Vernal's
March 29-31, 2013
O'Leno State Park
High Springs, Florida





Nor'easter, Ron Buchanan,
Kumquats at Large, Tara Bolker, more


contra dancing, mostly, all weekend long ...
no-walk-through contra dance ... late night dancing ... early morning waltzing ...
contra, square and couple dancing ... saturday night ball ...
fabulous music, good food and great company ...


"Sometimes we'd have that whole river all to ourselves for the longest time. Yonder was the banks and the islands, across the water ... and maybe you could hear a fiddle or a song coming over ... We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened ... "
Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn






Weekend Schedule


4 pm

7 pm
8 pm
11 pm
           FRIDAY
Afternoon Tea (refreshments)
     check-in table opens
Dinner 
No-Walk-Through Contra Dance
Late-Night Swing Dancing

7 am
8 am

9:30-12:30

1 pm
2-4 pm
4-5:30 pm
           SATURDAY DAY
Early Morning Waltzing
Breakfast
    available till 9:15
Morning Sessions
yoga, wake-up contras, gender-bender contras,
Picnic Lunch overlooking the Santa Fe
Square Dance 
Afternoon Sessions
morris dancing, open waltzing, couples dances

7 pm
8 pm

  
           SATURDAY NIGHT
Dinner
Florida Beach Ball
  Contra Dance
   Pretty-Near-To-Midnight Feast at 11 pm
   Late-Night Black Light Barn Dance

8 am
9 am

10 am
11 am

           SUNDAY
Early Morning Waltzing
Brunch
     available till after 1 pm
Waltz-Time Country Dances
Farewell Contra Dance
      ends at 1 pm








O'leno State Park is on US 441 six miles north of High Springs, just about 45 minutes north of Gainesville. The group camp facilities include several dormitory style cabins (with four sets of bunk beds each to sleep eight) and two centrally located bathhouses. Group cabin accommodation or shared-site campground camping is included with admission to the weekend. To make your own reservations for tent or RV sites in one of O'Leno's campgrounds go to Reserve America or call 800-326-3521.

Come early, stay late!
O'Leno's group camp is reserved for Vernal's from Thursday afternoon through Monday morning, so you can extend yhour stay and enjoy what the park itself has to offer--
bring your bike, canoe, fishing pole, a good book... (canoes and bicycles are also available for rent).
 
Located on the banks of the sceninc Santa Fe River, a tributary of the Suwannee, O'Leno State Park features singkholes, hardwood hammocks, river swamps and sand hills. It was first developed by the Civilian Coinservation Corps in the 1930s--the porch of the dance hall built by the CCC overlooks the Santa Fe and the CCC suspension bridge that still spans it.

The weather is likely to be dry with temperatures ranging from the high 70s during the day down to the low 60s at night. Only the main buildings of O'Leno's group facilities are heated; campers may bring electric radiant heaters and electric blankets for use in cabins.

Admission to the weekend is $145 for dancing adults, $130 for sturdents / under 25s, and $75 for under 14s and non-dancers. It includes tasty and substantial meals and refreshments for the entire weekend, from Friday Afternoon Tea through Sunday Brunch. Group cabin or shared-site campground camping is also included.

For this year only, we need a few extra volunteers who are up to the task of helping to assemble a mostly prefab temporary dance pavillion on Thursday and Friday (even as early as Wednesday) and then to take it down again at the end of the weekend--full scholarship, email for details, tara@tarabolker.com.

Everyone pitches in at some time over the weekend  -- 20 to 30 minutes of light duty during non-dance times (possibly a little longer for set-up on Friday afternoon or final clean-up on Sunday). Please pick three times that will work for you -- you will be assigned the one where you are most needed. Choose from:
    Friday - 4, 5, 6, 7:30 or 11 pm
    Saturday day - 7:30 or 8:30 am; 12:30 or 1:30 pm
    Saturday night - 5:30, 7:30 or 10:30 pm
    Sunday - 8:30 or 9:30 am; 1 pm
    -or- just say "anything Friday", "anything early morning", etc

There is no registration form. To register simply email your complete registration information (below) to tara@tarabolker.com and you'll receive an invoice via email. You may then choose to pay online or send a check or money order to the address on the invoice.

Please include the following info for each person:
    1)  name (dancer / non-dancer, under 25, etc.)
    2)  address
    3)  email
    4)  choice of accommodation (include any cabinmate / campmate preferences):
            group cabin -- men's / women's / co-ed / family or
            shared-site campground -- tent, car, RV or
            other         
    5)  pitch-in job choices
    6)  donation amount to dance floor scholarship fund (optional)


See you on the dance floor!
tara@tarabolker.com