It’s that time of year again: the annual Maryland Folk Festival has returned for the second year and is open Sept. 20th through Sept. 22nd in Downtown Salisbury. The Folk Festival is a display of cultures with performances of Celtic, Irish, Native American, African, Yiddish, Hungarian and Hispanic cultural music or dance.

Although the first days of the event, Friday and Saturday, have concluded, there is still time to enjoy the Folk Festival.

Members of the community have been able to enjoy a variety of music, including folk, country, bluegrass, rock, mariachi, soul, blues, classical, among many others. Poets, storytellers and dancers are also set to make additional performances before the festival ends. 

Volunteers are considered as the backbone of the event, since the festivities would not be able to function successfully without a strong presence of community members willing to help out. A young Salisbury native who volunteered on Sept. 20th noted his enthusiasm for the event. 

“I enjoy the environment, to hang out with my friends, it’s just a good ambiance,” he said. 

There were also various stalls selling a wide array of food items, from burgers to hot dogs, barbeque to crabs, and, of course, a considerable supply of beer. 

Artisans from near and far come to the Folk Festival to sell their goods. Art, jewelry, pottery, ceramics, woodwork and even syrup are sold by vendors who set up tables spread throughout the streets. 

Only one stage and a single street for vendors was open on Friday night. However, four stages and three streets designated to vendors are open during the remainder of the weekend. An elderly volunteer noted that such a difference would likely contribute to larger community attendance.

“It’s been relatively quiet with one stage and smaller crowds than last year, but I hope it will pick up later on Saturday and Sunday,” he said. 

The entire Salisbury community, including Salisbury University students, are welcome to attend the Folk Festival– organizers of the event welcome students to come downtown and enjoy the display of cultures and festivities.
For more information or to Donate, go to Maryland Folk Festival Salisbury MD | Music Festival (mdfolkfest.com)

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BEN COOLEDGE contributed to this report

Staffer

Featured image courtesy of Ben Cooledge