Come one, come all, for a lively night of music and dancing at “Flowers of Autumn,” our Harvest Contra Dance, Saturday, November 9, 7 to 9 p.m. in the parish hall. Erica Weiss, caller for our Spring Contra, will return for this event and will teach each dance. Live music will be joyfully supplied by the TPC folk band.

Contra dancing is a lively and fun tradition, strong in New England since Colonial times. Typically danced to live, fiddle-based music, the tunes draw from English, Celtic, Appalachian, and French-Canadian styles. Dancers form pair of lines, facing (contra) one another, with the lines moving opposite one another as the dance progresses. A caller first teaches the steps of each dance, and then calls the steps as the music plays. The contra community is friendly and inclusive, and the dances themselves make a natural mixer suitable for all ages and abilities — no partner required, come as you are! You can see what this looks (and sounds) like from a recent Boston Intergenerational Dance Association Contra-party by clicking here.

Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted and help to defray the costs for the event — a $10 donation would be most welcome For more information, email Robin Colgrove.