RLEP's Rappahannock Barn Dance 2010

Music, dancing, friends . . . Appalachian music, lots of "apple activities" and plenty of dancing and fun are on tap at the second annual Barn Dance benefiting RLEP. There will also be bobbing for apples and other fun and games, as well as a special tasting of a wide range of heirloom varieties from a local orchard. The Barn Dance is the featured Saturday evening event of the two-day Rappahannock County Farm Tour. The event will be held at Rappahannock Central, September 25, 7 to 10 pm, in Sperryville, at 3 River Lane. Dancing will be under the stars, in front of the building's broad steps, weather permitting, with plenty of room inside on the first floor if it rains.

Apple Dessert Bake-Off . . . "Apples are the natural choice for the time of year and this place we call home, so we felt it was only fitting to make them a major part of the year's event," says RLEP president, Monica Worth. "The biggest apple event of the evening will be the Apple Dessert Bake-Off. Everyone who enters this event will receive two free tickets to the dance and be eligible for the grand prize of $100 as judged by a local chef, a local celebrity, and a local apple producer. You must register in advance to receive your dance tickets, however. To register for the contest, contact the RLEP office at 540-317-1449 and leave a message with the name of the dish you plan to enter, your name, address, and telephone number. Be sure to say you are entering the Bake-Off. Then just bring your dessert entry to the dance by 7:00 p.m. for judging at 8:30.

Music and dancing . . . This year's RLEP celebration is a real Barn Dance–with square dancing, line dances, reels, and many of the same songs and instruments one might have heard at a traditional dance in any corner of the county over the past century. The Trouts, a group of regional musicians who will join together for the event, plan to fill the night air with the rich play of strings and wind instruments made possible by their remarkable collaboration. The band includes Rannie Winn on whistles; Lyt Wood on hammer dulcimer and banjo; EJ Burke on banjo, mandolin, and guitar; Ellen Snyder on fiddle, guitar, and vocals; and Doug Marshall on guitar. Well-known caller Rob Craighurst will instruct and inspire guests of all ages in the time-honored traditions of Appalachian dancing.

Sponsorships . . . RLEP is offering use of the center's unique and interesting artist studios, on a limited basis, to event Sponsors who want to host their own indoor "tailgate" parties at the dance. For a donation of $500, Sponsors will also receive 10 tickets to the dance, prominent acknowledgement in a variety of high profile venues, and a special RLEP gift. "Sponsors may bring their own food and drink or RLEP can arrange catering services. The regular ticket price of $25 includes soft drinks and light snacks. A cash bar will also be available.

About the location . . . Barn Dance host, Jerome Niessen, says of his new county venue:

The aptly named Rappahannock Central, on River Lane in Sperryville, is a perfect setting for RLEP's Barn Dance. Designed as a vibrant center serving local lifestyles as well as a gateway to Rappahannock for out-of-town visitors, the venue will be previewed via the Barn Dance as an added feature of the Rappahannock Farm Tour. While not a traditional barn, it, like the 2009 Barn Dance location, enjoyed a storied history as a packing shed, through which tons of local farm products passed on the way to market.

The building is familiar to many as the former antiques center in Sperryville. Wishing to feature Rappahannock farm products in a true farm market, county resident Jerome Niessen joined with several others to give the historic space new life with not only the new Rappahannock Natural Foods Cooperative, but Grand Cafe Indigo, a hotspot for local regulars and visitors alike, and River District Arts, which includes a gift store, Confluent Gallery of Art, and a series of light-filled spaces for working artists and classes.

The Barn Dance will serve as a preview of the new facility, now under construction.

For more information on the venue, visit www.RappahannockCentral.com and www.RNF.coop.

Tickets . . . Buy your tickets the convenient way this year.

Click on the button to the right to buy tickets with your credit card. We'll mail the tickets to you.

OR

Tickets are also available from RLEP Board members, at selected Rappahannock retail locations, by contacting the RLEP office at mail@RLEP.org, or by leaving a message at 540-317-1449.

RLEP is celebrating 40 years dedicated to preserving the rural character and natural resources of Rappahannock County.