2011 Harvest Holiday Report by Joe and Debbie Krivan Once again those of you who missed this week long event missed a great deal! This "deal" was in all senses of the word; low cost, many dance routines, and some of the friendliest people on our planet. This was their 51st annual event. For those who do not know, this festival, held every year in Dallas, Texas, over Thanksgiving week, features seven days of round dancing and teaching in the Sterling Hotel. The 12,000 sq ft ballroom is on the third floor, so one never needs to leave the hotel if that is one's wish. We had Thanksgiving buffet dinner at the hotel and it was a very good meal, and inexpensive. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, there were two teaches each, morning and afternoon. On Tuesday, Ron and Marilou Webb did an excellent job of teaching the Goss waltz, Pastorale. In the afternoon, Ed and Karen Gloodt did their normal excellent job teaching their own bolero, For The Good Times, and their tango, Tango Roma, in the allotted time. On Wednesday, Glen and Helen Arceneaux presented Hallelujah Waltz. What a nice job they did, too! This was followed by Ken and Sue Davis teaching their own slow two step, Bring It On Home To Me. This one is sure to catch on, as it fits the music perfectly. It was Ken and Sue's first time here, and they were impressed by the week. Sue talked about bringing a bus load next year. On Thanksgiving, besides the fine dining experience, Theron and Christine Hixson taught us Hawaiian Wedding Song. This Lovelace classic is still going strong. Thursday afternoon's teach resulted from a vote with the Goss bolero Right Here Waiting winning. Ron and Marilou once again did a fine job (It is Marilou's favorite dance...) Friday starts the official weekend. A trail in dance in the afternoon and a dance in the evening was on tap for today. Then it was Saturday, and the actual weekend teaches began. This year it was the Worlocks presenting their own slow two step, Remember When, followed in the afternoon with the Shibata cha, I'm Gonna Getcha Good. (Next year it will be Bill and Carol Goss as featured teachers.) Each evening dance, with a good mixture of phase 4 to 6 dances, from Monday to Wednesday was followed by an after party in the upstairs giant "suite"; Friday's dance was followed by a catered BBQ supper before more die hard dancing (until 1:00 AM, don't ask me how I know). Saturday's evening dance ended with an 11:00 buffet breakfast with all the trimmings. This was followed by the "die easy" rounds until 2:00 AM. (Again, don't ask!). Finally, donuts and coffee followed by reviews of the two Saturday teaches ended the weekend. Monday through Thursday is free. The weekend costs about a hundred dollars. I challenge anyone to find a festival of this quality this inexpensive. Free parking for RV dry camping can be found in the hotel parking lot, and rooms are about $70 per night. The Texas folk cannot be friendlier. Hugs and shopping bargain instructions are the order of the day. I noticed that single dancers always seemed to find partners for the teaches. I wrote this review because we seem to have a wonderful time every time we come to this festival. I want it to prosper because we want to keep coming year after year. This year, we introduced two new couples to it. Can we introduce you to it next year? Information for the festival can be found at HarvestHoliday.com. Joe And Debbie Krivan