A Great Place
to Gather
About McCloud Dance Hall
"A warm, soft glow emanates from the maple hardwood floor. The hall's huge open expanse seems primed and ready, beckoning and inviting for dancers*".
The Dance Hall was built in 1906 for the small community of McCloud. The building features the original 5,000 square foot sprung dance floor, a large meeting room and kitchen area. The space features a rich history and has been utilized as a cafeteria for the McCloud Lumber Company, a school gymnasium and a meeting space for the Masons.
Throughout the years there were many dances on Friday and Saturday nights with live music by the Hottentots, a local band that originated in the late 1920s. The highlight of the McCloud Lumberjack Fiesta Days were the dances at the Dance Hall. The hall was used as a lodge and community space until 1979 when it became Dance Country, the square, round, and ballroom place to dance under the mountain.
Today, the Dance Hall serves as a space for community meetings, local dances, and a venue for special events.
*Quote taken from "Duo Offers Dandy Time for Dancers". Suzanne Mackie Bordelon. June 1990.
A Note from the Owners
Wow, what an adventure!
It is an honor to be stewards of Dance Hall and caretakers of this precious piece of McCloud.
Our vision is simple - to repair, upgrade and restore the building slowly while staying operational for local community events, dance workshops, festivals and retreats. Our commitment is to create and maintain a safe space for dance, fun and togetherness.
Follow along the restoration journey and come by for a visit and a tour next time you're in the area.
We would love to meet you!
- Kristin & Crispin
Upcoming Events
"Nestled in the heart of McCloud, at the base of Mount Shasta, the McCloud Dance Hall is the perfect Northern California venue for Ballroom Dancing, Square Dancing, Round Dancing, Weddings, Conferences & Events and more."
- Julie S.
Dance Hall History
2022-Present
Crispin Barrymore
Kristin Cunningham
Hall Owner/Director
In 2022, Crispin Barrymore and Kristin Cunningham acquired the McCloud Dance Hall with the intention of creating a safe space to bring people together to heal through community, music and dance. The Dance Hall will once again be reinvented.
1998-2022
John and Melissa Rickard
Owners
John and Melissa Rickard started their adventure with the Dance Country in 1998. John and Melissa continued to offer square dancing that the Abbots had started. They also had community dances with swing bands. They expanded into different kinds of music and retreats. Burning Tango is a tango dancing retreat in June with over 200 tango dancers over a weekend, that has been happening for several years. They also rented out the space for large yoga retreats and Weddings of 200 to 500 people. The Rickard's ran Dance Country until John passed.
1977-1998
Dave and Suzanne Abbott
Owners
After two years of renovations, Dance Country was born. Dave and Susanne Abbott purchased the building from the Masons and began offering Square and Round dancing in 1979. Dance Country grew and attracted folks from up and down the California coast, Sacramento and Oregon. The hall was filled with dancers from May through September. The Abbots enjoyed 20 years of bringing people together.
1918 - 1976
Freemasons
From 1918 - 1928 the building was used as the highschool gymnasium. The second floor was added in 1914 and used for the Masonic meeting space The stenciling was added in 1928, by a firm from San Fransisco hired by the GM of the mill. In 1933 the hall was used as a temporary cafeteria for the mill workers. In 1942 The National Guard used the banquet room to store supplies