Calendar
Submit calendar info to:
calendar@corvallisfolklore.org
Folklore Society Annual Meeting / Potluck / Jam
Join us for our annual meeting, potluck and jam session
at the First Congregational Church
Bring musical instruments, voices, songs & stories or just listen
Bring food to share – Snacks & drinks available.
SCHEDULE:
- 3:30 – Doors open
- 4:00 – Socialize, jam, share tunes & songs
- 5:30 – POTLUCK food table opens A hearty soup & bread will be provide
- Please bring a salad or side dish
- Dessert will be served during the meeting.
- 6:00 – Annual Membership Meeting after the Board Meeting.
- Review CFS activities
- Financial report
- Member input
- Board Election
- Present slate of candidates for next year’s board
- Accept additional nominations from the floor
- All members present vote for next year’s CFS board
- 7:00 – Contra Dance lesson starts
- 7:30 – Contra Dance starts
Come for music, friends & food
Support CFS in its mission
Stay for the contra dance
Contra dance is back to the regular schedule in Corvallis! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.
Because of the Covid-19 situation:
All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.
Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.
Pringle Creek Band
The members of the Pringle Creek Bank have ben involved in various styles of folk music for a long time.
Jeff Graham (fiddle, string bass) started out flat picking on the guitar, played fiddle for contra dances in Alaska and currently plays string bass in the Salem Philharmonic Orchestra.
Louise Rothrock (string bass, mandolin) was a clog dancer in Portland, played electric bass in the Cajun band Blackfish, and at present is concentrating on mandolin and string bass.
Shawn Morford (piano, fiddle, penny whistle) has impressed people for many years with her singing and finesse on the acoustic guitar. She has now added fiddle and back up piano to her long list of instruments.
Dennis Rothrock (accordions, banjo) has played piano accordion for contra dancing and Zydeco music, as well as button accordion for Cajun, Irish, and French Canadian. As a diversion, he has lots of fun playing the clawhammer banjo.
Stacy Rose
Stacy Rose is a passionate advocate for folk dancing and a dedicated educator. She began folk dancing in the early 1980s and expanded her repertoire in the early 2000s when she became a contra dance caller, sharing her love of dance at events around her state and beyond. Recognizing a need to revitalize her local folk dance community, Stacy began teaching a folk dance class at her community college in 2009. This effort not only kept the tradition alive but also inspired others to take up teaching folk dance themselves.
Stacy’s commitment to fostering new talent extends to her involvement with the National Folk Organization’s mentoring project. As a steering committee member and mentor to novice dance teachers, she helps nurture the next generation of folk dance leaders. She also co-facilitates “Dancing With Friends,” a weekly Zoom folk dance class, collaborating with skilled remote instructors to bring the joy of dance to a global audience.
Dance starts at 7:30pm.
Each dance is taught. No partner necessary
(it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner).
We are still seeking new volunteers to help with dances in the fall! If you are interested in volunteering this fall, please see role descriptions and tell us how you would like to help by taking our volunteer survey at:
https://bit.ly/CorvallisContraVolunteering2022
For questions regarding contra dance volunteering, please contact Shell Stowell at corvalliscontra@gmail.com
Contra dance is back to the regular schedule in Corvallis! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.
Because of the Covid-19 situation:
All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.
Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.
Contra REMIX!
sorry! The band had to cancel!
We have Noah Grunzweig calling a contra remix this night instead. Sorry for the late notice
Noah will call for a Contra Remix, mixed electronic dance music for a different kind of contra experience. See more info at the ContraRemix.com
Noah Grunzweig
Noah Grunzweig is a master of stories and dance! It’s been a while since he’s called in Corvallis but he’s called here many times. Noah brings enthusiasm and encouragement to new and experienced dancers alike. He promotes safe dancing and a culture of consent that welcomes children and adults to contra dancing. Noah is fluent in traditional and techno contra.
Dance starts at 7:30pm.
Each dance is taught. No partner necessary
(it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner).
We are still seeking new volunteers to help with dances in the fall! If you are interested in volunteering this fall, please see role descriptions and tell us how you would like to help by taking our volunteer survey at:
https://bit.ly/CorvallisContraVolunteering2022
For questions regarding contra dance volunteering, please contact Shell Stowell at corvalliscontra@gmail.com
As part of
2025 Corvallis Open Streets Festival
CFS is presenting a
Free Contra Dance
with The Nettles playing

and Noah Grunzweig calling.
