Old-Time Music and Dance
in and around Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA
I live in Maine now, so I'm not maintaining this page and it's future is bleak. If anyone is maintaining a similar but current page, please let me know, so I can link to it!
Ted Crane's Dance Database is probably the best place to look for dance info.
The Lancaster Dance has its own website - Be sure to bookmark it!
The Dance and Music information are separated below to speed navigation.
At the bottom are a few links to info about other nearby events.
Last updated 4/22/2008.
(In Alphabetical Order)
Elverson DanceAn evening of contra dances, squares and waltzes with live music. All dances are taught. Smoke free, alchohol free fun for all ages! No need to bring a partner. Please bring a snack to share at the break.
Be sure to bring soft-soled shoes to protect the wood floor!
Normally the first Saturday from 7:30 - 10:30 P.M. (with a free workshop for
new dancers at 7:00 P.M.)
Admission: $8 adults, $5 for seniors (65+) and students (high school
and younger). Children must be chaperoned.
Location: St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 61 Morningside Drive, Elverson.
Information: call Nancy at 610-780-5667.
Lancaster Contra DanceNormally the third Saturday from 8:00 - 11:00 P.M. (with a free workshop for
new dancers at 7:00 P.M.)
Admission: $7.00 adults, $4.00 students and children over 15; no charge
for children under 16.
Location: Regular dances are held at Saint John's Episcopal Church, 321
West Chestnut Street, Lancaster, PA.
Information: call Shane at 717-390-7277
The warm weather dances
are in Lancaster County Park and on an earlier schedule:
5:30 P.M. Pot-luck supper - 6:15 P.M. Workshop - 7 to 10 P.M. Dance
Philadelphia
Tuesday Night Square DanceBill Masi has a web site for the Tuesday Night Square Dance. I don't post the schedule here any longer, so be sure to bookmark Bill Masi's site.
Dances are normally held the second Tuesday from 7:30 - 10:15 P.M.
Admission: $5.00 ($3.50 for Students with ID)
Location: St. Mary's Parish Hall, 3916 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA
(on the Penn campus, near 40th & Spruce Streets).
Information: Call Bill at 215/477-8434 or 215/536-5110, or email Bill
at bmasi@aol.com.
Local music sites are listed in alphabetical order. Most have good web pages, so I just have links to the individual pages. The links are set up to open in a new window so you don't "lose" this page.
Brandywine Dulcimer FellowshipThe Brandywine Dulcimer Fellowship, founded more than 20 years ago, is a group of acoustic musicians, mostly mountain or hammered dulcimer players (though all acoustic instruments are welcome), who gather monthly to play and sing traditional music. The group meets the first Friday of every month, starting roughly at 7:00 p.m., at Grace Lutheran Church, located at the intersection of route 41 and Graves Road near Hockessin, Delaware. For more information, call 302-998-7767.
Brandywine Friends of Old-Time MusicBFOT sponsors bluegrass and old-time music events in Newark, DE.
Green Willow"Dedicated to the preservation & growth of Celtic & British Isles folk music"
Admission: Varies. Lower price if you reserve ahead.
Location: Most events are at O'Friel's Irish Pub, 600 Delaware Ave., Wilmington, DE
Dean Sapp Concert SeriesDean Sapp is hosting a series of monthly concerts, many with special workshops,
starting in the Fall of 2002.
Admission: $10 for adults, $5 ages 13-18, 12 and under no charge.
Location: Elkton, MD
Directions: See www.deansapp.com
TurtleDove Folk ClubConcerts are theoretically the Fourth Saturday of the month at 8 P.M., September
through June; this varies a LOT in practice, depending on when artists are available,
so check their website.
Admission: varies.
Location: West Grove Friends Meeting, 153 East Harmony, West Grove, PA (some special events are at other
locations)
Directions: From U.S. Route 1, take Route 841 south to stop sign. Turn right at the stop sign, then almost
immediately turn right again and turn left onto Harmony Road . The Meeting House is on the right (it's not as hard
as it sounds).
Information: Call 610-869-8696
West Chester FolkAdmission: Varies
Location: Varies. Major shows are often in Wilmington, DE; House concerts
are usually held inWest Chester, PA.
Local music sites are listed above. First Sunday Contra (and occasional Cajun) dances are held in Arden Delaware. The Locust Lane Contra Dance in Harrisburg and the Tuesday Night Square Dance in Philadelphia are other regional dances held monthly.
The closest weekly dances are in Glenside, PA and Baltimore, MD.
Peggy Leiby publishes the Seven Day Guide to Folk and Traditional Dancing In and Around Philadelphia.
To explore further, check Ted Crane's Dance Database - it shows a dance calendar for each state, and it's become the first place I look when I travel. The NEFFA LinkFest has links to many types of dancing, including contra dance listings by state.
One of the dancers I met in Hawaii back in 1997 is a photographer from Seattle. His name is Doug Plummer, and he has some nice dance pictures available on the web. Karl Senseman, from the Harrisburg area, has lots of more local dance pictures.
Questions or comments? Send e-mail to Bill Frysinger: Bill
(at) Frysinger (dot) com
(apologies for skipping the automatic link, but it helps me avoid spam)