The Spokane Folklore Society (SFS website) is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the celebration of Folk Arts, particularly music and dance.

One of our main activities with SFS is Contra Dancing. Contra dancing is a type of traditional dance from New England. Dancers face each other in "contra" lines and move up and down the formation as couples in figures directed by a caller. The Virginia Reel is a dance in this style. You don't have to be experienced - the caller teaches all the moves. Special clothes are not necessary. No partner is needed - Singles and couples are invited.  Click here for some pictures of a typical local Contra dance.

History: Beginning in 1977, the Spokane Folklore Society grew out of a series of concerts produced by various people in the 2nd City Center, which was located where the present Farm Credit Bank sits, and had a large, empty open space on the second floor which was available cheaply for events. Among the folks that ran concerts in the late 1974 to early 1976 period were Paul Kinderman, co-owner of the Sound Hole; Dawn Holladay; and Sheila and Don Thompson, who ran the 2nd City Ice Creamery at the time.

Because concerts weren't terribly profitable endeavors, few concerts series lasted more than a season. In mid-1976, after the Ice Creamery ended their series, Paul Kinderman recruited Steve Simmons and Eric Johnson to form the Paul Kinderman Folk Investment Group (FIG). Each person would kick in $25 and we would run concerts until the money ran out, then see if we wanted to do it again. Co-sponsoring concerts with Heritage Family Theatre so that we could use their bulk nonprofit mailing permit, the FIG ended the 1976-77 season with $380 in the bank (we never did put the $25 in.)

Meanwhile, Uncle Don and several other folks kept saying what we needed was a nonprofit Folklore Society to do concerts on a continuing basis. Somebody said it once too often, and Eric went to the library, researched the state law on such animals, and wrote up a set of Articles on Incorporation and Bylaws. The incorporators signing the papers were Paul Kinderman, Steve Simmons, Eric Johnson, Don Thomsen and Bob Glatzer. Paul was the President and Eric the Secretary-Treasurer. The net profits of the FIG were donated to the Society as seed money.

Operationally, Paul booked the acts and Eric handled the production and financing the first year, with the able assistance of Steve and Don in setting up and taking down. Don's P.A. system was donated for most of the concerts, if memory serves correctly. Those four with Dan Jones constituted the whole of the membership that year.

The Folklore Society's first year saw a Sandy Bradley square dance in November 1977. The Pleasant Hill Band, Mike Marker and Custer's Grass Band got us through December. January 1978 saw the Hog Heaven String Band and Bob White warbling for us, with Michael Sky in February. J. B. Freeman and Homegrown graced us with their talents in two concerts in March, which was the end of the season. (For the nothing new under the sun crowd, all of these shows except Homegrown lost money.)

Four of the five incorporators are still around Spokane and Uncle Don is still one of our most talented and versatile local musicians. If anyone is interested in further tales of the early years, maybe Ye Olde Curmudgeon came be enticed to dredge the memory cells some more.

Submitted by Ye Olde Curmudgeon