Welcome to the 2026 Whitewater Whirl. Whether you’re a dedicated, would-not-miss-it Whirler or new to the weekend, we look forward to dancing with you! The weekend is held at the Fayette County Park 4-H camp near Fayetteville, WV. Online registration is now open.

The Bands

Louisville-based Hot Coffee Breakdown is one of the most popular bands on the contra dance weekend circuit. Tom Cunningham’s fiery fiddle combines with the driving rhythms of Kate Sanders on keyboard and Luis de Leon on percussion and harmonica. Their dynamic range and musical crescendos will make you want the dance to go on forever! From the Ohio hills, we welcome The Hollertones with Paul Brown on banjo, Linda Scutt on fiddle, Jeanie Thieken on guitar and vocals and Nick Weiland on bass, with a blend of traditional, old time and Celtic music that’s made them popular at contra dances throughout the Midwest and East Coast.

The callers

The talented Darlene Underwood from Cincinnati returns for her second Whirl to spread happiness, connection and fun. It’s a Whirl debut for the talented and very funny Bob Isaacs, choreographer of so many creative dances, who’s driving all the way from Princeton, NJ (thanks, Bob).

We’re delighted that Gaye Fifer and Wayne Albright will again join us to teach the Beyond the Basics waltz workshop. Regular Whirlers know that Gaye called at every Whirl from 2005 to 2024. She’s taking a break, but we hope she’ll be back as a regular Whirl caller in future.

In 2024, we added a late-night techno-contra with DJ Polly Whittaker teaming with “Queen Darlene.” It’s back by popular demand, retitled as “DJ Contra,” and with “King Bob” on the team.

Our sound engineer, maestro Hanno Meingast, will be making the music in the hall sound great.

Accommodation and meal plan

Cabin accommodation (metal frame bunk beds) or camping onsite at the Fayette County Park 4-H camp near Fayetteville, WV is included in the weekend price. When you register, let us know if you’ll be staying in one of the cabins, designated as coed, women and men.

You can pitch your tent anywhere, but if you’re pulling a camper the camp staff will tell you where to park.

The camp will open on Thursday night, April 30, for early arrivals. Consider staying Sunday night, May 3, hiking or rafting in the New River Gorge.

Café One Ten in Oak Hill, WV, will provide catering—a five-meal plan with vegetarian options. Jennifer Horrocks and Heather Oelker will be running the kitchen and dining hall, with Jennifer preparing her signature desserts for Saturday dinner.

Dance buttons

We thank regular Whirlers Gwyn and Jennifer Williams for offering to make dance buttons. Here’s the design.

Planning committee

We have a stellar planning committee for 2026, composed of dedicated Whirlers and dance organizers — Jim Sedivy (River Rendezvous), Fia Feller (Valley Contra Dance board, Bethlehem, PA), Bill Hedrick (Zionville, NC), Anna Brinkmeier (Wheeling, WV), Kim Thompson (Athens, OH), Dale Shirer (Cleveland area), Heather Oelker (central Ohio), Cawood Fitzhugh (Charlottesville, VA) and the FOOTMAD crew, Becky Park (FOOTMAD manager), Jeannie Dalporto, Hanna Thurman, and yours truly. If you have suggestions about how we can improve the weekend, please email us at whitewater.whirl@gmail.com .