Three of us volunteers run the Fermilab barn dance series about 30 miles
west of Chicago.
http://www.fnal.gov/orgs/folkclub/
The schedule is the second Sunday evening September through June, plus
the third Sunday afternoon November through April. So, 16 dances per year.
Admission is $6 ($3 for ages 12-18 and over 65, free under 12)
We typically get 10 to 40 people these days. We've had ups and downs
over the years.
We get the venue free. It is a former dairy barn of peg and post
construction that dates from somewhere between 1896 and 1910.
Insulation, heating (but not AC), and plumbing were added in about 1970
when it was adapted to be a meeting and party space. We also have a
disco ball.
Caller and band split 80% of the door. Our 30 year old agreement (from
when we charged $3, if I remember correctly) sets the minimum to be
divided at $100. Over the past few years typically it has been $25 to
$35 per person. We don't have a sliding scale based on band size, but
sometimes band and caller agree among themselves on something other than
an even split.
We have a sound system and one volunteer runs it.
-Dave Harding
