Peter Edwards is bringing the barn dance to Delta.

The former U.K. resident is a member of the band Doghouse, a Celtic and folk-influenced group which includes Ladner’s George Tyc and Tsawwassen’s Bruce McLelland.

Edwards came to Ladner from the U.K. in 2001, where he ran a band for 15 years. In Delta, he began Doghouse in 2003. Because the band members have full time jobs, it limits where they can tour. But a look at their schedule in the past year shows they’ve kept busy on stage.

They’re in high demand around St. Patrick’s Day—booking has already begun for 2009—and this past summer performed at community events like the Canada Day celebration in Ladner Village, the new Steveston Village Farmers’ Market, Corporation of Delta’s summer Concerts in the Park, and a Tall Ships Festival in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island.

And Doghouse gives back to their community through a special kind of fundraiser: the Ceilidh barn dance.

Ceilidhs (pronounced kay-lee) are a type of social dance.

“It’s an Irish word that means sort of a party. In North American parlance it’s taken to mean a barn dance,” says Edwards.

“Barn dances are much more prevalent in the U.K. than they are here, so we’re trying to sort of introduce them.”

This month Doghouse is hosting a Ceilidh to raise money for the Delta Hospice Society’s Building Fund, where the proceeds go to the construction of a new 10-bedroom hospice and support centre in Ladner.

“We try to get as many people as possible to come to the dances and we think that (the hospice) will ring a bell with a lot of local Deltans here,” says Edwards.

On Oct. 18 at the Ladner Community Centre, a caller will lead dancers in the moves while Doghouse provides the music, including songs from their concert repertoire in between dances. Through past Ceilidh barn dances they’ve raised funds for local organizations like the Delta Hospital Foundation.

“It’s a really fun time. Nobody needs to know how to do it,” says Edwards, who adds older children love it, and often catch on more quickly than the adults.

Part of the fun is in the range of instruments Doghouse brings out.

Edwards knows the fiddle, mandolin, banjolin, melodeon and the concertina mini (sort of an accordion with bellows). Tyc, whose great love is jazz, says Edwards, is the lead vocalist, guitarist and also plays the harmonica. Originally a drummer in a rock band, McLelland provides backup vocals, and is the band’s drummer, percussionist and bodhran player (an Irish frame drum).

“It’s a very varied sound we produce,” says Edwards.

And it’s a great family event, he says, and hospice executive director Nancy Macey agrees.

“What a fun-filled fundraiser. We are fortunate to be able to receive the proceeds from such a unique event. We hope the word gets out about this dance as it will be fun for the whole family,” she says.

Doghouse’s Ceilidh barn dance takes place Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Ladner Community Centre. For tickets ($16), contact Edwards at 604-940-0844 or e-mail pedwards7@cs.com. Ticket cost includes free door prize draws and snacks.

n kthiessen@southdeltaleader.com