PORT ANGELES — The late Bob Boardman continues to inspire dance seven years after his death.
This Saturday, a special contra dance will celebrate the life of Boardman, as well as those of Bill Hennessey and Nancy Vivolo.
The annual Bob Boardman Memorial Dance takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday at Black Diamond Community Hall, 1942 Black Diamond Road. The workshop portion of the dance begins at 7:30 p.m.
All musicians who have played with Boardman throughout the years are invited to participate in the music.
But as always, the group encourages new dancers to join with the message: “We have the funnest, friendliest folks to dance with anywhere.”
“And if you never had the good fortune to know Bob or dance to his music, come and join those of us who did,” Tom Schindler wrote in an email. “Some of his spirit may rub off on you, and you’ll be glad.”
Admission is by a requested donation of $8 or more for adults and $4 for those younger than 18. All proceeds go to the Centrum Foundation’s “Bob Boardman Fiddle Tunes Scholarship Fund.”
The fund helps support scholarships for young musicians to attend Centrum’s weeklong Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in July at Fort Worden State Park.
“Bob was very involved in the festival over the years and took special delight in nurturing the musical skills of younger musicians,” Schindler said.
The Possum Carvers, comprised of Scott Marckx, Jeannie Murphy and Chris Cooper, will “anchor” the music, as other of Boardman’s friends pitch in. Carol Piening and Amy Caroll will lead the calling.
Boardman, a nurse and diabetes educator as well as a guitarist and mandolinist with bands across Jefferson and Clallam counties, was killed by a mountain goat while hiking in Olympic National Park on Oct. 16, 2010. He was 63 years old.
Hennessey, a Port Angeles family doctor, was also a musician who helped form the Black Diamond Fiddle Club. He died Aug. 28, 2013, at the age of 59 after a long fight with cancer.
Vivolo, a veteran board member of the Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts, died Oct. 4, 2015, at 58 years old.
The next contra dance will take place Jan. 6 with Kate Powers and David Rivers supplying the tunes. Typically, dances occur on the first Saturday of the month at the Black Diamond Community Hall.
For more information, call Schindler at 360-457-5667 visit www.black diamonddance.org.
