A nearby rural community hall has been the site of a monthly square dance for many years. These Saturday evening assemblies begin with a sumptuous pot luck dinner carried-in by farmwives. While the buffet is set out, a white-haired championship fiddler (center right) gives a tutorial to a flock of eager youngsters who have brought their violins to the evening gathering to hone their skills on the instrument.
After the hearty meal and freshly baked desserts, the floor is promptly cleared, and the dancers assemble while the musicians tune their instruments. A caller instructs the couples to line-up, and the kinetic foot work begins to the pulses of the band. 
On the evening above, the tempo of the dancing was driven by the BRC bass player (standing) with his amplified BC15E Jumbo Acoustic Cutaway C. F. Martin bass guitar that he purchased years ago. His instrument is outfitted with nylon tapewound medium gauge strings to give it a warm acoustic sound. Years previously, he discontinued using the popular stainless steel flatwound and nickel wound strings on his Fender bass because these metal strings would sometimes growl against the metal frets.
Alas, Shakespeare is no stranger to the bass. His play Henry IV, Part 1, chronicles a conversation in a tavern in Eastcheap between Prince Hal and Poins. The young Prince exclaims, ” I have sounded the very bass string of humility.”
The above festive dance music goes on for hours with only an occasional break to give everyone a brief pause for refreshment. The whole evening is a unique vision from the pages of rural Americana.
From the BRC: Hopefully, Springtime is finding its way to your countryside.
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