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Frolic on Franklin festival draws crowds for downtown shopping, entertainment

By Christine Anne Piesyk | September 22, 2008 |

Saturday was the perfect day for the annual Frolic on Franklin, a celebration of local arts and artisans. Partly sunny skies and a cooling breeze drifted over Franklin Street as vendors set up their tents and sidewalk displays for the event, which featured demonstrations of painting, wood-turning, and other crafts.

The sidewalk in front of the Roxy Regional Theater became an impromptu stage, with ample seating under a canopy for those who chose to watch dancers, or listen to vocalists and musicians who offered non-stop entertainment.  The days activities were capped by the Gala Opening of the 2008-09 Roxy Season and the initial production, The Robber Bridegroom.

Though crowds of browsers seemed evident throughout the day, a number of merchants noted that both attendance and purchasing was down from last year, with some speculating that economic factors including high gas prices across the region  continue to impact retail and discretionary sales. Nonetheless, those who attended seemed happy with a day spent at an old-fashioned “Main Street” fair.

Photos by Bill Larson

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About Christine Anne Piesyk

With 40 years behind me (Huh? What? How did that happen?) as a journalist, feature writer, investigative reporter, editor, and film/theater/arts critic, I brought my liberal New England activism to Tennessee several years ago. having completed a midlife undergraduate degree in community organizing and women's studies, and an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts. I am currently an MFA student at Goddard College. I served on Future Search Commissions for two colleges and an issue-specific commission for the City of Northampton, MA, and did minor undergraduate work in studies in urban planning and community development. I am a community volunteer and a member of FreeThinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties. I am a certified storm spotter. In my spare time (define spare time please?) I am a voracious reader, obsessive movie buff, classical music junkie; I also and design and make sci-fi/fantasy and renaissance costumes. I have an unquenchable interest in just about everything. I see life as an ongoing opportunity for learning and adventure, with the best things still to come. All posts by Christine Anne Piesyk as presented on Clarksville Online are copyright ©2006, 2007 to the author.

Email: womanspeak@yahoo.com