshments for yourself or to share.
The cost is $90 for the entire weekend if you register by December 1 and $100 if you register after December 1. Admission will be limited to those who are pre-registered, due to space limitations.
A small number of single-day tickets will be sold beginning January 1 if the total weekend registrations are not yet sold out. The cost is $60, due in advance, for one day, which includes that evening’s dance. We hope to be able to offer local dancers the option of buying advance tickets for an evening dance, if there are spaces available. We are usually enrolled at full capacity, so we encourage you to register early. Please check our web site, http://www.randolpharts.org or call ahead to find out if there are still tickets available if you are registering after December 1.
Performers
Wild & Wonderful Weekend will feature some of the finest bands and callers in the region. The Stove Stokers will lead off on Friday. They are anchored by local Elkins fiddler, Gerry Milnes, and
guitarist, John Rossbach. Both are seasoned dance musicians who have played and recorded with numerous old-time and bluegrass bands.
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday the excitement will continue With Celticladda. You will hear and dance to exciting tunes from the Irish, Scottish and New England music traditions, played with joy and incredible drive. Based in New Hampshire, Celticladda is a band of devoted and experienced instrumentalists who will inspire both dancers and musicians alike!
Dance caller Cis Hinkle has delighted contra and square dancers since 1985 with her skilled teaching, welcoming manner, playful enthusiasm, and masterful selection of dances. She is in great demand at music and dance festivals all over the US, England, and Denmark, and is currently coordinator for Dance Week at the Augusta Heritage Workshops in Elkins, West Virginia. When not on the road, Cis teaches tai chi classes in her native Atlanta, Georgia.
The Band The Stove Stokers features Gerry Milnes and Friends. Gerry is Folk Arts Coordinator with the Augusta Heritage Center, an award-winning old time banjo and fiddle player, and has over 30 years experience recording and documenting West Virginia’s musical heritage. Gerry and his friends are well-known musicians at dances and concerts statewide.
Housing
Housing for out-of-towners is available on the campus of Davis & Elkins College. We have reserved the Graceland Inn & Conference Center for this event (visit http://www.gracelandinn.com for more information). The special Wild and Wonderful Weekend rate is $60/night plus tax for a double-occupancy room in the Graceland Conference Center. These rooms should be booked on your own by calling (304) 637-1600. Please identify yourself as an attendee at Wild & Wonderful Weekend. Rooms will be booked only for dancers registered for the weekend. This rate is available until December 20. Information on additional area accommodations is available through the Randolph County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-422-3304.
Children
Children who are experienced dancers are welcome at the weekend and on the dance floor. Child-care is not provided and parents are responsible for unattended children.
Wild & Wonderful Dance Weekend on facebook
To communicate with others about the dance weekend and share information, log onto the RCCAC’s facebook page called “Randolph Arts Center.”
For easy access, you can go to the link on the RCCAC website: www.randolpharts.org and follow the link on the homepage. RCCAC assumes no responsibility for any arrangements made on this page.
Registration forms are availabe as a PDF at www.randolpharts.org. Mail to:
Wild & Wonderful Weekend
Randolph County Community Arts Center
P.O. Box 3111
Elkins, WV 26241
Please send one copy per person and make checks payable to: RCCAC
Wild & Wonderful Weekend Sponsors:
The Randolph County Community Arts Center
With assistance from:
The Augusta Heritage Center at Davis & Elkins College
The Elkins Country Dance Society
For more information contact:
The Randolph County Community Arts Center
(304) 637-2355
mailto:Info@randolpharts.org
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