More barn dances likely after trial

Jamie and Sheree Tisdall relax outside Cottesbrook Woolshed in Middlemarch. PHOTO: SHAWN MCAVINUE
Jamie and Sheree Tisdall relax outside Cottesbrook Woolshed in Middlemarch. PHOTO: SHAWN MCAVINUE
A "ripper" barn dance in a historic woolshed in Middlemarch is set to return after a successful trial run.

Otago Hunt Inc member Sheree Tisdall, of Middlemarch, said the club hosted a hunt on her 400ha merino sheep and beef farm, Cottesbrook, in April this year.

The hunt was followed by a "trial" barn dance in Cottesbrook Woolshed.

About 160 people attended the public dance.

The woolshed was built in 1856, mostly from schist rock.

Leading a pack of riders through schist rock at an Otago Hunt Inc event in Middlemarch in April this year are Tori Brown (left) and Annabelle Dean. Photo: Kerri Back Photography
Leading a pack of riders through schist rock at an Otago Hunt Inc event in Middlemarch in April this year are Tori Brown (left) and Annabelle Dean. Photo: Kerri Back Photography
Heritage New Zealand website describes the woolshed as a "remarkable building" and the "jewel in the crown of stone buildings on the Strath Taieri".

For the dance, the interior of the woolshed was decorated with more than 500m of fairy lights, Mrs Tisdall said.

"We didn’t need to turn the lights on."

Two-piece band Idol Frets played on the shearing stand until the early hours of the morning.

"They were spot on. The dancefloor was full, right to the very end."

The trial was a success, leaving revellers asking for more dances.

A "teaser" barn dance might be held next year as a precursor to when the club celebrates its 140th anniversary by holding a "hunt week" in Middlemarch in autumn 2023.

People from across New Zealand would stay for a week for events including hunts, a hound show and another barn dance.

"There will be a lot of people here."

Supper at the trial dance, cooked by the husbands, included cuts from five sheep donated by local hunt members.

The tables and chairs at the dance were loaned from the Strath Taieri Lions Club.

The $400 raised from the dance was given to the Middlemarch Community Pool committee.

Revellers at the trial dance included seven Aucklanders.

The group, which were in the village cycling the Otago Central Rail Trail, was dining at the Strath Taieri Hotel when they asked the publican where all the patrons were.

The publican told them and the Aucklanders made their way to the woolshed.

"They were blown away by there being ... [a dance] in the middle of nowhere — it was a bit of a ripper," Mrs Tisdall said.

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