Last Wiscasset Art Walk of 2023 Brings Season to an Exuberant Close
It gets dark early in late September and the community is invited to ‘Hold Back the Night’ at a contra dance during Wiscasset Art Walk (WAW) on Thursday, September 28. WAW runs from 5-8pm with the dance party beginning around 6:30pm under the tent on Water Street in Wiscasset Village.
Contra dance band, T-Acadie, will play the tunes and call the dances, but will first give contra dance lessons so everyone knows the steps for dancing together. Contra dancing is a form of folk dancing, similar to square dancing, but with people forming lines, facing each other, and changing partners throughout the dance. Singles invited.
According to T-Acadie member, Pam Weeks, contra dancing is very family-friendly. The littlest kids can stay with mom or dad and dance with them as one, she explained, and for older kids who dance alone, more experienced dancers will gently guide them through the steps.
Admission to the dance party is free. Jodie’s Restaurant will provide food for sale, and Water St. Kitchen will be selling adult beverages. And to mark ten years of Wiscasset Art Walk, Celebration Cupcakes are free until they run out!
The three members of Maine’s T-Acadie, Pam Weeks, Bill Olson, and Jim Joseph, have been playing together for more than 25 years. They play French dance music from North America (Quebecois, Acadian, and Cajun), and songs from Maine and New England, Appalachia, and the South. They play old-time tunes, reels and jigs, sea shanteys, and original tunes written by Pam. She, Jim, and Bill are all multi-instrumentalists, playing some combination of fiddles, guitars, accordions, banjo, mountain and hammered dulcimer, cello, mandolin, piano, ukulele, bass, flute, and saxophone. They sing acapella, and they harmonize. Bill is a nationally known caller whose dance compositions are used all over the world. More details about T-Acadie can be found on www.t-acadie.com .
Visit Wiscasset Village to enjoy the final Wiscasset Art Walk of the 2023 season on Thursday, September 28, 5-8pm; and stay for the joy of the contra dance starting as the sun sets at 6:25pm!