The Nettles have been a premiere Corvallis contra dance band for years, having played here most recently at the March 1 dance.
Noah Grunzweig will have called here most recently at the June 21 dance.
Open Streets this year will be in Southtown
Lilly Park in the north to
- Willamette Park in the south
via - SE Bethel St.
- SE Alexander Ave.
- SE Thompson St.
- SE Park Ave.
- SE Heron View St.
There will be dancing at Lilly Park and music at Willamette Park. At Lilly Park:
- 11am Swing Dance
- noon Cuban Salsa
- 1pm CFS Contra Dance
- 2pm traditional dance performance by Corazón Oaxaqueño
For more information on the event, which runs from 11am to 3pm, go to
https://openstreetscorvallis.org/
Corvallis Celtic Festival
2025
The third annual Corvallis Celtic Festival will be held in several locations downtown. All Events are free except the Open the Door for Three concert on Friday at PRAx and Saturday performances at Tyee Winery.
Activities will take place::
Thursday 7/24 | 6:00pm-9:00pm | Common Fields | |
Friday 7/25 | 6:00pm-9:30pm | PRAx | Tickets |
Saturday 7/26 | 9:00am-noon 10:00am-noon 9:30pm-11:30pm |
Public Library Dragon’s Whistle Brass Monkey |
|
12:30pm-8:30pm | Tyee Wine Cellars | Tickets | |
Sunday 7/27 | 9:30am-4:00pm 12:15pm-6:00pm |
Old World Deli Common Fields |
This will be the third year for the festival, now becoming a favorite summertime tradition in Corvallis. While the general theme of the festival remains the same, bringing the finest local and regional Celtic musicians and dancers together and encouraging participatory sessions open to all, there are also a few new and exciting changes!
The festival kicks o@ Thursday evening, July 24 with a free event at Common Fields including dancers from the Blackthorn Academy of Dance and performances by The Nettles and The Ballybogs. Friday night, July 25 features a concert at PRAx with the Boston-based Irish music trio Open the Door for Three. Legendary fiddle player Liz Knowles, uilleann pipes player Kieran O’Hare, and bouzouki-player and singer Pat Broaders will spark plenty of musical joy! Come early to hear local favorites Sharon and Dave Thormahlen on harp, guitar, mandolin, and tenor banjo and enjoy refreshments for purchase in the PRAx lobby. Tickets are available through prax.oregonstate.edu/events. If you’re a member of CFS, you may apply the code cfs2025 to receive a $2 discount on tickets.
Saturday, July 26 is the biggest day of the festival. Events begin with bagpipers at the riverfront and morning workshops on Celtic instruments and singing at the Corvallis library and the Dragon’s Whistle in downtown Corvallis. Workshops are free to all on a first-come, first-served basis. Check the schedule and workshop descriptions on the Corvallis Celtic Festival website for more information. Saturday’s music performances will be held this year at Tyee Wine Cellars, located on a scenic farm and vineyard 10 miles south of Corvallis. Come and enjoy a variety of Celtic performers (Fionnghal, Willamette Valley Pipes and Drums, James Wilson, Amhranaithe, Schmid & Guest, and Steeplechase) in this gorgeous outdoor setting from 12:30-8:30 pm. In addition to fine music, there will be food and craft vendors and beer and wine for purchase. There is plenty of shade, but you may want to bring a blanket or camp chair. Children’s craft activities will be o@ered from 1-5 pm, and the nature trail is open all day! Please, no outside alcohol or dogs. Tickets for this event are $20/person in advance or $25 day of show. Children 12 years old and under are free, so bring the whole family! Tickets are available online from the Corvallis Celtic Festival website or in person at Grass Roots Books and Troubadour Music Center (cash or check only). After the festivities at Tyee, all Celtic musicians are invited to a free late-night jam session at the Brass Monkey from 9:30-11:30 pm.
Sunday morning, July 27, begins with performances by Whitehorn Crossing and Loose Flagstone at the Old World Deli, followed by afternoon instrumental and singing sessions at the Old World Deli and Common Fields. A special treat will be a Ceili Dance led by Ceili of the Valley, with Triple File, a youth trio from Portland, providing live music. Close out the festival at the no host slow-tune session. Come and play, or just listen!
The festival needs volunteers. Go to https://www.corvalliscelticfestival.org/volunteer/