SAVE THE DATE!

THURSDAY November 17, 2021
8:00 - 11:00PM

Fearless Leader:
Kim Neubauer

This will be an indoor, masked, vaccinated dance at the
Commodore Barry Club / The Irish Center
6815 Emlen St., Philadelphia, PA 1911

Please check back for the Tunelist and
Important COVID Safety Protocols coming soon!

Rehearsal will be online via Zoom on July 14th.
Join the SPUDS Mailing List to get the details right in your mailbox!

SPUDS is still gathering monthly online. To get more information, make sure you are on the SPUDS mailing list and it will be sent to you before each session.
Join the SPUDS Google Group Mailing List

Our Tune swaps have been great fun!
How it works:
We meet approximately every two weeks on zoom to share tunes, chat, and keep our little music community connected. Because it’s zoom, only one household can play at a time (with everyone else muted), so it’s more of a tune swap than a jam. And because a lot of people in SPUDS like to play from sheet music, we ask folks who are willing to share a tune over zoom to send it to us ahead of time so we can get the sheet music together before the session. Each session has some kind of theme to spark ideas, but we aren’t particularly rigid about sticking to the theme. The deadline to submit tunes is Monday at 6:15pm before the scheduled Thursday swap. Our preferred format is abc notation, but we’ll also take a pdf file or jpeg.

 We take turns in order of the list included in the packet unless someone wants to go earlier or later. We've settled on playing a tune three times through, unless it's a medley, then it will be each tune one or two times. Tempos have been hovering between a slow 80 BPM to a brisk 120, but it’s up to each person’s comfort and ability.

 It’s all very relaxed – you’ll get the feel of how it works right away. Not ready to share a tune? That’s fine, too! Just come and play along, chat, or just hang out.  

The zoom link goes out on Monday with the week’s tune packet. The “doors” open Thursday at 6:15 for chat and sound checks for the people leading tunes, and the actual swap starts a 6:45. 

Here is an archive of the over 700 tunes we've shared so far!

IN-PERSON OUTSIDE CONTRA!

There is a LOT to know about attending this dance - please read carefully: (Special notes for musicians at the end)

This will be an outdoor, masked, vaccinated dance:
Saturday, November 6, 2021 2-5 pm
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118.

The band: SPUDS Fearless Leaders: Bill Quern and Sarah Gowan
The callers: Sue Gola and Donna Hunt

COVID Safety:
-Proof of vaccination will be required for entry; you will need to show your card (or a photo of your card) and your name will be added to a list; no copies or photos will be kept. Full vaccination is required, a booster is your decision. Fully vaccinated is two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson at least 2 weeks prior to 11/6.
You may start arriving at 1:30 to get your vaccine card checked. No one should arrive before 1pm due to other people using the space.

 -Masks will be worn the entire time, covering your nose and mouth Except for wind players, masks must be worn over the nose and mouth at all times during the entire event, except when drinking or eating. If you choose to take your mask down or off, you will be welcomed by a board member or volunteer to go and sit in the social distancing section in order to avoid endangering other dancers. This is a vaccinated and masked dance. In order to be as safe as possible, we need to enforce these COVID guidelines.

 -You will sign a waiver at the door stating you are fully vaccinated and you agree to the Covid practices we have set forth, and you will need to provide your current phone number and email for contact tracing purposes. We are hopeful that we will not have to contact trace anyone! Relatedly, if you get sick after this dance, we implore you to contact us at board@thursdaycontra.com immediately so we can advise the community.

-If you feel lousy on 11/6, please show care for the community and stay home. If this dance goes well, we will be able to plan more dances, sooner rather than later. Thank you for your honesty and care for this community.

Bring Your Own water, snacks, and dinner (if you'd like to stay afterward for more socializing).  And a chair if possible.
_______________________________________
MORE:
We will be dancing in the Church PARKING LOT please bring appropriate footwear (ie, sneakers not suede dance shoes).
Admission is FREE
The weather is projected to be 50 degrees, but we'll be dancing, so dress in layers! Consider bringing multiple masks.

We will be able to use the church's indoor bathrooms.

Please carpool! There are approximately 50 parking spaces behind the church.  Please look at your map to find nearby parking lots such as the Chestnut Hill West Septa station (Chestnut Hill West does not currently run on the weekends, but Chestnut Hill East does).

Please write to board@thursdaycontra.com if you have any questions about the dance in general.

STILL MORE FOR MUSICIANS:
Contact Bill and Sarah boxandstringmusic@gmail.com if you have questions about playing.

It will be chilly - we recommend layers, fingerless gloves, and hand warmers, if you have them. A thermos of a warm drink can also keep the chill away. A couple of clothespins will help keep your music in place. You might have a chair in the car if we come up short on seating. An extra cushion couldn't hurt, either.

Finally! Setlist and tunes can be downloaded HERE.

We look forward to seeing you!