There are still people who remember when you could square dance five or six nights a week if you wanted to — “and many did,” says Doug Wilkins, who’s been calling square dances for 40-plus years in the eastern style, which is a “barn dance” where all are welcome, including beginners.

Wilkins called such a dance on Saturday, March 22 in Ashfield, with the Fall Town String Band providing live music. The band is made up of Jason Burbank on the keyboard/fiddle, Jack Nelson on the bass, Tom Novelli on the fiddle, and Marvin Shedd on guitar.

“The square dance was delightful!” recalls Podge Thomas of Williamsburg, who added they “were pleased to arrive to a packed room of people of all ages. Some of the dance moves were harder than others but all in all, we had a great time!”

There were more than 80 attendees at the free event, which was supported by grants from the Ashfield, Buckland, Shelburne, and Williamsburg Cultural Councils. Another free dance is planned in Ashfield for Oct. 4.

Wilkins and the band members were pleased with the turnout. “We had a great time — great old hall and an abundance of joy emanating from the dance floor,” Shedd said of the event. “We delight in being able to provide the spark that allows people to engage in this old New England tradition of square dancing and to see a mix of young and old dancers.”

Lila West, of Hadley, took the stage to call a dance mid-evening. West grew up square dancing with her parents and sister — Wilkins recalls West as young child at square dances — and has now called dances in a few settings. Several generations of the West family attended the Ashfield dance and were notably skilled dancers.

The March 22 dance brought newbies and experienced dancers alike. Jaymie Zapata, of Ashfield, wrote to me after, “it was my first square dance. I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire time I was dancing, even as my feet and brain stumbled around trying to keep in rhythm.”

Following footsteps

In the early 1980s in Heath, Wilkins recalls, “dairy farmers were milking at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. and then dancing 8 p.m. to midnight.” And they’d do it all again the next day. Donna Scott, of Ashfield, has shared with me her grandpa’s stories about life in the 1910s, “working … all day then dancing half the night away. He would fall asleep in his carriage and his horse would find its way home.”

Scott recalls that her grandparents and great grandparents danced on the floor in Ashfield Town Hall when it was new. She remembers her Grampa Williams telling her that the floor was built for dancing. Several people including Scott have told me that a floor like this one makes a dancer look and feel as if they are a better dancer, and can help you dance longer without fatigue.

Community square dances were vital for early settlers, then the form had a big revival after World War II. In Ashfield, dances were held every week in the 1940s and 1950s. According to longtime Ashfield residents Doug and Muriel Cranson, back then everyone danced and people came from surrounding towns to dance in Ashfield.

Square dances became less frequent in the 1960s and 1970s and are now largely offered at fairs and special events. In 2007, the Ashfield Town Hall hosted a 50th wedding anniversary “Round and Square Dance” organized by four Ashfield couples. Wilkins called the dance with music from the Country Friendship Band, and the Ashfield Select Board’s annual report that year called it a “delightful revival of the square dance tradition in Ashfield.”

Ashfield resident Phil Pless attended both the March 22 dance and the 2007 dance. He recalls the anniversary dance as “the last square dance I went to at Town Hall. They had the maple dance floor reconditioned and waxed before the dance. The room was decorated beautifully and everyone had a wonderful night.”

Pless added, “Linda and I really enjoyed the [March 22] square dance at Town Hall. We counted about a 100 dancers. It was great to see people of all ages from so many towns coming together for a night of fun.”

Muriel and Doug Cranson, who grew up square dancing in Ashfield and helped organize the anniversary dance, also had fun at this year’s March 22 event. They hope some of the newer dancers will come back to Ashfield to dance again this fall. “The more you get to know it the more fun it is,” said Doug (that’s been my experience too!) and he summed up some encouragement for everyone: try to “stay in time with the music and give it your all.”

Fun on the floor

West, a school teacher, talked with me over the phone last winter about the accessible nature of square dancing and the pleasure of teaching it to beginners by breaking down the dance without dumbing it down. “Anybody can square dance,” she said, emphasizing “anybody.”

I got to see West in action at the Ashfield dance, towards the end of the night when three sets of mostly experienced dancers remained on the floor and Wilkins was calling more intricate dances. My husband, Chris Nelson, and I were in a square with West, her sister Diana West, their teenage nieces and some friends, all of whom have a lot more square dancing experience than we do. Several times Lila West gently coached me or her family on the next turn, and this helped our square keep flying through the complex dance and through the fun. The night ended with Wilkins calling all three squares together into a wonderful inter-weaving wave.

Wilkins is skilled at calling to varied audiences. He got his start calling dances in Heath in 1982, back when Ray Gay was calling the dances there and also bringing in guest callers due to his emphysema. Wilkins was a singer and when the opportunity arose to call a dance one night, he turned out to be a great fit for the job. A regular spot opened up and Wilkins learned 18 calls in two weeks to get ready, then was mentored by Gay. Since then, Wilkins has been a caller at the Heath Fair and the Cummington Fair, and at dances in the hilltowns and throughout western Massachusetts.

The Fall Town String Band said they “love working with Doug Wilkins. His passion for square dancing shines through. We have also enjoyed watching Lila West step up to accept the torch of keeping this old art form alive.”

The Fall Town String Band plays American roots, folk, jazz and country standards, and blues, not just for square dances. The band has a monthly gig in Turners Falls and they play at fairs, festivals, and private events. According to Shedd, most of the members have played together for more than 30 years. With that kind of experience, he said, “you know where the other one’s going to be on the court.”

The band’s first square dance was at the Bernardston Town Hall in 1987; for years they played monthly dances in Bernardston, then Goshen, then Chesterfield, usually September through May because it was too hot to dance in the summer.

Coming up

There are several opportunities to dance this year including a another free dance at Ashfield Town Hall on Oct. 4 that will be called jointly by Doug Wilkins and Lila West, with music by the Fall Town String Band.

Doug Wilkins and the Fall Town String Band also have two dates coming soon: May 17 at the Charlemont Fair Grounds, 7 to 10 p.m. (a fundraiser for the Charlemont Lions Club) and June 14 at the Heath Fair Grounds, 7 to 10 p.m. (a fundraiser for the Heath Agricultural Society, the group that puts on the Heath Fair).

The March 22 and Oct. 4 dances in Ashfield are supported by grants from the Ashfield, Buckland, Shelburne, and Williamsburg Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Call 413-485-7285 for info about Ashfield’s Oct. 4 dance.