Calendar

Calendar

Submit calendar info to:

calendar@corvallisfolklore.org

May
3
Tue
Celtic Jam @ Imagine Coffee - Live Arts
May 3 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
International Folk Dance in Albany @ call for address
May 3 @ 7:15 pm – 9:15 pm
May
6
Fri
Highwater String Band Reunion house concert @ Alexander Farm
May 6 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Highwater Logo

Highwater Stringband

The Highwater Stringband formed in Corvallis in late 1976 by a group of like-minded musicians who had recently arrived there from points over the horizon. They discovered in one another a passion for the acoustic music of earlier times, notably classic country, bluegrass, western swing, and fiddle tunes of the American South. Joining forces seemed like a good idea, and soon the band was getting calls for gigs at barn dances, road houses, coffee joints, folklore society concerts, and bluegrass festivals.

Highwater rode the flood tide for about two years, leaving in its wake a large repertoire of songs and tunes that the band is now dipping into for a series of 40-year reunion concerts. You can look forward to these geezers polishing up old gems and making them new again: Cyd Smith, guitar; Paul Kotapish, mandolin; Clyde Curley, fiddle; Jeff Hino, banjo and Dobro; and DeLynn Anderson, bass player in the original band, who will sing and old standard or two. (Seattle bass player Cary Black joins us for this tour.) It will be an evening of nostalgia for these old friends–and for those who fondly recall the days of the notorious folk scare of the ’70s, when everything old became new again.

These were all major participants in the Corvallis Folklore Society in the beginning, almost 40 years ago, and they’re getting together for the first time in Corvallis since who-knows-when to launch their 40-Year Reunion tour here with us.  They’re also excellent musicians.  This is something you don’t want to miss!

A house concert is an excellent place to hear and meet great musicians in a very intimate setting.

May
7
Sat
CFS Annual Membership Meeting and Potluck @ Diane Arney's
May 7 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Annual Membership Meeting 2016

The Corvallis Folklore Society’s Annual Members’ Meeting will be on Saturday, May 7th, 2016, before the regular contra dance, at the home of Diane Arney – 770 SW Lookout Drive, in Corvallis. It will take place during the usual pre-Contra dance potluck dinner. Please bring a dish to share; arrive for snacks and socializing at 5:30. The purpose is to provide CFS members an opportunity to talk with the current board, to vote on the proposed slate for 2016-17 and, most importantly, to help support, expand and improve CFS activities.

The regular May Board meeting will also be on this date, before the Members’ meeting. It will start at 4:00 pm and is open to all CFS members. Members for the annual meeting should arrive around 5:30 pm. The potluck will begin at 6 pm, and the business meeting at about 6:15. Members who don’t wish to eat, are encouraged to come just for the meeting.  The meeting will end in plenty of time for contra folks to get to Saturday night’s dance at Gatton Hall.

Diane’s home is a short walk from Gatton Hall where the Saturday night Contra Dance will be held. Parking at Diane’s is somewhat limited, so please consider walking, biking or carpooling from the parking lot at First Congregational Church.

If you are interested in helping with CFS activities or serving on the Board, please contact CFS President Bill Pfender for information about important roles that need filling.

We are especially in need of a treasurer trainee (or co-trainees!)

Bill can be reached by e-mail: pfendersmith@comcast.net or call 541-760-3559. Hope to see you there!

Contra: The Quarks w/ Sue Baker @ Gatton Hall / First Congregational Church
May 7 @ 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm

The QuarksThe Quarks

  • Terry Wergeland – piano, accordion
  • Betsy Branch – fiddle
  • Bill Tomczak – clarinet, saxophone, percussion

Betsy and Terry have played together for dances since 1994, and when Bill moved to Portland in 2012, he was thrilled to join forces with them. With their mix of instruments and improvisatory natures, you never know what to expect from this trio. Their delight in playing together translates to the dance floor, and you are likely to hear plenty of laughter from the stage. When not playing, the three of them love to pontificate about the mysteries of the universe (like how 3 quarks form a particle), thus inspiring the band name.

Sue Baker

Sue has been calling dances all over the Pacific Northwest since 2001. Sue says “Dancing is a joy and I try to make every one a wonderful experience for everyone in the hall.” From her store of “dorky” wedding dances to complex technical dances, she’s danced most of them and draws on the ones she thinks each crowd will like and be successful at. And as she likes to add, “It’s just a dance.”

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

Potluck & CFS’s Annual Members’ Meeting: Saturday, May 7th, 2016, before the regular contra dance, at the home of Diane Arney, 770 SW Lookout Drive, Corvallis. It will take place during the pre-Contra dance potluck dinner. (Open to everyone.) Please bring a dish to share; arrive for snacks and socializing at 5:30. The purpose is to provide CFS members an opportunity to talk with the current board, to vote on the proposed slate for 2016-17 and, most importantly, to help support, expand and improve CFS activities.

