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Frances Folk Gathering - Newsletter Jan 30th 2009
Frances hits ten years of pure folkational therapy!!!
Greetings all! Here’s hoping that this newsletter finds you well and in fine fettle for more fun and frolics at Frances 2009. Just four weeks to go to the 20th February and another fantastic weekend meeting old friends and making new ones.
“So what’s happening?” many folk are asking. Well you know the answers to that one. The gang have been working hard and we’ve lots of the old favourites and a few bits-with-a-twist.
We also have a couple of invited guests to share their expertise and good humour with anyone who enjoys their talents. As usual, we don’t advertise their names as we believe that folk come to Frances, not for stars, but to enjoy the company and the musicianship, and the poetry and the dance and the song and….
Since it’s the Tenth Birthday Bash we’ve set aside a special half hour at 3 o’clock on the Saturday when we hope to get everyone together for a ‘Folkal Point’ in the programme – a special celebration. We’ll have a birthday cake and we want to get everyone into a party picture.
So…bring your own silly (or special) party hat, bring a cake to share if you can, and… bring your Frances memorabilia and badges. Have you any photos, jottings or memoires you can bring along? We’ll have plenty of spaces to stick up photos and whatever. See what you can dig out please.
We do have an Australiana flavour and a strong Celtic tinge this year and there are dashes of bluegrass, seventies, bloons’n’streamers, clowning and capers. As ever there are fascinating workshops and special interest sessions (about 15 – like something jazz-ish, ensemble singing, stagecraft, poetry, several on dance, Scots’ pipes, collecting Australian songs, Copper family songs, and more).
The FutureFolk marquee is rolling again with a great programme of fun, learning and competitions for our future folkies. The well-subscribed competitions will be in full flow throughout Saturday with the Bandemonium concert-competition in the evening. We’ve an ‘ad-hoc’ stage session, an Australiana concert, a wonderful opening concert after the Bowling Club Barbecue and…trying something slightly different…a ‘Fruits of Frances’ concert on Sunday morning.
The blackboards will be running again and this time we hope to extend them into Sunday too. I guess there’ll be the odd session here and there, the soirees, the stars at night and a few tee-shirts to buy. Oh, and there’ll be street stalls again – we’re expecting the Farmers’ Market on Sunday!
We’ve great support coming from the Hills Folk Club who’re hosting two marvellous singing evenings in the dining room and from the McLaren Vale Folk Club who’ll make several contributions to the weekend. (We’re hoping that other clubs – especially from Victoria - will be happy to join in these events and to host others themselves over coming years.)
There will be a Tour de Frances just as soon as we’ve worked out what it is! In the meantime just make up your own – it just has to be fun. Did I mention the bloons and the face painting?
Have you ever had a go at Speakers’ Corner? Well here’s your chance – just be at the crossroads between 11 and one on Saturday. And the wonderful Art Show is running again in the Hall – which of course is hotly sought-after by all the dancers. Do you remember the ‘scratch band’ for the bush dance last year? Well the 37-piece orchestra may well be there again!
And to round everything off there’ll be the usual endless creativity, talent and mischief of the famous Frances Gathering Mixed Grill on Sunday afternoon. We’ll round things off (officially, that is. When does Frances really stop???) at 4 on Sunday with a farewell song and a few thoughts – a 15-minute round-up till the 11th Gathering.
Frances is a Gathering of gems – whether its all the good townsfolk, the children who learn and grow, the brilliant artists, the shy poets who bring and share their work, or plain old everyone. It’s what we all make it by being there and extending friendships.
Don’t forget…all the events are free, the camping is cheap, the food is great and the hospitality and friendship are priceless.
About 98% of the work for this great Gathering is done by volunteers. Please, help in whatever way you can, spread the word, get people onto this newsletter, and keep an eye on the website for developments and information. Travel well and we look forward to seeing you there.
All the best in folk at Frances
Steve Keirl
on behalf of the Coordinating Group.
www.francesfolkgathering.com.au