One of the things I like about Salt Spring is that amazingly enough (I don't know how they afford it) there are a lot of young families here. So, for someone who has no kids but who likes kids, it's great to be around them (for short periods of time).
Last night Karin and I went to a dance at Fulford Hall. It was hosted by a local fiddle teacher, Carolyn Hatch, and she was playing with a lot of her students on stage. So, it was like a square dance.
We had on our cowboy boots and it was a really fun, innocent, family evening. When we walked in it was really quiet. They were taking a break so at first we were a bit apprehensive but once they started playing again and we got into formation, with Carolyn's instructions, it was really fun.
Everybody was up dancing and we were led by Hatch who was doubling as "the caller" and a really cute guy who after Googling him I've discovered is named Calvin Cairns I might just have to take up the fiddle!:-) At one point he played a song that started off really slowly, a bit waltz like and everyone was moving around the room in threes. Then, he'd launch into this wildly fast fiddling at which poit the person in the middle would be weaving there way furiously fast between the partners. There was also another well-known woman playing fiddle, Jaime RT.
So while we were learning the dances do see doing and sashaying and two stepping and switching partners, trying to remember was I the man or the woman, we had a really good time because sometimes your partner would be 7 years old, giggling girls or serious little guys.
That's a lot of exercise. We were sweating. No booze required.
Carolyn and her fiddlers are raising money for a trip to New York. We got there a bit late so we didn't hear why they were going to New York but good luck to them.
There's apparently a lot going on when it comes to fiddling on the Island. Check out Salt Spring fiddleworks.
If you're ever on Salt Spring and have a chance to go to a dance where they're fiddling, it's definitely worth experiencing some of that part of the Island's flavour in person. Wear your cowboy boots. Bring water!