The bouncy rhythms of old time fiddle music filled the heart of Parkman Township Saturday night as traditional square dancers observed a sweet reason to celebrate Geauga County’s season.
“Traditionally, the maple sugaring season comes at the end of winter which, for Geauga County, winter can be a long spell,” said Dan Best, Geauga Park District naturalist and longtime event host. “So, the Tree Tapper’s Ball is sort of a coming out party, a celebration of the weakening of winter’s grip, the coming of spring as well as a celebrating Geauga County’s most famous notoriety — besides snow — maple sugaring.”
Square dancers of all levels flocked to the historic Parkman Community House March 12 for an evening of friendship and community at the 28th annual Tree Tapper’s Ball, carrying on a long tradition of Appalachian string band music and barn-style dancing.
“Geauga County is the maple sugaring capitol of Ohio, North America and the world,” Best said, with a smile at the ready-to-go dancers. “Maple syrup production ended for the year, but celebrations haven’t.”
Added Best, “We do have a bouncing floor. It’s built to bounce; it’s a suspended floor.”
Caller Bob Smakula broke from the stage, after chatting with band members, and encouraged couples at the start of the three-hour event to take to the dance floor, make introductions and begin to form squares.
“Everyone have enough people in a square?” Smakula asked. “The band loves to see the dancers. Everyone say ‘Hi’ to your partner and say ‘Hi’ to your corner.”
The Tree Tapper’s Ball has been a strong program since its beginning in 1988, noted Smakula.
“I have been lucky enough to have been invited to call the dances since the beginning,” he said. “I have only missed three in those 28 years and look forward to coming back as long as the Geauga Park District has this event to celebrate the maple sugaring season.”
Smakula, formerly of Mayfield, was co-proprietor of the former Goose Acres Folk Music Center in University Circle and is a nationally recognized figure in the world of traditional American music.
After marrying, Smakula relocated to Elkins, W. Va., where his wife, Mary, is a project manager for the US. Forest Service, and he now operates Fretted Instruments, specializing in repairing and selling vintage stringed instruments.
The sounds of an American old-time tune “Ebenezer” filled the “springy” wood dance floor, as Greg and Christine Drockton began to Do-si-do and promenade around, following Smakula’s calls and the “Maple Mayhem String Band.”
“I have been attending this event since I was 3 years old,” said Greg, a native of Geauga County. “My friends from Toledo and I come back to attend this event each year. I think that growing up, the live music and dancing has shaped us culturally, as I have a profound love for music and instrumental talent.”
Dancers clapped along and stomped their feet to the music, and smiled as they switched partners, eventually ending up with their own.
“We have been square dancing since we met in 2009,” Greg said. “This event is our favorite, though we often attend Ole Zim’z Wagon Shed, where we had our wedding reception.”
“In spite of all of our technological advances and new music genres, few provide so much fun for participation through dance as an old-fashioned country dance,” Best said. “Tree Tapper’s Ball is a testimonial to the undying fun factor of 200-year-old entertainment done to the “Rock-n-Roll” of its day. From my bandstand view across the long hall, it’s miles of smiles.”
As the fiddles stopped, some dancers scooted off to a row of wooden folding chairs lining the hall and sipped on lemonade.
A few sauntered outside to catch a smoke.
“It’s fun,” bandmember Gordon Keller, of Burton said. “It’s social music and a social event. You get to dance with a pretty girl and don’t have to have a conversation.”
Best said band members are drawn from several old-time string bands in the area, including One Dollar Hat, the Real Deal String Band and Mr. Haney String Band.
Instrumentation in the band includes fiddles, a clawhammer banjo, mandolin, guitar, ukulele, harmonica and bass.
“The instrumentation suggest Bluegrass, but the music predates Bluegrass,” Best said. “It’s referred to as ‘old-time string band music’ as practiced largely in Southern Appalachia.”
Tunes are derived from Scotch, Irish, British dance tunes brought over by the early Scotch-Irish settlers of Appalachia and continue to attract young musicians in revival of a vibrant old-time music scene.
“This was the entertainment of the first settlers to the Western Reserve, so in a sense, we are helping keep a 200-plus year old tradition going in Geauga County,” Best said. “You can bet that the maple sugar was made in a big iron kettle outside of a log cabin was boiled down to the music of a fiddle.”
