Upcoming Events › NC

Nancy Mamlin has called square dances throughout the United States, including at dance camps and old-time music events such as Fiddlehead, Swannanoa, and Hoppin' John, in North Carolina; the Coal Country Convention in Pennsylvania; the Augusta Heritage Center's traditional arts weeks in West Virginia; and the Rockbridge Mountain Music and Dance Festival in Virginia. She is one of the founders of the Dare To Be Square dance and calling event, and served on the calling staff for Dare To Be Square - West and Dare To Be Square - Nashville. Mamlin's square dance repertoire concentrates on dances of the Southeast, particularly the mountains of North Carolina, but also includes dances from western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the Western square traditions. She also plays guitar with her husband, fiddler Ron Cole, along with banjo player Terry Burtyk and cellist Kasy Poole Decosimo in the Bull City Quartette. The Saturday Night Community Dance is back indoors! Come feel the warmth in the walls of generations past. We’re ready to get back to the joy of dancing to live music with our kind callers and dance instructors. Join us as we step back into a favorite Folk School pastime. If it is your first-time trying set dancing, come early for simple walkthroughs and instruction on the easier dances. These century-old traditional dances are taught and will have anyone willing, holding hands and smiling.

For a low stakes sampling, pop by on Tuesday nights where community members and Folk School students learn the basics. “Community Tuesdays,” feature live music and dance opportunities. Come solo, with your family, or a friend. There is no pressure to dance, and there are always willing dance partners as folks switch throughout the evening. No special attire is required, though clean hard soled shoes make it easier. Our focus is on traditional music and dance, but watching, jamming, playing games, gathering, crafting, and other pastimes are welcomed and encouraged. A scheduled list of performers is included below. For weekly updates, follow us on social media.

Larry Unger was raised in Detroit, and he moved to the Boston area as a young adult. He has been a full-time musician since 1984, and he has presented a diverse range of music at contra dances, Scottish and English country dances, waltz events, dance weekends, dance and music camps, festivals, coffee houses and concerts all across the United States. He has also toured in Canada, England, Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Denmark and Sweden, and has taught music in Afghanistan and performed in India. Larry has played guitar, banjo, and bass with many top bands for contra dances including Big Table, Notorious, Reckless Abandon, The Reckless Ramblers, Tempest and Uncle Gizmo. He has accompanied such fiddlers as Elke Baker, Ralph Blizard, Alasdair Fraser, Matt Glaser, Judy Hyman, Audrey Knuth, Rodney Miller, Lissa Schneckenburger, and Eden MacAdam-Somer, to name a few. The bands Larry has been a part of vary in style from old-time to New England to Celtic and international. In addition to his work with other musicians, Larry gives solo concerts that include a wide variety of music: finger-style blues and slide guitar, rags, old-time banjo tunes, original waltzes and fiddle tunes. He likes to play a number of unusual instruments such as banjo guitar, fretless banjo, jaw harp and piano harp. Larry has a broad understanding of traditional music, and he enjoys telling the stories about the origins of his music and the people he learned from. Larry spent many hours playing blues with Etta Baker, John Jackson, Turner Foddrell, Ted Bogan, and other masters of the style. His trips south also included numerous sessions at old-time fiddle conventions. Larry has composed more than 5000 tunes, many of which have been recorded by one of his bands or by other groups. His tunes are widely played at contra dances everywhere. He has published three books of original tunes and has recorded two entire CDs of original waltzes (with Ginny Snowe). Larry's compositions and recordings have been featured in four different Ken Burns television documentaries. His tune "Door County #2" was played on the Grand Ole Opry by Mike Snider. "That Schoenberg Rag" was performed by the San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra. Larry teaches guitar and old-time banjo at the Music Emporium in Lexington, Massachusetts. (He has also been known to give bass or ukulele lessons.) He also presents workshops at camps and weekend festivals on a variety of topics from guitar and banjo to dance-band and tune-writing.

The Easter Bunny has been extra busy this winter, storing up eggs and candy for this year's hunt! So, grab your baskets and hop on over to the Folk School for our Annual Easter Egg Hunt! An annual springtime favorite for kids, this year's Easter Egg Hunt is Saturday, April 8th at 1 p.m. Join us in Festival Barn for a fun afternoon of crafts, entertainment, and egg hunting. Schedule: 1:00: Craft Making 1:30: Music, Games & the Easter Bunny 2:00: Egg Hunt for ages 1 to 5 2:20: Egg Hunt for ages 6 and up

Celebrate May Day with us! Our annual May Day Parade & Maypole Dance takes place Saturday, April 29th. This event is free and open to all, with the procession beginning at 11:45 a.m. If you’d like to join in the short parade, meet at Festival Barn at 11:30 a.m. The procession will move from the Festival Barn, past the garden and down to the field outside the Craft Shop for the Maypole dance around noon. After the Maypole ribbons are tied there will be a simple circle dance, open to any attendees, followed by a performance by the Brasstown Morris Dance Teams. Festive dress & nature-themed costumes encouraged.

We are back and opening our doors again this Spring for our annual Friends and Family Day on Saturday, May 6th from 10 AM to 4 PM. We hope you’ll join us for a fun day at the Folk School! Tour our open studios, participate in hands-on making, watch demonstrations, enjoy music & dance performances, savor local food, and learn all about the Folk School. You won’t want to miss this day full of energy, creativity, and excitement. Stop by the Keith House when you arrive, and grab a map with a list of locations and activities before you begin. Cost is free to attend and open to the public.