DOUGLAS — Another Cull Family Farm Barn Dance has come and gone.
The 17th annual event was held Saturday evening and Mother Nature couldn’t have co-operated better than she did. The weather was great, sweaters and jackets weren’t needed until much later into the night.
Entertainment provided by Eddie Coffey and Rhonda from Newfoundland and the Douglas Connection kept the dance floor busy throughout the evening.
And while there were heroic efforts to save a well-known barn dance participant, 92-year-old Richard Neve of Shawville succumbed to health-related matters. (Mr. Neve’s obituary is on Page 2.)
Following the incident, Preston Cull, who was on stage with his family to sing O’Canada, had tears in his eyes and spoke with a catch in his voice about the death of Mr. Neve, dying doing something he loved.
“It is sad,” Mr. Cull said, adding, “But Richard was 92, and had been up earlier dancing. He died listening to his favourite music.”
Along with the two-steps and waltzes, there were also a few square dances throughout the evening’s entertainment.
One of the highlights was the dance of the Ugly Sticks. The ugly stick is a traditional Newfoundland musical instrument fashioned out of household and tool shed items, typically a mop handle with bottle caps, tin cans, small bells and other noise makers. The instrument is played with a drum stick and has a distinctive sound.
However, at the barn dance, the ugly stick creators were very creative, one having hair and another having symbols, the stick being bounced onto the ground, creating the noise from the symbols. There were four ugly sticks Saturday night.
Money raised from this event will go towards the Douglas Parade, other community organizations, as well as for featured entertainment at future barn dances.
