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Princeton Country Dancers (PCD)
RUM & ONIONS XXI
Halloween contra dance

This site provided courtesy of Princeton Online

Princeton Country Dancers will hold its annual Halloween costumed contra dance, Rum & Onions XXI, on Saturday, October 28.  The location will likely be the same place as last year, Princeton High School, in Princeton (nominally on Moore St., parking off Walnut Lane) (here are directions or a map). Contra dances are traditional New England folk dances, similar to the Virginia Reel; they are lively and easy to learn, and no partner is necessary.

Lisa Greenleaf is the caller.

Bob Pasquarello, maestro of the band --> R&O Tune List

Rum & Onions begins with an afternoon of music and dance from 3:00 to 5:30 PM, including a NEFFA-style medley for experienced dancers with a cavalcade of local callers. Stay for a potluck supper at 6 PM (bring a substantial dish to share with hungry dancers), with liquid refreshments provided. At 7:30, there will be a costume parade, followed by dancing until 11 PM; please bring a dessert to share at the break and feel free to wear your Hallowe'en costume to the evening dance.

Wear comfortable clothes, and please bring soft-soled, non-marking shoes that you carry rather than wear into the gym, to protect the floor; footwear will be checked at the door. (Soft-soled dance shoes are OK; non-marking sneakers are OK; Chinese slippers are OK. High-heeled shoes, dress shoes with hard soles or heels, and horseshoes are not OK. Neither are crampons.) Shoe policy will be strictly enforced.

Directions to the dance

There is plenty of parking, although carpooling is still cheaper and better for the environment.

From Route 1 take Washington Road into Princeton. At the third traffic light (Nassau Street/Rte 27), continue straight onto Vandeventer Street. After 2 blocks, turn right onto Wiggins Street at a T intersection. Go 0.3 miles, passing Moore Street; * turn left onto Walnut Lane (Chestnut Street is on the right) at Westminster Choir College. Pass two streets on the left to reach Princeton High School, on the left.

From the North on Route 206, turn left at the Cherry Hill Road traffic light and immediately right onto Mt. Lucas Road. Turn left again at next traffic light onto Valley Road. Turn right onto Walnut Lane after 0.4 miles. Pass two streets on the right to reach Princeton High School, on the right.

From the South on Route 206, turn left on 206 North (Bayard Lane) at Nassau Street in Princeton. Turn right at the next traffic light onto Paul Robeson Place, at the YWCA/YMCA. Go 0.7 miles, continuing straight onto Wiggins Street at a traffic light, and turn left onto Walnut Lane; see * in directions from Rte 1.

Public transportation: Suburban Transit buses from New York to Trenton run along Nassau Street, and you can take NJ Transit trains to Princeton (go to Princeton Junction, and from there take the "dinky" shuttle to Princeton; walk uphill from the dinky station on University Place to Nassau St.). It is about a half-mile walk from Nassau Street to Princeton High School (see map).

Map courtesy of Yahoo! maps (somewhat edited).

[map]

Miscellaneous information

``Rum and Onions'' is the name of a slightly peculiar contra dance tune in the Nelson Music Collection by Kay Gilbert and Newt Tolman. (More history here?)


Click here to get in touch with the Executive Committee of Princeton Country Dancers, or email the dance committee at pcd@dancegypsy.com.

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Last updated on 03/15/02 by PGP

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