National Folk Festival gets local manager for Salisbury

Mayor Jake Day announced the city has chosen Caroline O’Hare as Salisbury’s local manager for the National Folk Festival. She was selected from a field of more than a dozen candidates who applied for the position.

O'Hare has served as creative director for "Live! With Kelly and Michael," where she produced daily promotions, gave direction to on-air talent and oversaw a team of editors and graphic designers. Prior to working with "Live!," she was a senior writer and producer for "the Wendy Williams Show" and a producer for MTV/Viacom.

After moving to Salisbury, she was employed as the administrative head of Wicomico Day School. In addition to supervising the daily activities of staff and students, she facilitated the overhaul and updating of the school’s communication platforms, and developed and implemented marketing strategies for the school. O'Hare was the liaison between parents and faculty, and oversaw the school’s multiple fundraisers and events.

BACKGROUND:  Salisbury to host National Folk Festival starting in 2018

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In her new position, she will be the city’s direct line to the National Council for the Traditional Arts to ensure the festival is a success for the entirety of its three-year residency in Salisbury. The position demands the manager serve in multiple capacities, switching gears frequently, all while maintaining a sharp eye for detail.

In addition to representing the festival, writing grants and communicating with media outlets, O'Hare will supervise the marketing of the festival and will work with the city, the NCTA and the festival’s executive committee to create fundraising materials.

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“I am so excited to welcome Caroline as our local manager for this festival that will be unlike anything Salisbury has ever experienced,” Day said. “The National Folk Festival will bring a very large, very diverse offering of music, folk art, food, traditional crafts and much more to Salisbury over the next three years. Managing such a large event takes a unique skill set, and Caroline’s wealth of knowledge and experience make her an invaluable asset to the city team.“

First held in 1934, the National Folk Festival is the oldest multicultural festival of traditional arts in the nation, and has been produced from its inception by the National Council for the Traditional Arts. It is a traveling festival produced in partnership with communities around the country. The National Folk Festival’s three-year stay in each host city is intended to lay the groundwork for sustainable, locally produced festivals and events that continue after the National moves on. 

To date, it has been presented in 26 cities. Musicians and artisans from every state and most U.S. territories have participated in this “moveable feast of deeply traditional folk arts.”

Salisbury will be the home of the National Folk Festival from 2018-2020.