What was going on with the local folk music and dance scene in the early 1980s? From November 1981 thru March 1983, the Monadnock Folklore Society published a newsletter every month (mostly). The issues for which copies still are extant have been scanned, and they are provided in PDF format available on the Newsletter Archive page.
The issues ranged from 4 – 10 pages in length. There are some detailed articles and profiles of musicians, as well as advertisements from supportive businesses, typical clip-art of the era, and schedules of concerts and dances in the area, including, notably, the calendar of the Folkway Coffeehouse. The newsletter was initially composed using an IBM Selectric Typewriter – articles were then cut and pasted into a layout. By 1983 we had evolved to generating text from an Apple computer, however the printed-out copy still had to be cut up and pasted into a layout for offset printing. And yes, there are typos (something which the age of spell-check has only modestly curtailed). We hope you enjoy browsing through this historical snapshot.
Archives of MFS Concerts/Events
If you would like to review the concerts and events previously sponsored by the Monadnock Folklore Society, this is the area of our site you should visit.
Miscellaneous Articles
MFS periodically receives copies of old newspaper or magazine articles on the subject of folk music and contra dancing. We anticipate updating this section regularly, as new treasures are uncovered, so check back often.
The Town Hall Swings: an article about dancing in Nelson(from the Boston Sunday Globe. May 4th, 1969)
Photo: The Chieftains playing at the Colonial Theatre in Keene with a host of local musicians.