Day one of Folk Festival marks historic moment for city

SALISBURY, Md. – The 78th National Folk Festival is finally here.

Downtown Salisbury came alive like never before.

The festival opened first at the City Stage.  The party then moved to PRMC via a parade where the official kickoff took place.

For the rest of the evening, visitors could choose from four different stages for their entertainment.  Entertainment some may have never experienced before.

“I think the overall energy is for people to interact.  A lot of these styles of music and dance are not showcased in places like Salisbury very frequently,” said Jason Samuels Smith, an Emmy Award-winning tap dancer.

And like the music, festival-goers got a chance to see different styles of dance and interact with folks of different cultures.

“This is a place where people can actually meet, talk to each other, engage with a person from an entirely different culture and background and, who knows, maybe you’ll learn something about yourself,” said Smith.

The thousands of people strolling downtown are exactly what officials were hoping to see.

“We’ve had our little events, we’ve had our things that have been successful, but to something that’s a national event here in Salisbury that is really going to show what we are capable of,” said Andy Kitzrow, Deputy City Administrator for Salisbury.

“It’s going to be a tremendous shot in the arm for Salisbury, for the whole eastern shore, and really the State of Maryland,” said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

Friday night’s crowds were a preview of what Salisbury can expect to see the rest of the weekend, and the hope is it will be a historic moment for the city.

“It’s going to be transformative for the area, and people are going to really see after this weekend it’ll put Salisbury on the map,” said Kitzrow.

The festival is back on again Saturday at noon.  Highlighting festivities will be events at the brand new Riverwalk Amphitheater.