October 4 - October 10, 2015

"When people sing, dance, and play, both individuals and the community benefit."

The first contra dances in the Coos Bay area started in 1999. By 2002, the South Coast Folk Society had come into being and joined the Country Dance and Song Society. Today, SCFS puts on a monthly contra dance, an international folk dance, a sing-along and a Celtic session. They also put on the annual South Coast Celtic Fest, which helps support their contra dance.

The South Coast Folk Society is calling their CDSS Tour stop “South Coast Folk Week,” and they are excited about using our “dream team” of musicians, callers and song leaders to bring wider attention to contra dance and group song in our community. Of course, they want lots of new people to get hooked on contra dancing and singing, but they're also hoping to create new leaders in those pastimes. They want to expose musicians of all ages to the joy of playing for dancers, get experienced dancers to take the next step and learn about calling, and get local youth group leaders and assisted living staff to feel confident about leading their groups in song.

Doug Plummer, a renowned contra dance photographer and videographer, happened to be in Coos Bay shortly after Coos Bay learned that they had been chosen for the CDSS Tour. He was inspired to create a video that captures the excitement of this event for the Coos Bay community.

The tour website sums up what they hope to achieve: “People who are singing, dancing or strumming a guitar are smiling, exercising and making new friends. When people sing, play and dance, both individuals and the community benefit.”

The staff for the week will be caller Bob Dalsemer and a band called Firefly that is composed of Pearl Shirley, Laurel Willoughby, Julia Weatherford and Barbara Ann Davis.