English country dancing is happening again at last in the western suburbs.

Participants must agree to our health policy and liability waiver, which requires proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination OR rapid antigen test within 6 hours of the event. As of May 11, 2023, masks are strongly encouraged but not required, unless requested under certain circumstances. We are currently asking participants to sign in and agree to the policy and waiver at each dance.

Our new location is:

Grace Lutheran Church
​493 Forest Ave.
Glen Ellyn IL 60137

Grace Lutheran Church is on the corner of Forest and Pennsylvania in downtown Glen Ellyn. There is a small parking lot, which they try to leave open for people with limited mobility. (Note that access to that parking lot is from Forest, which is one-way going north.) There is also ample street parking nearby.

It is an easy one-block walk north of the Glen Ellyn Metra station.

We will be using the 2nd floor gymnasium for our dancing. There is an elevator located near the door by the ramp at the inside corner of the parking lot, and there are stairs by the door at the west end of the building.

The gymnasium has a wood floor and adjoining kitchen and bathroom facilities. It is currently partially filled with food pantry storage but we hope that will soon change.

Next Dance:  Sunday, May 21, 2023

1 to 5:30 p.m.

International folk dance : 1 to 3:15 p.m.
English country dance : 3:15  to 5:30 p.m.

We prefer any donated treats to be bite-sized and easy to consume safely.
We recommend bringing your own water bottle.

To cover the cost of the hall rental, requested donation is: $5 / person.

Further dates for 2023

1st and 3rd Sunday of each month
May 21
(no dance June 4 because of June Camp)
June 18
July 2 (possibly)

————————————————————————

English country dancing in Chicago’s Western suburbs was held beginning in 2006 at Fermilab’s Kuhn Barn, and beginning in 2011 on at the Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park, called by Mady Newfield and Tammy Bretscher, with occasional other guests, including Tom Senior, Bruce Hamilton, Colin Hume, Tom Amessé, Louise Siddons, and Nikki Herbst.  Unfortunately, since the pandemic, neither venue is possible.

While we are happy with this venue for now, we may still consider other locations for dancing in the Western suburbs. Suggestions of possible venues are welcome. Please contact us.

We enjoy having live music as often as it is possible. Our “house band” has been Old Fezziwig’s Band, organized by Dan van Loon, however we have also enjoyed the music of other musicians such as the Cosmic Otters (Jonathan Whitall and Meg Dedolph), Tim Macdonald and Jeremy Ward, Rare Privilege (Maria Terres and Amy McFarland), Liz Donaldson, and Mara Shea.

Additional resources

List of dances done by Chicagoland West IFD, 2022 on

List of dances done by Chicagoland West ECD, 2021 on
(includes dances done at Oak Park gatherings during the pandemic)

List of dances done at Fermilab ECD, 2006 – 2020

List of dances done at Oak Park ECD, 2011 – 2020