EVER WANTED TO BE IN A FOLK FESTIVAL RATHER THAN AT ONE?

At the Frances Folk Gathering the performers write the program. You just turn up and write
yourself into the blackboard concerts, competitions and sessions that run continuously all
weekend. So all those musicians, singers, poets and storytellers who have managed to get
onto a festival program then find they are not performing on the main stage at 8.30pm on
the Saturday night - that it's more like 9.00am in the CWA hall on the Sunday morning -
plus all those performers who fail to make the cut at all - here's your Big Break!

Frances Folk Gathering 2000
So what happened at Frances in the beginning?

On the 11th to 13th of February 2000, about 500-600 people gathered from Adelaide, Melbourne &
all over SE South Australia and SW Victoria to meet at the small town of Frances on the SA/Vic
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 for 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 and expertly run with the P.A. provided by
the Geelong Folk Club. It started around midday and ran into the early evening and there were some
very entertaining and polished performances in that time.
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. There are now the "Kids Biz"
workshops
held in conjunction with the Gathering, where hundreds of primary school children are bussed in
from all around the area and given the opportunity to learn about and participate in a wide variety
of folk related activities.
The event has a unique charm that is hard to duplicate. It's not a money-making concern of
course - it's not meant to be - and nobody gets paid but everyone certainly agrees
they have a fantastic weekend and will definitely be back there doing it all again next year!

Click here to read "Ode to Frances" - a poem by visiting performer Helge Arildso from Denmark

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