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 and paper registration will open November 1.

Toss the Possum, one of the most popular bands on the contra dance weekend circuit, was founded as a family band in 2004. Dancers are amazed that the duo of Laura Zisette on keyboard and son Rob on fiddle, percussion and vocals produces a big sound that fills the hall.

The Rhythm Blazers is a newly formed trio from North Carolina, whose members have each played with many contra dance bands. The Blazers are going to do more than warm up the dance floor—they’ll set it on fire! Jared Kirkpatrick plays piano, mandolin, fiddle, and foot percussion best known for his partnership with Mo Brachfeld in Starling. Jim Roberts plays drums, djembe, and congas and has played with popular contra dance bands including FootLoose, The Ivory Boys and Craicdown. David DiGiuseppe (accordion) has toured the US with the bands FootLoose, Contrazz, The Avant Gardeners, and Playing with Fyre.

The talented and very funny Bob Isaacs, choreographer of so many creative dances, made his Whirl debut in 2026. It was a roaring success, so we’re delighted that he’ll be back for 2027.

We’re delighted to welcome back Terry Doyle who last called at the 2023 Whirl, helping us revive the dance weekend after a three-year COVID hiatus.

We’re delighted that Paul Balliet, a longtime Whirl regular from northeast Ohio, will be joining us to teach waltz and either East or West Coast swing (he hasn’t yet decided which style). Paul is also pulling together the music mix (waltz, swing and blues) for couples dancing after the Saturday night contra

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

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.

If you’re planning to camp or pulling a camper, please check in with the park staff when you arrive and they’ll show you the options for test and camper sites.

The camp will open on Thursday night, May 6, for early arrivals. Consider staying Sunday night, May 9, and making it a weekend vacation with hiking or rafting in the New River Gorge. We can supply maps of hiking trails.

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

As in 2026, we’ll provide golf cart shuttle service between the dining hall and dance hall.

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

We have a stellar planning committee for 2027, 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), and the FOOTMAD crew, Becky Park (FOOTMAD manager), Jeannie Dalporto, and yours truly. If you have suggestions about how we can improve the weekend, please email us at whitewater.whirl@gmail.com