performers – schedule – registration – pumpkin carving contest – other details
The 25th PHYLLA MAE FALL FEST
OCTOBER 17-18, 2025
Phylla Mae (pronounced “fill-a-may”) is a music and dance party we throw each year on the third weekend in October. We always invite great musicians and callers from near and far, and we offer wonderful workshops and loads of dancing. We are also known for high spirits, tasty refreshments, decorations, camaraderie, and…well…pumpkins.
Performers
Featured caller:
Michael Karcher got hooked on contra dance and ECD at Swarthmore College and fed his habit at CDNY in New York City. He started calling after moving to Seattle and honed a clear, friendly style over the next decade before returning to the east coast. Michael now calls events across the US and Canada. He helps with the Lehigh Valley contra dance, and is a coordinating caller in Philadelphia. Off the dance floor, Michael teaches statistics as an assistant professor at Muhlenberg College.
And music by two amazing bands…
Four exceptional New England contra musicians join forces as Stove Dragon, the kindly dance-beast, breathing in notes and breathing out smoldering rhythms and flickering melodies, igniting dancers’ feet and toasting listeners’ ears.
Oliver Scanlon and Rose Jackson fill the room with melodic lift and tight, dynamic double-fiddle harmony, while Sam Zakon-Anderson and (for this weekend) Helen Kuhar* are a beating heart of fiery piano-guitar groove.
Stove Dragon draws on the combined tool kits of their individual experiences touring with Pete’s Posse, Nor’easter, Polaris, The Stringrays and more. Infused with the subtle warmth of excellent musicianship, their music propels through snappy New England tunes, punchy French Canadian sets, smooth and driving Irish reels, delightful improvisations, and trad-inspired originals.
Hold on tight and let Stove Dragon take you for a spin!
*At the Phylla Mae Fall Fest, the amazing Helen Kuhar is sitting in for Max Newman on guitar.
Raven & Goose are a nationally touring contra duo. With fiery fiddlin’ and foot stompin’ piano, they play original compositions and breathe new life into traditional tunes, all delivered with a passion that will get you up and dancing!
Virtuoso violinist, Corwin Zekley was born with a fiddle in their hands and plays with an intensity yet delicacy that pulls on the heartstrings of all who hear them. Corwin has eclectic musical roots, and enchants audiences playing anything from Celtic to Jazz to Country to Metal. Corwin studied at the Berklee College of Music, has played thousands of concerts, appeared on dozens of records, and has published books and albums of their own compositions.
Grace Fellows grew up playing traditional musics on fiddle, and she synthesized her broad musical influences while studying at Calarts, and doing her masters at BIMM London. She became an accomplished pianist while performing as a singer/songwriter, and in the last years has become a powerhouse contra-pianist whose potent sense of rhythm will propel you around the dance floor.
Plus, three more callers!
Casey Carr is dedicated to helping people of all ages enjoy the excitement of dancing. She enables beginners to feel at ease and confident while also calling dances that are compelling for experienced dancers seeking that magical flow. Her teaching style is smooth, encouraging, and clear, so even a brand new dancer will feel competent and have a great time. A dance leader since the 1970s, Casey has called zesty contras and squares at many major folk festivals throughout the Northeast. Look for her at The Grassroots Festival, Ashokan Music Camps, and The Flurry Festival.
Ithaca-based caller Katy Heine has been calling dances in the Finger Lakes region and beyond since 1989. She’s known for her clear, efficient teaching and for her large repertoire of dances, including contras, English, and squares. She has called in various interesting and unusual circumstances, including from the back of a truck in the Ithaca Festival parade, at a nudist colony, and in New York City one month after 9/11.
Jennifer Staples stumbled unwittingly into a contra dance 11 years ago and she has been soaking up all the dance goodness since then. She leaped into English Country Dance calling in 2023 and can’t get enough of it. She prides herself on efficient and interesting calling to help all her dance friends have a wonderful experience on the floor.
