The Oak Ridge Folk Dancers meet on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

We meet on Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 to 3:00 at the Claxton Community Center at 1071 Edgemoor Road, Clinton TN.

Most of the folk dances are very easy; they are the type of dances that people historically would have done in a village for a celebration, such as a wedding. We practice each dance before dancing it.

We start dancing at 1:00 and end at 3:00 but dancers can leave when it is convenient for them. Beginners are welcome; most people pick up the dances easily. We are recreational dancers so are not trying to get every step perfect. The first visit is free. After that we ask dancers to pay $4 an evening. If a person can't pay, that's okay.

Our dancers wear comfortable clothes and shoes. We have good heating and air conditioning at the Claxton Community Center and so can keep our dancers comfortable. There is ample parking and the entrance is just a short walk; the building is on one level.

You do not need a partner. Most of our dances are done in circles or lines but we occasionally do a partner dance.

We take a short break from dancing at 2:00 pm for announcements. A few times a year we have a potluck lunch starting at 1:00 and we often celebrate a dancer’s birthday with refreshments.

If you would like to see some of the dances we do, go to http://www.utube.com and type Trgnala Rumyana which is a Bulgarian dance. Or type Makedonsko Devojce which is Macedonian. Or type Hanter Dro (French), Moj Maro (Albanian), or Kortanc (Hungarian). You won’t see our group but you’ll see folk dancers in motion.

Our group started in 1944 when Oak Ridge TN was getting settled. Someone had a phonograph and records and could teach the steps to folk dances. Now we dance to music on our laptop. We meet at Claxton Community Center which is a central location between Oak Ridge, Clinton and Knoxville.

We learn new dances by going to workshops where an invited instructor teaches; the goal is to keep dancing the beautiful older dances in addition to picking up interesting new ones. Some members of our group go to weekend workshops in Nashville or Asheville (NC) although workshops are offered in each state throughout the year.

Our Oak Ridge Folk Dance group holds a spring weekend workshop in March or April where 40-50 dancers from around the southeast attend. We have request dancing on Friday night followed by a teaching session with our invited instructor. On Saturday, we have dance sessions in the morning and afternoon with a catered ethnic lunch in between. We have a dance party in the evening where we do request dancing and where we again practice the dances our teacher has taught that weekend. We meet dancers from other groups and have a good time; folk dancers are some of the nicest people you will meet. They are down to earth and dance to enjoy the beautiful ethnic music and steps and the friendship that comes from sharing an enjoyable activity with friends.

The Claxton Community Center is an older red brick building and former church; it has a very nice wood floor which is good for dancing. It also has a kitchen which we use when we have potluck lunches or celebrate a birthday.

To get to Claxton Community Center you'll want to take Highway 170, which is also called Edgemoor Road; you can access Highway 170 from Pellissippi Parkway in the Solway area near the Clinch River Bridge or from Clinton Highway in the Claxton area.

The turn-off for the community center is just past the Bull Run Steam Plant if you are coming from the west and just past the Amoco gas station and market if you are coming from the east. It's a little tricky to turn off the highway onto the driveway, so slow down or you'll miss it.

The community center sits back off the highway. You will turn off Highway 170 where you see a childrens playground and baseball fields. Follow the driveway past the ball fields and children's play area and curve around to the Community Center. Just walk in and find us. We'll be happy to see you.

For information call Paul Taylor at 865 898 5724 or visit us at Oak Ridge Folk Dancers (http://www.oakridgefolkdancers.org/) or see us on Facebook under Oak Ridge Folk Dancers.