Over 800 volunteers needed to fill a variety of positions for the free, 78th National Folk Festival taking place in downtown Salisbury, September 7 – 9, 2018
The National Folk Festival has announced that volunteer shifts are now posted and OPEN for online sign up. Partnering with the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore’s Get Connected Volunteer Center, the Festival has made it easy for prospective volunteers to sign up for the job they want to do and the day(s) and time(s) they want to work. In just a matter of minutes, you can select and sign up for your perfect National Folk Festival volunteer position.
With over 800 volunteers needed for the Festival to run smoothly, volunteer recruitment is key to the event’s success. Projected attendance is 60,000 – 80,000 for the three-day, FREE Festival, which will take place in downtown Salisbury on September 7, 8 and 9, 2018.
Volunteers may sign up individually or with groups of friends or business associates. The average length of a volunteer shift is three to four hours; prospective volunteers may sign up for several shifts during the three-day event. From helping to keep our Festival ‘Green’ to assisting in merchandise sales to being a part of the ‘Bucket Brigade,’ there are dozens of opportunities for teens and adults to get involved.
With many different volunteer roles available, people may choose what jobs they’re interested in as well as their preferred time slots when registering online. All volunteers will be asked to attend an orientation session. Depending on their role, some volunteers will also participate in training sessions.
Each volunteer will get a National Folk Festival Volunteer t-shirt, receive service hours (for students), and gain a wonderful sense of community pride – PLUS, make new friends and learn new skills, too!
National Folk Festival Local Manager Caroline O’Hare said, “Volunteers are in for something quite special. They will get to experience the National Folk Festival from the inside; really getting up close to what makes the Festival work. And the Festival doesn’t work without amazing volunteers.”
“Volunteering is fun and provides people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to serve our community,” adds Pam Gregory, Community Impact Director at the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore. “The National Folk Festival is a fantastic way for us to showcase how working together can lift us all up.”
To learn about volunteer roles and to sign-up visit www.ShoreGetConnected.org or e-mail Festival Volunteer Coordinators Mark DeLancey and Kendall Krach at volunteer@nationalfolkfestival.com with any questions.
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About the National Folk Festival
Since it was first presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National Folk Festival, the NCTA’s flagship event, has celebrated the roots, richness and variety of American culture. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, it was the first event of national stature to present the arts of many nations, races, and languages on equal footing. It was also the first to present to the public musical forms such as the blues, Cajun music, a polka band, Tex-Mex conjunto, Peking Opera, and many others. Today, the National is an exuberant traveling festival, produced by the NCTA in partnership with communities around the country that embraces the diverse cultural expressions that define us as a people in the 21st century. www.nationalfolkfestival.com
About the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore
United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore is a local, independent, non-profit organization established in 1944. For over 70 years, United Way has focused on improving the lives of our neighbors in need in Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, and Dorchester Counties. The organization, which is the largest non-governmental source of funding for area nonprofit agencies, provides support for 80 local programs with a special focus on Education, Financial Stability and Health. In the last year, United Way has impacted the lives of over 82,000 neighbors by investing over $1.4 million in these local programs. As the designated Volunteer Center for the Lower Shore by the Governor’s Office on Service & Volunteerism, United Way’s free Get Connected Volunteer Center is for all nonprofits and the public to help make a positive difference in our community through www.ShoreGetConnected.org. https://www.unitedway4us.org/
About the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA)
A leading non-profit in the field, the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), is dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk and traditional arts in the U.S. Stressing excellence and authenticity, the NCTA presents the nation’s finest traditional artists in major festivals, tours, concerts, workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions, media productions, school programs, cross-cultural exchanges and other activities. It works in partnership with American communities to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that deliver lasting social, cultural and economic benefits. Over 7,000 hours of the NCTA’s archival audio recordings dating from the 1930s are permanently housed at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The NCTA champions the interests of folk and traditional artists and organizations in the arena of public policy. www.ncta-usa.org
About the City of Salisbury, Maryland
Founded in 1732, Salisbury is the county seat of Wicomico County, a place where John Smith touched land in 1608 during his exploration of the Chesapeake Bay. Situated on Maryland’s historic Eastern Shore at the crossroads of the Delmarva Peninsula, Salisbury is now one of the region’s largest cities, and serves as the capital of the Eastern Shore, a rural area defined by its agricultural and maritime traditions, landscapes and industries. The Chesapeake Bay is central to this distinctive identity. Though a relatively small city, Salisbury is the geographic and economic hub of one of the nation’s fastest-growing Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Led by a dynamic mayor, the City of Salisbury is working to build its reputation as an arts and culture destination, and is aligning its downtown development and revitalization efforts with the arts. Salisbury believes hosting the National Folk Festival is the perfect catalyst to further a cultural renaissance and urban renewal. www.salisbury.md
