Square dancing and barbecue, Alabama-style in Malverne

Dancers put their best feet forward on Saturday evening at Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s during its second annual barnyard dance, do-si-doing around the farm to the sounds of live music, while getting treated to sizzling barbecue and a wide selection of drinks.

Annie Sunshine, the farm’s events coordinator, put the night of music and dancing together, with all proceeds going to the continued operation of the farm.

“It’s a fun night, and it’s really a fundraiser to keep the farm going,” Sunshine said.

While she organized the event, dance caller Chart Guthrie took the lead on the night itself.

“He’s famous,” Sunshine said of Guthrie, who boasts a long career in dance calling. “He’s well known for line dancing and square dancing.”

Guthrie was more modest as he reflected on his career. “I’ve been calling for a long time,” he said. “I’ve always loved to dance. I believe that somebody associated with Crossroads saw me call at Hallockville Farm out in Riverhead. I’ve done a barn dance there for about 20 years.”

Though originally from Tennessee, Guthrie didn’t start dance calling until he moved to Long Island.

“I call pretty much all over Long Island,” he said.

He said he runs a dance in Smithtown, usually the second Friday each month, and in November and December, the dance will take place the second Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Long Island Traditional Music Association holds that dance.

“I’ve been running that dance since the mid-’80s,” Guthrie said.

His dance steps remain simple, but fun and lively. “If you can walk,” he said, “you can dance.”

Several vendors set up stations around the farm for guests to enjoy. Oceanside-based Barrier Brewing Company brought a number of its beers to the farm.

“We like to keep things local,” Kira Guarniere, a representative of the brewing company, said. “We’ve been around since 2009. We’re one of the older craft breweries operating in Long Island. We just want to make sure everyone in the community knows what we have to offer.”

The farm’s staff members gave out some of their own offerings as well. A number of wines made from Long Island-based wineries were available, and items from the farm’s own harvest, as well as from other local farms, were on sale as well.

For food, farm staff handed out cups of their very own vegetable chili and sold chili ingredient kits, using some materials straight from the farm.

Farm-goers could also pair their chili with some Alabama-style barbeque. Sweet Annie’s Smokehouse, a Malverne-based barbeque company, catered the Saturday evening event. Sweet Annie’s recently also served food at Crossroads Farm’s fall family festival and the Malverne Chamber of Commerce’s annual fall festival.

The smokehouse was the brainchild of Nick Parlato, who first got hooked to the cooking style while visiting his younger brother, Michael, who was attending the University of Alabama.

“My parents and everybody would go visit him in school,” Parlato said. “They would come back and tell me all about the different types of cuisine down there. I did my own research. I spent my days at libraries, traveling, trying different barbeque places, reading different books, going on YouTube, and then I just made my own recipes. I began to just cook for family and friends, and eventually I turned it into a business.

“I’ve been smoking food for about eight years,” Parlato added. “We’re officially in business for almost two years. This is truly something we have a special place in our hearts for. It’s my passion, and it’s a family-run operation.”

Between the piping hot food, locally brewed drinks and simple, fun dances, the evening was a delight to farm-goers young and old.