In 2014, our traditional Fall Fling, which is a very social, participatory weekend retreat moved to Appel Farm Arts & Music Center in nearby Elmer, NJ. This is a picturesque and flat-terrained country setting for musicians, story tellers, singers, dancers, folk historians, and crafters, of all ages and all skill levels to enjoy a unique overnight weekend experience with family, friends, and members of the Philadelphia Folksong Society.
What is Fall Fling?
Can you imagine a crisp fall day in a sylvan setting where the most difficult questions you have to face are, "Do I go to a workshop featuring classic folk songs of the 60's, pull out a T-shirt and create a tie-dye worthy of the memory of Jerry Garcia, wander over to a cabin for some informal jamming, get out a racket and smack the tennis ball around, or simply collapse in a lounge chair and let the sounds of hundreds of people having fun wash over me?" Can you also imagine a social gathering of people who come back every year for one special weekend to see old friends and make new ones? That's Fall Fling!
Fall Fling is also...
Meals all weekend – From Potluck dinner generously provided by you on Friday night to plentiful and savory Brunch and Dinner prepared by our favorite Chef Richard and his team from Moonlight Catering on Saturday and Sunday, you won't go hungry! We cater to several dietary preferences so you won't have to worry about it. Just let us know when you register.
Workshops – A full schedule of participant-led workshops on Saturday & Sunday. You volunteer to lead the workshop of your liking and we put it on the schedule! Workshops can include vocal and instrumental themes and styles, songwriting, performance techniques, dance, tie-dye, yoga & massage, crafts, kid's activities, sports, etc. Sign up to lead a workshop when you register!
Kid’s Open Stage – Since music is in your family’s blood, this is the opportunity to engage kids (up to age 18) to the thrill of performing in front of an audience! Totally non-judgmental atmosphere for our next generation of performers! Over the yeaars, several of our kids have even "graduated" to the Adult Open Mic!
Adult’s Open Mic – This is your opportunity to showcase and share your talents in front of an audience with professional audio engineers that work hard to make you sound even better! The Open Mic will be on Friday Night during Potluck in the dining hall so get there early to sign up!
Campfire Sings & Informal jamming – There is a designated campfire area where formal campfire sings can be arranged. S'mores anyone? Informal jamming also spontaneously pops up in cabins, dining hall, gazebo(s) or anywhere the accoustics sound good! Don’t be shy! Feel free to politely join in if you hear something you like.
RV & Tent Camping - The benefit of being at Appel Farm is the large field available inside the grounds and close to all the activities so you can get one more weekend out of your RV (or tent if you really enjoy tent campng)! Sorry, no hookups available, but we have designated nearby bathroom and shower facilities for those not staying in a dorm.
Heated Dormitory Accommodations - Each one of the Dorm buildings has 5 - 7 interconnected separate "cabins" that each sleeps up to 7 people using just the bottom bunks or 14 including the top bunks. Don't worry we generally reserve the top bunks for kids and won't make you climb up there unless you really want to! Realistically we will only take registrations for 135 beds so register early! We also have a tradition of letting participants specify who they want to share a cabin with and have a spot on the registration form so you can specify or if you are or have a "Cabin-Coordinator" that organizes your group of family & friends, let us know and we will clear all cabin assignments with them. Did we mention that the almost all of dorm buildings are heated?