The History and Spirit of the Frances Folk Gathering
The Spirit
A Gathering that people are part of and not just at.
Begun in 2000, the annual Frances Folk Gathering brings people together during the last full weekend of February in a community-building atmosphere in a small country town on the SA-Vic border. The idea is based on the old-style country gatherings – celebrating the folk arts in an atmosphere of fun and friendship.
The town of Frances throws its doors, streets and clubs open and welcomes Victorians, South Australians and folk from farther afield.
The Gathering promotes the folk arts – music, dance, song, poetry, arts and crafts - building on the past and looking to the future.
We aim to keep the spirit of the Gathering the same from year to year – but the event evolves too - with subtly different themes each year.
Everyone contributes to the fun and entertainment. We welcome young and old, beginners and experienced performers, the well-known, the never heard of and, sometimes, the infamous.
Frances is about participation. It’s not a festival with lots of concerts with performances by 'stars' but we do invite a couple of special guests who support our vision and inspire others. The style and background of these artists varies each year – so different genres of the folk scene each get a space.
The Gathering aims to involve and especially nurture young folk artists as well as up-and-coming talent.
This free event could not happen without the dedicated efforts of its many volunteers. Also, it is dependent on grants and ongoing sponsorship. We are actively seeking more volunteers and longer-term sponsorship.
We invite friends old and new to come and join in!
The Background
So what happened at Frances in the beginning?
On the 11th to 13th of February 2000, about 600 people gathered from Adelaide, Melbourne and from regional South Australia and Victoria to meet at the small town of Frances on the South Australian/Victorian border for the town's first Folk Weekend.
There were young folkies, old folkies, dyed-in-the-wool folkies, new folkies, people who had never heard of folkies or folk music/culture. If you happen to speak to anyone who was there, the verdict will be the same - they will all tell you it was the best thing they had been at in ages!
One of the most noticeable features of the weekend was the friendly, welcoming attitude 
of the local people and the happy community feeling and spirit there.
It was obvious they wanted the gathering to be successful and did everything possible to make that happen, opening up their town's facilities, closing off the main street and erecting a marquee, stage, tables and chairs, drinks stalls, etc. They cooked breakfast for the campers, mowed grass down, manned stalls and joined in the fun themselves.
Some of the many highlights were: -
The "Musicians Mixed Grill" on the Sunday, where people's names were put into a hat and drawn out at random in groups of four (or more) to perform a musical skit on stage. Sort of a Chorus Cup with a twist. There were some hilarious acts from the combinations formed!
The Saturday evening dance in the local hall, where the local schoolchildren provided entertainment during the break with their own dance routine. Two toddlers went missing briefly the next morning and were found trying to get back into the hall to do some more dancing - they seem to start dating at an early age in Frances!
The many sessions of all kinds were worth going to on their own. There was something for everyone, whether joining in a rowdy singing session, playing anglo/celtic music in a tune session or sitting in a quiet corner (or a room full of people) singing, reciting, playing or just listening to something a bit more sedate.
The blackboard concert on Saturday was well patronised, starting around midday and running into the early evening with some very entertaining and polished performances!
The end result?
Well, it's been happening every year since, and the programme has been expanded to include music competitions and a special youth award.
We have celebrated our tenth birthday (in 2009) and we're looking forward to another ten years of music, dance, art and fun!
The Gathering has a unique charm that is hard to duplicate. Everyone agrees they have a fantastic weekend and will definitely be back there doing it all again next year!