Members for the annual meeting should arrive around 5:30 pm. The potluck will begin at 6 pm, and the business meeting at about 6:15.  Members who don’t wish to eat, are encouraged to come just for the meeting. Diane’s home is a short walk from FCC’s Gatton Hall. Parking at Diane’s is somewhat limited, so please consider walking, biking or carpooling from the parking lot at First Congregational Church.

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

May
8
Sun
Song Circle at Dick and Diane’s @ Dick and Diane's House
May 8 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Song Circle

Share a song, lead a song, request a song, or listen as we go round the circle. Song Circle is free and open to all who wish to participate.  Bring your own instrument, borrow one, or just sing.

May
10
Tue
Celtic Jam @ Imagine Coffee - Live Arts
May 10 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
International Folk Dance in Albany @ call for address
May 10 @ 7:15 pm – 9:15 pm
May
12
Thu
Imagine Open Mic Night @ Imagine Coffee
May 12 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Third Thursday Imagine Open Mic Night

Imagine CoffeeTraditional Coffeehouse Music, Poetry and Standup Comedy

Solos – Trios, signup & keyboard setup 6:30 pm.


With the launch of Imagine Coffee’s Third Thursday Imagine Open Mic Night, Corvallis now has three solid weeks of Open Mics every month.

Hosted by a collective of seasoned local songwrights and creatives, the unique character of Imagine’s Open Mic is the variety of it’s traditional coffeehouse format of the ’50’s to ’60’s ‘Village and college  community enclaves — which hosted an emerging new populism of deep cultural roots and social activism. This creative renaissance set the stage for the major paradigm shift and cultural blossoming of the 1960’s and ’70’s, which rocked, enlightened and often conflicted with the established conformity and malaise of that era, as it conflicted with yet enriched fixed institutions of the day worldwide with a creative consciousness and power we still see all around us in that new paradigm’s diaspora today. It is still evolving and growing, and still outside the mainstream, like wildflower and weed pushing up through the established pavement of mainstream media culture. This is the spirit we bring to this new monthly event.  ~:o)

May
14
Sat
Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints @ Unitarian Fellowship
May 14 @ 8:00 pm – 10:30 pm

Birch Pereira and the Gin JointsBirch Pereira
&
The Gin Joints

Born out of a love of the early years of swing, country and rock ‘n ‘roll, Birch Pereira & the Gin Joints is a band whose sound transports you to the time of speakeasies, honkey tonks and rock ‘n’ roll joints. With upright bassist and vocalist Birch Pereira at its center, the band features Jason Goessl on acoustic guitar and Adrian Van Batenburg on drums, some of Seattle’s most skilled and versatile musicians who share the love of the American song traditions and a desire to offer a fresh angle on them.

This concert celebrates their debut album release, and there will be space in the hall for swing dancing.

May
15
Sun
Hoolyeh International Folk Dancing (Israeli focus) @ First Congregational United Church of Christ
May 15 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

First and Third Sundays

The first Sunday of the month will be dedicated to Balkan dances and the third to Israeli.

May
17
Tue
Celtic Jam @ Imagine Coffee - Live Arts
May 17 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
International Folk Dance in Albany @ call for address
May 17 @ 7:15 pm – 9:15 pm
May
21
Sat
Contra: Hands4 w/ Eric Curl @ Gatton Hall / First Congregational Church
May 21 @ 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm

Hands4Hands4

Since 2004, Hands4 has delivered high-energy music to dance halls throughout the Pacific Northwest, and in Texas during a 2006 tour. Combining seldom-heard traditional tunes with originals by band members and other musicians, Hands4 has created a unique blend of music that is definitely not your usual contra tunes. Hands4 features rock-steady leads by Keith Moe on fiddle and mandolin, soaring whistle and flute lines from Fran Tewksbury, and a clockwork rhythm engine driven by Rich Goss (percussion) and Carl Thor (piano).

Eric Curl

Eric started calling in 1996 and called in California and Colorado before moving Seattle in 2006. A mechanical engineer working for Boeing, he now enjoys calling in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia on a semi-regular basis. In his spare time, he likes to hike, snowshoe, camp, visit friends and family, play music, and of course, dance and call.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

~Potluck at 6:00 p.m.  Host: Relan Colley, 745 NW 16th St; 541-753-2617. (Located near the south side of Corvallis High School and several blocks east of Fred Meyer. The closest intersection is NW Taylor & NW 16th.) Map: https://mapq.st/1cyFC3m

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

May
22
Sun
Song Circle at Kurt’s @ Kurt's House
May 22 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm