Dancing days are here again in Abita Springs.

  When the Piney Woods Opry signed off for the last time last year, area music fans wondered what would replace the popular Northshore jamboree. They didn’t have to wait long to find out. The folks of Abita Springs are filling the Opry void with a pair of Saturday night dances.

  For eight years the Piney Woods Opry helped define Abita Springs. The nostalgic mix of traditional country, bluegrass and gospel music drew fans from throughout the Gulf South. Recorded live at the Abita Springs Town Hall, the Opry reached almost 300,000 listeners on regional radio and cable television stations. Shows invariably sold out, with overflow crowds tapping and clapping along on the Town Hall porch. For eight seasons, the Opry offered seven shows a year. Then last March, saying the Opry had grown too time-consuming, the show’s volunteer organizers pulled the plug.

  Now, thanks to the Abita Springs Business Association and a Northshore dance club, fans of traditional down-home music can once again call Town Hall home.

  The Abita Springs Classic Country Dance is the latest event to grace Town Hall. Billed by organizers as "two shows in one," the Classic Country Dance is a little bit country and … a little bit more country. The night begins with square dancing and music by Hazel and the Delta Ramblers. Early in the evening, instructors coach newcomers on dance steps such as the Virginia Reel and Texas Star. After 90 minutes of picking and passing partners, the show shifts gears into honky-tonk mode and the Jim Oertling Band takes the stage with country and western standards by the likes of Bob Willis, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.

  "It’s a traditional old barn dance," says Mike Norman, president of the Abita Springs Business Association. "Some of us wanted to revive the Opry. When we found that couldn’t be done, we suggested the Classic Country Dance."

  Abita’s first Classic Country Dance took place in February and attracted upwards of 100 guests. Norman expects that number to double at the upcoming dance on Saturday, April 28. (For more information call the Abita Town Hall at 985-892-0711.) Norman hopes to present the Classic Country Dance four times a year.

  "The Classic Country Dance is good for the community and a great time for everyone involved," says Abita Springs Mayor Bryan Gowland, who emceed the Opry and occasionally chimes in on T-fer, or triangle, with bands that play the Abita dances. "In a way, this fills the void left by the Piney Woods Opry. The dance presents some of the same style music and attracts the same audience."

  Another regular on the Abita calendar is also stepping up to fill the Opry void. Every month the North Shore Cajun Dance Club sponsors a Cajun dance at Town Hall. Like the Opry, Abita’s Cajun dances draw fans from as far as the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Regular performers include Rodney Thibodeaux, Tout les Soir, Jay Cormier, Lee Benoit and Bruce Daigrepont.

  And, like the Classic Country Dances, first-time Cajun shufflers can receive informal instruction before hitting the dance floor. "You don’t have to be a great dancer," says Paulette Laurent, club president. "We do this just for fun. We want everyone to get out on the floor and have a good time."

  Laurent says the dances, which have been going on for several years on the Northshore, attract upwards of 100 people each month, with dancers ranging from kids to grandparents. The next Cajun Dance will be Saturday, April 21. Informal lessons start at 7 p.m. and the dance follows.

  According to Gowland, the Abita events are just one stop for New Orleans area dancers. "I see a whole group of people who make the rounds," he says. "On Thursdays, they go to Rock’n’Bowl for zydeco night. On Sundays, they go to Tipitina’s to hear Bruce Daigrepont. When we have our dances, they come to Abita Springs."

  That’s exactly what Norman and the Abita Springs Business Association hope to hear. A group of residents and business owners united to spur commerce, particularly tourism, in Abita, the group hopes these dances, like the Piney Woods Opry, will help keep Abita on the map.

  "We want to make Abita Springs a center for traditional folk music, dance and art," says Norman. "It is important for us to maintain our heritage and make people aware of where we all came from." .