It’s an early Halloween down at the big yellow Merville Hall on Saturday, Oct. 19.
A spooky contra dance is trying to get a jump on things and test drive the wild and wacky costumes that those crazy contra dancers like to wear before Halloween really hits.
There might be a little nip in the air these days but you’ll be snug as a bug in a rug at the contra dance as you duck in with the goblins, out of the rain and wind, to dance with the divas.
The furnace, recently fine-tuned, will be pumping out the heat and there is even a new stage for the frenetic, Fuzzy Funtime Fiddlers to gyrate on as they play your favourite contra dance tunes.
Contra dances are family-friendly community dances where a caller directs all the spooks and crypt crawlers around the dance floor with aplomb. The steps are simple, well organized, and the caller even brings the wallflowers and vampires onto the floor. Single dancers are most welcome as they can pair up with anyone during the contras.
There is a short contra dance workshop around 7 p.m. so plan to come early. At 7:30 p.m., the costumed Funtime Fiddlers start the music with contra sets lasting about 15 to 20 minutes per dance.
In between the called contra dances, we’ll have solos, waltzes, foxtrots, swing tunes and polkas. We’ve got something for everyone at this Halloween kitchen party as well as tasty prizes for the best-dressed spooks, so dress up in your craziest costume.
Hop onto your speediest corn broom and zoom over to the big yellow Merville Hall, right on the Old Island Highway, between Campbell River and Courtenay.
Doors open at 6:45, dance starts at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $10/adults, $5/youth (six and under free) and you can come as a family for $22.00. The free workshop starts at 7 p.m.