Joe Sam dances with Athena Theodorides of

                                       Burnsville during the street dance.

Joe Sam Joins Rhododendron Festival as Guest Caller

Senator Joe Sam Queen joined local dance callers as a guest caller at the Bakersville Rhododendron Festival annual Saturday night street dance June 23rd. The dance was held at the Bakersville Fire Department parking lot as part of the Fire Department's annual fund raiser. This year's proceeds of the dance and barbecue dinner will help fund a much-needed new rescue vehicle for the Bakersville Volunteer Fire Department.

Senator Queen opens, “Let’s all join hands in one big circle!” From little kids with red lights blinking in their shoes to grannies in their comfy clothes, it was a family affair. Everyone was welcome. There were as many as a hundred participants for some dance circles. The band was Bob Lominac and the Boys from Mitchell County. Bob Lominac kept things moving by telling folks, “you can't let the pavement cool off" and they didn’t. At the end of the dances, male and female participants alternate in rushing to the center of the circle with a holler that surely was heard in downtown Bakersville.