Reel Thing Acoustic Jam & Barn Dance This Month

Patricia Campbell and The Reel Thing have been busy this season, continuing their monthly acoustic music jams and adding monthly family barn dances to Newtown’s social offerings.

The band is caller Patricia Campbell, Bill Campbell on guitar and bodhran, Fran Hendrickson on keyboard and accordion, and Julie Sorcek on flute and piccolo. The western Connecticut-based band (the Campbells and Ms Hendrickson live in Newtown; Ms Sorcek lives in Bethel) specializes in live costumed, authentic 18th Century Colonial dances and concerts, children’s contra dances, and dance workshops for children and adults in contra and Colonial dances.

The monthly acoustic jams are held at Newtown Congregational Church House, at 41-A Main Street (behind Newtown General Store and Newtown Savings Bank), on the third Thursday of each month from 7 to 9 pm. The next jam therefore will be on May 15, and the music is primarily Celtic and traditional dance music.

For those who would like to prepare some work in advance or even to join the group with similar references, The Reel Thing’s resources include The Fiddler’s Fakebook, The Portland Collection, The New England Fiddlers’ Repertoire and The Waltz Books I, II and III.

Among the pieces from these books that are commonly played are “Reel de Montreal,” “Set de la Baie St Paul,” “Star of the County Down,” “Rakes of Mallow,” “Gaspé Reel,” “All The Way To Galway,” “Rose Tree,” “Planxty Fanny Power,” “Morrison’s Jig,” “Scollay’s Reel,” “Midnight on the Water” and “Amelia’s.”

The band’s final family barn dance of this season is scheduled for Sunday, May 18, from 3 to 5 pm, at Dodgingtown Firehouse. The band performs music for circle dances, mixers, square dancers, English country dances, international folk dances, and more. All dances are taught and called, so beginners can participate right next to advanced dancers.

All ages are welcome, but children under age 6 must have an adult partner. There will be a few dances especially for the very young dancers, but otherwise the very young will enjoy being held by their parents while dancing or watching from the outskirts of the dance floor.

Admission for the barn dance is $6 for adults and ages 12 and up, and $3 for ages 11 and under. The firehouse is at the corner of Route 302 and Jacklin Road.

For more information visit www.GeoCities.com/ReelThingCT/jam.htm or www.GeoCities.com/CountryDanceCaller.