'Contradancers Delight' Holiday

Dear Ma and Pa Rogers,

     I just wanted to let you know what a fabulous time Fred and I had at the first annual 'Contradancers Delight Holiday'.

     It was a worthwhile way to spend the holiday season with great dancing, excellent music,wonderful callers, and fun people in a luxury resort setting at bargain rates. What more could a contradancer ask for? Forgive me if I ramble and gush on, but I want to tell you all about it!

      Where do I begin? Ah yes, the location. The resort is right off I-68 near Morgantown, WV. They keep the interstate well-plowed/sanded during the winter months because
of the ski resorts nearby. It is in a central location for the mid-Atlantic, southern New England, southeast, and Midwest region dance communities - no more than a 5-9 hour drive.

      The dancers who attended were from contradance communities from Virginia, North Carolina, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Georgia.

      Everyone agreed that the drive here was comfortable and scenic. Several mentioned that they liked supporting an event in the Appalachian region; with some even saying that Cheat Lake, which the resort overlooks, looked like a Caribbean lagoon and they saved hundreds on airfare alone.

      The facility was tremendous - the rooms were deluxe with two very large beds, private bath, entertainment center, and they were attached to the dance hall/dining room so we didn't even have to go outside if the weather was cold and blustery. The ballroom was spacious and the dance floor was kind to our knees. There was an indoor pool, two hot tubs, 2 saunas, 2 indoor tennis courts, a golf course (that we sledded and x-country skied on), a fitness center with courts for basketball, wallyball and racquetball, and a spa.

      There was plenty to do when we took a break from dancing and the non-dancing significant others were quite pleased. The meals were of luxury resort quality and served buffet style. All of these amenities for a price that was less then other more rustic facilities we have stayed at. Definitely the contradance event bargain of this century.

      The music, calling and dancing were both hot and graceful with many experienced dancers being quite satisfied with all three of these important areas. The music was provided by the Elftones and Lift Ticket. The Elftones are the best two-person contra band in the nation! How they make that full-band sound is incredible - do they have elves playing inside their instruments? First they put you in a 'dance trance' and then the next thing you know there is a whole lot of whoopin' and hollerin' going on. We even heard about a dance weekend where they were even more popular with the dancers than the featured band (Tame Tomatoes). Lift Ticket was awesome too!. Great energy and musicianship. We were 'inspired to perspire' listening to their tunes.

      The callers were phenomenal! You can't ask for a better combination of callers then Beth Molaro and Robert Cromartie. They exceeded their already sterling reputations. As far as I know, none of the dancers were disappointed with them. And the dancers! Where did all these fun and friendly people come from? We sure don't have these types in Tinseltown. They were experienced contra dancers who even became better as the days progressed. The dancers, callers and musicians all fed on each other's energy to create magic every day.

      The program started with check-in at 2pm on Dec. 26. Supper was at 6pm and the evening dance started at 7:30pm. For the next four days (Dec. 27-30), we could contradance to live music eight hours a day! There was a morning dance from 10am-noon; an afternoon dance from 3:30-5:30pm; and, an evening dance from 7:30-midnight. There also was 'waltzing across breakfast' every day to taped music and several 'dance parties'. There were a few workshops, evening programs, and hilarious dance-related spoofs on 'The Dating Game' and 'Jeopardy'. The organizer of this event, Warren Doyle, has an unusual amount of positive energy and put a good amount of time and thought into making sure that everyone enjoyed themselves. He even taught Fred and I some 'dreamy' waltz moves which ultimately made us late for breakfast the next morning (ifunowhatImean). This 'contra heaven on earth' ended after breakfast on Dec. 31st allowing us to return to our local New Year's Eve dance where we told Patrick and Jennifer they could have another 'time of their life' if they attended the 2004 Contradancers Delight Holiday!

Your daughter, Ginger

(PS. Thanks for paying our way to attend)