Camp Sturtevant

Deep in the Angeles Forest, near a splashing stream, sheltered by one hundred year old spruce and maple trees, is Camp Sturtevant. Built in 1893, it is the last trail camp in the Angeles National Forest. It stands a world apart from the hustle of LA, in a cool and shady, cozy and inviting canyon setting. A 4.5 mile moderately strenuous hike up the lush Santa Anita canyon brings you to this beautiful camp complete with bunk-bed cabins, bathhouse, and hardwood maple floored dining and dance hall, for an intimate group of 40 people. Burros pack in the food, fuel, and creature comforts for the camp because there are no roads, no crowds, and no disturbance of the perfect solitude in the quiet canyon. The camp includes a tree swing, zip-trolley line, volleyball court, two big fireplaces, a myriad of hiking trails, and lots of space for relaxing. It is a place practically designed for weekend fun, contra dancing, and fantastic old-time music!

Kathy Anderson, one of the best known, and most enjoyable callers of contras and squares, will be the caller for the Sturtevant Hike and Dance Weekend. Kathy is famous for calling contras and squares with interesting figures. She has been intriguing dancers from Canada to the Virgin Islands for 20 years with her enthusiasm for challenging contras and fast-moving squares with a twist. Old-time banjo and piano led her to dancing, which she loves to share with all kinds of groups and communities. Her taste in flowing, quirky contras, and high energy squares makes for exciting dancing!

And who better than The Growling Old Geezers to provide the music to match that calling? The Geezers are a long-time favorite of the "left" coast local dance scenes from Monterey to San Diego with a unique repertoire that draws from the best of the old-time music tradition. This band plays an energetic mix of rollicking rhythms and lyrical melodies thanks to Jim Mueller's driving fiddle, the rounded, sonorous guitar of James Bolton, and lively, accented bass and fiddle of Amber Roullard-Mueller. If you’ve heard this band play, you know you have experienced the joy of great music!

All this: seven hours of evening dancing, Saturday and Sunday afternoon workshops and dances, six hot, home-cooked meals, two nights cabin lodgings complete with bunk beds, warm wool blankets, and cabin heaters for your comfort, can be yours for $145. You'll find the camp carefully tended, open, and inviting, an excellent place to meet new friends, lounge on a tree swing, and dance to your heart's content. Please join us for a step into the past, music and dance in the convivial atmosphere of friends, and the beauty of nature all at your doorstep.

For Information contact: Dixie Swanson (909) 592-5811, at msdixies@gte.net or