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.
This Year’s Performers
Gaye Fifer
Gaye Fifer is an accomplished and beloved caller who hails from Pittsburgh, PA. An active dancer herself, Gaye understands the subtleties of making dances particularly satisfying for dancers. Her instructions are clear and concise, as she is a teacher by profession. An easy smile and delightful sense of humor are part of Gaye’s relaxed, pleasant style at the microphone. Gaye calls contra and English dances throughout the US and Canada.
David Smukler
David Smukler has been dancing since the mid-sixties, and calling for dances since 1981. He is an engaging teacher who presents a wide variety of dances, including old chestnuts and freshly minted dances. David is also the author (with David Millstone) of Cracking Chestnuts: The Living Tradition of Classic American Contra Dances.
David is the current president–and Gaye was the previous president–of the Country Dance and Song Society.
And 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
With years of combined experience playing for contra dances, Missing Lynx fills more sonic space than you might expect from a duo. Oliver Scanlon (fiddle, viola, mandolin, feet, vocals) and Alex Fortier (piano, keyboards) blend their talents to drive a dynamic dance engine. Prepare for fresh tunes from a variety of northeast folk repertoires as the duo brings expert execution, tight arrangements, gentle lift and smoothness to your dance!
Missing Lynx will be joined by Tim Ball, a fiddler, singer, and guitarist whose playing is rooted in the traditions of Ireland, New England, Canada, and Appalachia, connected by the musical heritage of his native upstate New York. His album, Upstate Crossroads, earned the No. 1 spot on the January 2023 Folk Alliance International chart.
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 (and we appreciate it!).
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, Cecilia, and Mark. |
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| 10:00 – noon | Explore English Country Dance Cecilia, Mark, 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. |
Band Workshop with the Star Charters for interested musicians. Take your dance music up to the next level! |
| 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
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 dances are held. It is located at 310 East Genesee Street in Fayetteville, NY. From either the NYS Thruway, or I-690 W, get onto I-481 S. Take 481 to exit 86 for Dewitt and Fayetteville. At the end of the ramp turn left onto 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.
If coming from the south get onto I-481 N from I-81. Take 481 to exit 86A, for Dewitt and Fayetteville, which puts you on E. Genesee St. (Rte. 5), heading east. From there the directions are the same as above.
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. In the past we have had a near perfect record of finding accommodations for everyone who requests them.
Information on other local accommodations is available from VisitSyracuse.org.
Check Out Previous Years of the PMFF
2025 – Michael Karcher, Stove Dragon, Raven and Goose, and more
2024 – Sarah VanNorstrand, Anadama, Contranella, and more
2023 – Bev Bernbaum, Ostara, Sister Haggis, and more
2020-2022 – These years don’t count!
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.