Elroy Lindaas of the Lindaas Barn Dances strums his guitar in his shop. He is also an active ham radio operator.
Decades ago, an old hayloft was transformed into a dance floor at the Lindaas Barn Dance farm near Mayville, North Dakota. Volunteers have been raising money recently through a new nonprofit to make safety upgrades to the popular venue.
MAYVILLE, N.D.
Just outside Mayville, a piece of Americana that continues to thrive and grow, thanks to passionate volunteers.
It is close to the summer launch of the annual Lindaas Barn Dance season.
The barn dances celebrate the beauty of country living.
“Our farm has a history that goes back in time,” Elroy Lindaas sings as he strums the guitar.
There was a time, you would’ve heard the sound of morning chores, tractors, hungry heifers and children on the farm.
“We used to pack loose hay way to the rafters,” Elroy said of the old days in the barn and hayloft.
But that barn serves another purpose today.
Retired farmer, Elroy Lindaas, 89, owns the farm.
“My roots go down here, this is almost sacred ground here,” Elroy said of the farm his grandfather started in 1878 after coming to the United States from Norway.
“His first year, he broke 40 acres and planted wheat and broke ground behind a walking plow and a team of horses,” Elroy said.
For generations, the Lindaas boys farmed and milked cows. But this barn, the hayloft upstairs?
“When they do the bunny hop, the floor does a little of this (up and down), but that’s OK, because it is limber,” Elroy said of the hayloft floor. Old and sturdy.
The farm is marking nearly 40 years of barn dances, a family friendly, alcohol free, live music extravaganza.
“Polkas and waltzes,” Elroy said.
“We have a house band here. Originally, we were The Hayshakers,” said Lute Simley, a musician and member of the nonprofit Friends of the Lindaas Barn Dances.
And so in a few weeks, the tradition starts all over again. This barn, once home to holsteins and hogs, will host the Lindaas Barn Dance on Saturday nights.
“We are getting a lot of youngsters, teenagers are finding out these old dances are fun,” Elroy said.
Simley and his band play here often.
“It’s like riding a bike. Once you two-step, polka or waltz, you do it the rest of your life,” Lute said.
Friends and supporters of the barn dance have started a nonprofit now to pay bills. A recent lift was put in, and another exit from the hayloft. All in an effort to keep the Lindaas Saturday Barn Dance alive.
“That old-time feeling is something we strive for,” Lute said.
“Community,” Elroy said.
For generations to come.
The first dance at the Lindaas Barn is Saturday, June 6. You can watch the sunset from the hayloft. You can find more information on their Facebook.
And you can donate to the barn at morgandavy.wixsite.com/lindaas-barn-dance.