We are a community of music and dance in the folk traditions. Come join us!
Everyone is welcome at EFS music and dance events! Our events are family friendly! Since 1978 the Eugene Folklore Society has offered traditional music and folk dancing opportunities in Eugene. Our events include frequent contra dances, always with live bands and callers! In October our annual Cascade Contras Dance Camp gathers nearly 200 dancers from far and near. Our terrific Morris dancing team, Two Rivers Morris, performs in town and around the region. We offer weekly Scottish Country Dance opportunities too!
The Eugene Folklore Society values equality and mutual respect. We value the diversity of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, range of abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. We actively cultivate a climate of purposeful inclusion of all.
The Eugene Folklore Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable corporation located in Eugene, Oregon.
Our mailing address is: Eugene Folklore Society, PO Box 1645, Eugene, Oregon 97440.
Click to send an email.
President – Cheryl Hunter
Secretary – Kelly Throw
Treasurer – Larry Hill
Members at Large – Megan Tucker, Laura Hood, Patty Keene, Patrick Bronson
Program Coordinators
- Site Manager for Edison School – Laura Hood
- Site Manager for Village School – Cheryl Hunter
- Contra Programmer – Megan Tucker
- Cascade Contras – Megan Tucker
- Scottish Dance – kalindi devi-dasi
- Morris Dance – Kelly Throw
- Volunteers – Cheryl Hunter
- Membership – Laura Hood
- Newsletter – Kelly Throw
- Publicity – Laura Hood, Megan Tucker
Memberships provide important support for our activities.
EFS member get a discount on regular EFS contra dances and an EFS name badge to wear at dances. Members can also vote for and serve on our board of directors. While annual membership begins in September and extends to September of the following year, you can join at any time of the year. Memberships are $20 per individual or for the first person in a household, and $10 for each additional person in a household.
Our database requires that each member must use a unique email, so please don’t use the same email as another household member.
How You Can Get Involved
The Eugene Folklore Society is operated entirely by volunteers. We could not function without them. A big thanks to our members who have stepped up to the plate to keep EFS active and successful. Please consider contributing your time and talents as an EFS volunteer!
Keep in touch with EFS through notices of upcoming contra dances including any weather alerts, Cascade Contras Announcements, Morris Dancing Updates or general EFS News articles. Our database requires that each subscriber must use a unique email, so please don’t use the same email as another household member.
When you change your mailing address, email or phone please let us know by submitting your updated contact info here.
Celebrate a birthday or anniversary, a friend or a special event with a tax-deductible donation to the Eugene Folklore Society. You can name a purpose for your donation from helping to fund a scheduled dance, to sponsoring a Cascade Contras scholarship, or for something else. You can choose to keep your donation private, or make it public to share the purpose of your donation.
We welcome cash donations of any size, as well as non-cash (in-kind) donations of goods or professional services that will EFS help accomplish our purposes. All donations are fully tax deductible. The Eugene Folklore Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable, volunteer-based organization. Our federal tax id is 93-0712073.
If you wish to make a legacy gift, please use our legacy form.
You can support the future of the Eugene Folklore Society with a bequest in your will or living trust. You have the power to name EFS as the sole beneficiary of your estate, as the beneficiary for a percentage of your estate, or to specify a certain dollar amount to give. You can choose how you want funds to be used, and you retain full control over your assets during your lifetime. The EFS Board of Directors carefully manages this endowment fund to provide secure, long-term earnings to provide a financial foundation for EFS dance and music programs and keep EFS events affordable.
While bequests are the most common form of planned giving, you can also name EFS as a beneficiary to your IRA, 401(k), pension plan, or life insurance. These options can provide tax savings when you name a charity as your beneficiary. (Please consult your financial advisor for up-to-date tax code.) Some people opt to name their family as beneficiaries to one asset (say, a pension plan) and a charity for another (e.g. life insurance).
We’ve made it easy for you to let us know of your plans with this simple form:
The Kathy Blago Scholarship
EFS members may apply for scholarships to help cover the costs of participation in classes, training, performances, festivals, etc. A maximum of $100 will normally be given, though larger amounts may be awarded. The amount awarded cannot exceed the cost of the event. A maximum of 15 scholarships will be awarded each year.
Please apply at least 2 months before the event. Recipients of the award will be expected to reciprocate by participating in various volunteer opportunities for the EFS community, as suggested on the application form. Awards are at the discretion of the EFS Board of Directors. An EFS member may receive only one scholarship a year.
The basis for awarding scholarship includes the following:
- You are a current, participating member of EFS
- You intend to be an active, contributing EFS member in future
- Your participation will likely provide knowledge, skills or experience that you could share with EFS
- Amount awarded will not exceed cost of participation
Links
Contra Camps, Weekends and Festivals
- Cascade Contras Weekend – Eugene OR
- CDSS American Dance Week
- Corvallis Contra Weekend
- Echo Summit Dance Camp – Echo Summit CA
- Northwest Folklife Festival – Seattle WA
- Portland Megaband — Portland OR
- Portland Roadhouse — Milwaukie OR
- Supersonic Contras Weekend – Seattle WA
Other Contra Dances in Oregon
- Bend Community Contra Dance — Bend OR
- Corvallis Contra — Corvallis OR
- Portland Country Dance Community – Portland OR
- South Coast Folk Society — Coos Bay OR
- Southern Oregon Contra Dance — Ashland OR
Contra group videos
- A Collection of Contra Dance Videos
- Flury Festival 2020
- Foggy Moon – Monterey, CA – Riptide with George Marshall
- Glen Echo contra, Washington DC
- Portland Intown Contra — Portland, ME
- Techno Contra – Asheville, NC
- Techno Contra – Seattle, WA (Edit)
Contra Instruction Videos
Other Contra Links
- CDSS Contra Pulse Podcast
- Contra Dance / Contradance in the United States, Canada, and the World
- Country Dance & Song Society
- NW listing of folk dance groups, including contra dance
- Oregon Contra Links from Contradance in the United States
- Oregon Federation of Square and Round dance clubs
Morris Dance in Oregon
Music
Stores – Dance and Folklore books, recordings, and merchandise