DUMMERSTON — As the days grow shorter and colder, it's time to break out your dancing shoes and stoke the first evening of winter and longest night.
Join friends and neighbors in celebrating the 2013 winter solstice on Saturday, Dec. 21 with Simba at an annual party: a night of drumming, dancing, music, and fun for the whole community.
All ages are invited. The party, at Evening Star Grange at the intersection of East-West, Bunker, and Middle roads in Dummerston Center, is 7 to 11 p.m.
Admission is $10 with a family maximum of $25.
Simba, together 24 years, plays weddings, parties, summer concerts, and other special events. But the group says the Solstice Dance Party is a highlight for the band and for the dancers who attend.
And it promises music to make you move: funk, reggae, Latin, world beat, soca, calypso, ska, jazz, and blues. There's no mistaking the sound: blazing horns and scorching percussion.
Simba is Bob Stabach, sax and flute; Dan DeWalt, keyboard, steel drum, and trombone; Wim Auer, bass; Charlie Schneeweis, trumpet and vocals; Steve Sonntag, trumpet and percussion; Derrik Jordan, guitar, keyboard, percussion, violin and vocals; Steve Leicach, congas and talking drum; and Johnny Yuma, drums and vocals.
Rupa Cousins will lead a movement meditation to celebrate the return of the light.