It's too bad you're not staying just a tad longer. On the second Tuesday of every month they have an Open Band for a massive Contra dance at Glen Echo Park. The park is located up the Potomac River just west of DC in MD, and is run by the National Park Service primarily for dancers from Latin to Swing to Contra, depending on the day of the month. The old Spanish Ballroom is in the process of being restored and you can expect 6-700 dancers and an Open Band of some fifty musicians. Last week we had 21 fiddlers, 8 banjos, and and assortment of flutes, squeeze boxes, a piano, bass and a xylaphone (sp?).

There are only a couple of guitarists, led by John Devine, and the lead fiddle last week was Steve Hickman, who is a ball to play under -(Laura Lengnick and Liz Donaldson and Steve often rotate tune call duties).

If you want to play, you need to get there by 7:45 for an 8:30 call, cause there are always more musicians than seats, and some friends alternate between dancing and playing. At the end of the evening you get a cut of the gate, which is usually around $20. And while the ol' timers engage in a lot of slap and tickle, new folks are welcome.

Hint: As the gal from Seattle found out last week, bring a Fiddlers Fake Book and a Ruff Water if you're from the West; we don't play many from the Portland Collection.