Thirst for Old-Time Fun in Booming Wallingford

Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood is booming with construction, high tech, and urban transition. But the "Gypsy Squares", Rabbit Stew's monthly square dance is a neighborhood tradition like no other.

On the last Saturday of every month, the Stone Way Cafe opens their doors to The Rabit Stew String Band and friends of old-time music and dancing. Cafe tables are pushed to the walls, and the room fills with live music, community dancing, and a neighborly feel you won't easily find in this current century.

The $5 entrance fee (kids under 18 are always free, and they are welcome!) couldn't be a better deal for a Saturday out. Along with a night of live music, a guest dance-caller joins the band each month, guiding everyone (novice and experienced dancers) through an evening of traditional dances. The ability to smile and tap your toes is all the experience required by dancers. Everything else will be taught at every dance throughout the entire night.

Rabbit Stew String Band is an Old Time trio of fiddle, guitar, and banjo, playing community music that filled grange halls, barns, and front porches at the start of the last century. With tunes that carry names like "Shove That Pigs Foot a Little Further Into the Fire" and "Jaybird Died of a Whooping Cough", your brain might wonder at the origins of this stuff, but your feet will know exactly what to do.

So, grab a friend, or come alone. This is a great community of neighbors, musicians, dancers, and new friends anxious to taste something old right here in Wallingford. Toe tapping guaranteed!

See you Saturday 3/28 at the Gypsy Squares.