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HomeArts/Leisure'Frolic on Franklin' celebrates music, dance, theatre and the arts

‘Frolic on Franklin’ celebrates music, dance, theatre and the arts

On September 20th, the 100 block of Franklin Street will come alive with music, dance, theatre and art. This marks the Second Annual Frolic on Franklin: A Celebration of the Arts. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Franklin Street will be teaming with artists displaying and selling their creations. They will be sharing the event with performing artists, bands, singers, dancers, players. In all, the Frlic will host  twenty-five booths and more than 50 artists.

The Frolic on Franklin: A Celebration of the Arts, a portion of the festival, is free and open to the public. The artists will display and sell their work, including art, jewelry, wood crafts, pottery and more. In addition, a minimum of five demonstrations including pottery, wood working/turning, a letterpress and painting, will be showcased, offering parents and children alike the opportunity to watch and learn. Interactive opportunities for the children will be made through activities such as sidewalk chalk and face painting.

This event was conceived by the Downtown Clarksville Association (DCA) members to bring arts to the streets on the same day The Roxy Regional Theatre hosts its annual Gala.

This event was initiated in order to draw attention to the numerous talented artists in the community.  Through the generous donations of DCA sponsors, the organization is able to provide tents, support and advertising for the event. Volunteers have been busy planning this event for the past year and will be present the day of the event to make sure all runs smoothly—from setting up tents, to providing the artists with breaks and assisting with preparations for the final “leg of our event” the Annual Gala for The Roxy Regional Theatre. The Gala brings hundreds of people from all over the region to the Roxy to enjoy an evening of fine food, art and, of course, theatre. The Roxy has been producing theatre in Downtown Clarksville for 25 years.

The Gala, the Roxy’s largest annual fund raiser, begins at 6 PM with outdoor dining (catered by The Bound’ry in Nashville), followed by an auction of art donated by regional artists.  The entertainment for the evening will be The Robber Bridegroom, a musical which combines a bluegrass score with a planter’s daughter, a rascally robber of the woods, an evil stepmother and a hostile talking head-in-a-trunk for an evening of pure delight and uproarious laughter.

Performances during the daytime will be by Northeast High School Choir, West Creek Middle School Choir, bluegrass by Stuart Bonnington, Acro Dance and Robert Jordan, vocalist, as well as one-act plays by the Roxy School of the Arts.  There will also be activities for the children—face painting and sidewalk art

Frolic on Franklin: A Celebration of the Arts is supported by the generous donations of our sponsors. Through their contributions, DCA is able to offer this event with no charge to the displaying artists or the public. The phrase “struggling artist” is well-known and oft used, which led DCA to make it as easy as possible for participating artists to have every opportunity to make a profit instead of gambling on booth expense and the hopes of an interested audience.

As Historic Downtown Clarksville continues to regain strength as a viable business, shopping and dining district, we hope to increase the number of festivals and activities for the families of Clarksville and the surrounding area. The DCA is firmly committed to the concept of combining the arts with the revitalization of the downtown area and is “proud to be part of the revitalization of this important part of Clarksville history”. The public is invited to come and experience all we have to offer.

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