Musicians flock to Franklin Grove

FRANKLIN GROVE – Rain or shine, fair weather or foul, the bluegrass and blues night at the Lincoln Building has been a hit. The fact that the name has become a bit misleading hasn’t deterred people from packing the place.

Music of every kind has filled the air the third Friday of each month, for more than 9 years, at the Lincoln House, the Lincoln Highway Association’s national headquarters.

“We’re in our 10th year now,” said Jack Kelley, a local musician and one of the men who banded together in 1995 to find a good use for the old Lincoln Building and to bring music to the village.

“The idea really came from Ron Colson and Ken Wise,” Kelley said. “They contacted Roger Taylor, who asked me to talk to the rest of the guys.”

They formed a not-for-profit organization called Farming Heritage Inc., and The Lincoln Building became available in 1995. The Lincoln Highway Association needed a place to use as its home base and to list in the [American Automobile Association] book, and the Lincoln Building fit the bill.

But simply restoring the building didn’t satisfy the Farming Heritage Inc. partners’ need to provide something special for Franklin Grove.

“Some of us went to Mountain View, Ark., to experience bluegrass on the town square,” Kelley said. “We thought it was great, and we started offering free music in the Lincoln Building here late in the summer of 2000.”

Free acoustic music courtesy of the blues and bluegrass event has been available on the third Friday of every month since then.

Entertainment appropriate for all ages and featuring acoustic music, recitations, singers, stand-up comedians and poets starts at 7 p.m. and goes until midnight. The cost of admission is a donation.

“It always draws a pretty good crowd,” volunteer and musician Lynn Asp said. She runs the gift shop on the first floor of the building.

“In the fall, we compete with football and the weather, but the building is usually crammed anyway. It’s a really good time.

“There’s a sign-up sheet, and everyone knows they get the stage for 15 minutes,” Asp said.