Club History
In early 1993, a few people who were taking dance lessons at the Fred Astaire studio in Fayetteville decided they would like to see a social ballroom dance club in town. They wanted to have some opportunities to use the steps they were learning in their lessons.
The Original Twelve members met at the Green Valley Country Club and went to work electing officers and making plans. On March 21, 1993, they held their first dance in the ballroom of the Prince Charles Hotel in downtown Fayetteville.
Later that year they sponsored a Harvest Ball hoping they could sell 40 tickets. The big September event drew 75 people to the Prince Charles Hotel and the club doubled its membership!
By February 1994, they had formed the Ballroom Dance Society of Fayetteville (known today as the Cape Fear Ballroom Dancers or CFBD). With 59 members, they voted to become a chapter in USABDA, the United States Amateur Ballroom Dancers Association. Then a few years later they dropped the connection with USABDA to keep dues low.
The club’s first president, Chuck Wedge, wrote about these early days, and you can read his article titled Humble Beginnings.
Recognizing the contributions of CFBD to Fayetteville and ballroom dancing in general, Fayetteville’s Mayor J. L. Dawkins issued an official Proclamation specifying September 18-24, 1994, as Ballroom Dance Week.
Over the years the club has danced at several locations around town. First at the Prince Charles, then the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, Holiday Inn Bordeaux, Elk’s Lodge, and Gates Four Country Club. Today, the club’s monthly dances are at Roland’s Dance Studio and the quarterly dinner-dances are at the Highland Country Club.
In 1998 the CFBD leadership decided the club should incorporate to enhance the club’s legitimacy: Certificate of Incorporation.
In December 2004, CFBD celebrated its 11th Anniversary with an extra special dinner-dance at the Highland Country Club. The gala was featured in a lengthy article that appeared in the Fayetteville Observer.
The monthly dance at Roland’s Dance Studio on May 15, 2010, was also covered by a feature in the Fayetteville Observer.
Our first ever Black & White Ball was held June 19, 2010, at the Highland Country Club. Almost everyone was decked out wearing formal attire with only the colors black and white. Very elegant!! We had such a good time, everyone hopes to do it again next year. The ball was featured in the Fayetteville Observer.
On September 21, 2013, the Club celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a very special dinner-dance at the Highland Country Club. Toasts were offered and the Duke Ladd Band from Wilmington, NC, provided the live dance music. Click HERE to look at the evening’s program. The celebration was featured in a story in the Fayetteville Observer.
Several outstanding leaders have served the CFBD as president. They are:
- Chuck Wedge 1993-1994
- Charles Hoffman 1995 (6 mos. only)
- Hazel Hinton 1995-2000
- Chip Modlin 2000-2003
- Will Gillis 2004-2007
- Gene Reynolds 2008-2009
- Drew Ziegler 2010-current
Community service has been another important part of the CFBD experience. Over the years, club members have volunteered to participate in demonstrations and shows for many events and organizations, including:
- Sunday on the Square
- Dogwood Festival
- Glory Days
- The Arts Council
- Cape Fear Regional Theatre
- Cumberland County Fair
- Several local retirement homes
- Several local schools
Since 1993, the Cape Fear Ballroom Dancers have been promoting, supporting, and enjoying ballroom dancing, and they have every intention of continuing to do so for many years to come!