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National Folk Festival- A Big Deal for Salisbury

National Folk Festival

Unless you have had your radio turned off the last few weeks you must know that the National Folk Festival is this weekend -- and it is a big deal. This event is held for three years in a row - in various cities around the country. Many of those cities lucky enough have the festival, use it to plant the seeds for similar future events in their community.

The festival is also a big deal because cities go through a lengthy process to compete and win the right to have this festival. Salisbury can be proud that it was chosen. A debt of thanks is owed for the hard work done to win this honor for the city.  Who did all this? Well Lora Bottinelli - Ward Museum Executive Director along with the Mayor and City Council. They worked with a dedicated group of Salisbury community leaders like: Laura Kordzikowski, Jamie Heater, Dave Ryan, Kristen Goller, Ernie Colburn, and Salisbury University's former President Dr. Janet Dudley-Eshbach. Since then a large cast of people – too numerous to mention here – have put in a lot of time, money, and sweat equity to bring this unique event here for the first time. The city is all spruced up and there is a brand new, lovely amphitheater on the riverfront.

With nine stages, the National Folk Festival has something for everyone including musical traditions representing our worldwide heritage. You will here acclaimed acts like Mariachi Los Camperos, gospel quartet The Sensational Royal Lights, bluegrass band Jay Armsworthy & The Eastern Tradition, and the Tremé Brass Band which opens the festival with a parade.

The performances are free and so are the demonstrations, storytelling, and activities just for kids. You can also buy handmade arts and crafts and fabulous food. It will be hard to take everything in, in just one day. The gates open tonight at 6pm. Saturday and Sunday hours are from noon to 10:30pm. Free offsite parking and shuttle buses are available. Visit nationalfolkfestival.com to get a schedule and a map.

We hope to see you when we celebrate the great American community in all its glory at the National Folk Festival being held September 7-9, 2018 in downtown Salisbury, Maryland.

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