performers – schedule – registration – pumpkin carving contest – other details
The 26th PHYLLA MAE FALL FEST
OCTOBER 16-17, 2026
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
Calling by
Gaye Fifer Blurb about Gaye.
David Smukler Blurb about David.
And music by two amazing bands…
Cecilia Vacanti (of Kingfisher) and Jess Newman and Mark Price (of Cojiro) team up to play contra dances in a high energy, dynamic trio known as The Star Charters. With Cecilia and Jess on fiddle and Mark holding down rhythm on guitar, The Star Charters bring to the stage a rock-solid groove and a level of technical prowess that is complemented by their combined versatility, lyrical twin fiddle harmonies and joyful, off-the-cuff improvisation. This bopping team-up will send dancers over the moon!
Missing Lynx featuring Tim Ball
Missing Lynx is the exquisite collaboration of Oliver Scanlon (Pete’s Posse and Stove Dragon) and Alex Fortier (Quicksilver). They will be joined by fiddler/guitarist Tim Ball (Arise and Go).
Rita Wood also joins us to lead a yoga session. Rita, a long-time dancer and Certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher at Main Street Yoga in Mexico, NY, has led yoga often during the Phylla Mae Fall Fest.
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 Gaye. Music by Star Charters (7:30-8:50) and Missing Lynx (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, Alex, and Cecilia. |
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| 10:00 – noon | Explore English Country Dance Cecilia and Alex join Gaye and David in a session that explores the wide variety of English country dance. |
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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 | Contra-ry Dances David with Missing Lynx. Go beyond hands-4 in a session of dances in many formations. |
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| 2:45 – 4:15 | Contras with a British Accent. Gaye, David, and the Star Charters present some of many amazing contras influenced by English dancing. |
Yoga for Dancers Rita will help you keep body and mind in good shape for dancing all day. |
| 4:30 – 6:00 | “Four, Five, Six”: Waltz Workshop Come learn why Gaye is so beloved as a teacher of waltz. This full 90-minute session will begin with some basics, and then proceed to helping whoever attends to level up their waltz game. |
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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 for All Come try out what you learned in Gaye’s workshop! |
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| 8:00 – 11:30 | Saturday Night Dance Party Phylla Mae Fall Fest finale! Calling by Gaye. Music by Missing Lynx (8:00-9:30) and Star Charters (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.