Rita Wood also joins us again to lead a yoga session. Rita is a long-time dancer and Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher at Main Street Yoga in Mexico, NY
PMFF Schedule
| Friday | Dance Hall | |
| 6:00 – 7:30 | Potluck Dinner We’ll provide mulled cider and treats. Local dancers will provide the rest. If you are traveling from afar, just come and eat! |
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| 7:30 – 10:30 | Friday Night Dance Party Welcome to the Phylla Mae Fall Fest! Calling by Michael. Music by Stove Dragon (7:30-8:50) and Raven & Goose (9:10-10:30). |
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| Saturday | Dance Hall | Lounge |
| 9:30 – 10:00 | Coffee and Couple Dancing Start the day with caffeine and Raven & Goose. |
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| 10:00 – noon | Impropriety: Daringly Modern English Country Dances Raven & Goose join Jennifer and Katy in a session of enticing modern English country dance compositions. |
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| noon – 1:00 | – Lunch Break – Register early and purchase a tasty on-site lunch. |
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| 1:00 – 2:30 | Contras with a Twist Casey with Raven & Goose. Each dance will have one or more unusual figures to keep you on your toes while being easy enough for most dance levels. |
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| 2:45 – 4:15 | Challenging Contras. Michael and Stove Dragon. A session of fascinating brain twisters suitable for dancers who already know all basic figures, take good care of other dancers, and can recover gracefully. |
Yoga for Dancers Rita will help you keep body and mind in good shape for dancing all day. |
| 4:30 – 6:00 | Go with the Flow Contras Casey and Stove Dragon. Smooth, undulating dances that will have you moving like gears of a well oiled machine. |
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| 6:00 – 8:00 | – Dinner Break – Sample one of many nearby eateries. |
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| 7:30 – 8:00 | Waltzing and More Couple dancing to Stove Dragon |
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| 8:00 – 11:30 | Saturday Night Dance Party Phylla Mae Fall Fest finale! Calling by Michael. Music by Raven & Goose (8:00-9:30) and Stove Dragon (10:00-11:30). Break includes drawing for the pumpkin contest. |
Register for the Phylla Mae Fall Fest
Register early! Registering anytime before October 12 will save you money and allow you to reserve a lunch if you wish. When you pre-register, you can also request or offer local hospitality. And we’ll give you a PMFF button, newly designed for the first time in at least 20 years!
You can take advantage of our Early Bird Registration. The early-bird price (whole weekend only), available only until September 14, shaves an additional $15 off the cost of the weekend.
Click here to go to the Registration Page
Enter the Pumpkin Carving Contest
The PMFF is the only contra dance weekend with a pumpkin carving contest. Bring your carved pumpkin with you, or we’ll supply some that you can carve on Saturday. You could win a delicious homemade pumpkin cheesecake!
You Can Help — Volunteer!
Contact Patty at any time to volunteer for our dance organization, including if you’d like to help out at the Phylla Mae weekend. Volunteers may help with decorations, floor sweeping, kitchen duties, tear-down, etc. We also encourage you to bring something to our Friday potluck at 6:00 PM before the first dance of the weekend. Thanks for lending a hand!
Getting to Phylla Mae Fall Fest
Our venue is the United Church of Fayetteville which is also where our regular contra dances are held. It is located at 310 East Genesee Street in Fayetteville, NY. From either the NYS Thruway or I-81, get onto I-481. Take 481 to exit 3E. This puts you on E. Genesee St. (Rte. 5), heading east. The church is about 3 miles from that exit. You should stay to the left at the fork at Lyndon Corners to follow Rte 5. The church will be on your right in the village of Fayetteville.
Local Accommodations
We cannot guarantee finding beds for everyone, but if you register a.s.a.p. and let us know that you would like to stay with a local dancer, we will do our best to match you with a good host.
Information on other local accommodations is available from VisitSyracuse.org
Check Out Previous Years of the PMFF
2024 – Sarah VanNorstrand, Anadama, Contranella, and more
2023 – Bev Bernbaum, Ostara, Sister Haggis, and more
2019 – Will Mentor, Sarah VanNorstrand, Genticorum, and more
2018 – Dela Murphy, Tempest, Sister Haggis, and more
2017 – Gaye Fifer, David Kaynor, New Brew, and more
2016 – Bev Bernbaum, George Wilson, Andrew VanNorstrand, and more
2015 – Kathy Anderson, Pete’s Posse, and more
2014 – Russet Trio, Seaglass, The Squash Family, and more
2013 – Luke Donforth, Firefly, Happy Endings, and more
2012 – Adina Gordon, Montage, VanNorstrand brothers, Aaron Marcus, and more
2011 – David Kaynor, Magic Foot, and more
Who was “Phylla Mae”?
Phylla Mae was the “nom de dance” of Phyllis Antos — the name she always put on buttons or nametags at the many dance events she attended. Phyllis was one of the organizers who got our fall dance weekend off the ground in its first two years (1998 and 1999). Sadly, Phyllis died in a head-on collision on her way home from a clogging team rehearsal. Because Phyllis loved this fall dance weekend so much, and worked so hard on it, our Board voted unanimously to name it after her, and starting in the fall of 2000 it became The Phylla Mae Fall Fest.
Phyllis’s favorite contra dance was Delphiniums and Daisies by Tanya Rotenberg, and we often find a way to include it in the weekend.