The National Folk Festival - General Information

Each year that the National Folk Festival was in Dayton, Ohio, (from 1996-1998), it attracted over 300,000 visitors. Increased marketing and publicity in Michigan mean that we expect at least that many visitors and even more in 1999! The Dayton Daily News estimated that ”the 1996 National Folk Festival was the biggest single event on Dayton’s cultural calendar . . . and brought about $5.6 million in economic benefits to the area.”

In addition to economic benefits, the National Folk Festival brings regional and national media exposure for Festival sponsors and traditional artists and brings an opportunity for diverse elements of the community to work toward a common goal.

Find out how you can be part of the team behind the National Folk Festival, our community’s most spectacular millennial event.

Volunteer
Be a Festival Sponsor
Vending Opportunities
Spread the Word

VOLUNTEER

One key factor in making the festival a success is the volunteer team that will support three action-packed days each summer. Over 400 volunteers are needed to staff two- or four-hour shifts during the 1999 festival. Opportunities are varied, with something for everyone’s interest. Volunteers will enjoy significant rewards for their time.

Click here to see a list of Volunteer Opportunities

Some volunteer positions are limited. Show your community spirit by becoming part of the National Folk Festival Volunteer Team. For more information call Sharon Radtke at (517) 337-1731 extension 202 or e-mail: sradtke@ci.east-lansing.mi.us. Or click here to have an application you can print.

Take the opportunity to learn about volunteer positions at the festival on Tuesday, April 13th, 1999 at 7:00p.m. at the Nokomis Learning Center on 513 Marsh Road next to the Meridian Township Public Safty Building.

BE A FESTIVAL SPONSOR

The National Folk Festival offers a wide variety of sponsorship opportunities. Click here to see a list of Sponsor Categories. We encourage three year commitments on each sponsorship. Some may accomodate several sponsors. The City of East Lansing qualifies for tax deductible charitable contributions and also has established a 501c3 fund, the East Lansing Fund, through the Capitol Region Community Foundation. The Michigan State University Museum also has a 501c3 fund.

Download a sponsorship application here.

For Additional Information:

Please contact Judith Taran at East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbott Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 337-1731. Fax: (517) 337-1607.

VENDING OPPORTUNITIES

FOLK ARTS MARKETPLACE

Twenty spaces are available in the 1999 Folk Arts Marketplace for invited, traditional artists to sell their products. The group of artists includes recipients of Michigan Heritage Awards and National Heritage Fellowships as well as past participants in the Smithsonian Institution’s Festival of American Folklife, the Festival of Michigan Folklife, the Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, and other programs coordinated by the Michigan Traditional Arts Program (a joint program of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan State University Museum). In addition, some of the invited artists have been recommended by state folk arts organizations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

Participation Guidelines:

In order to maintain the kind of quality and authenticity standards this festival offers, all vendors are asked to abide by the following guidelines. Any deviation must be approved in writing by the Marketplace coordinator.

All work must be traditional.
Vendors must be present with their work for the entire two days of the Marketplace.
No booth or display may be dismantled or removed from its assigned space prior to the end of the festival on Sunday.
Craft vendors must sell only the type of work for which they have been invited.
No commercial reproductions of any kind are permitted.
Demonstrations are encouraged.
Space can not be divided, sold, or given to other artists.

More about the marketplace:

Booth options:

Plan A: $175.00 provides

one 10’ x 10’ tented space
two tables
two chairs
one vertical lattice display panel
an interpretive sign explaining your craft tradition. Signs are designed and written by the Michigan State University Museum staff.
volunteer “booth sitters’ will be on hand during the day to watch over your booth in case you need to take a short break.
security is provided on Saturday night, but all fixtures and crafts are left overnight at your risk. The festival sponsors do not carry insurance to cover artists’ personal property, so you might want to obtain your own insurance.

Plan B: $75.00 provides

one untented 10’ x 10’ space. (No tent, tables or chairs are provided under Plan B. However, since the event is held regardless of rain or extreme sunlight, and since site design and safety considerations do not permit vendors to shut down early, please come prepared to provide your own cover.)
one vertical lattice display panel
an interpretive sign explaining your craft tradition. Signs are designed and written by the Michigan State University Museum staff.
Volunteer “booth sitters’ will also be on hand during the day to watch over your booth in case you need to take a short break.
Security is provided on Saturday night, but all fixtures and crafts are left overnight at your risk. The festival producers do not carry insurance to cover artists’ personal property, so you might want to obtain your own insurance.

Note: Electricity might be available for an additional fee.

Final payments are due April 15, 1999.

To apply:

In order to confirm your participation, please do the following by March 15, 1999:

Complete and sign the application form (download it here), or request one by e-mailing to hartle17@msu.edu
Mail the completed form and check to “Coordinator, Folk Arts Marketplace, National Folk Festival, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1045.

Expect notification by April 15, 1999, confirming your space and providing additional updated information about the festival. Booth space fees will be due to us by May 15, 1999. Fees can not be refunded if a cancellation is made after June 15, 1999.

Set-up Times:

You are welcome to come early and enjoy the music on Friday night, August 13th, but you will not be able to set up your booth until Saturday morning, August 14th, at 8:00 a.m.

For More Information:

To find out more about the Folk Arts Marketplace, contact Julie Hartley of the Michigan State University Museum, East Lansing, MI 48824-1045. Phone: (517) 353-4574. Fax: (517) 353-0676.

SPREAD THE WORD

Want to tell others about the National Folk Festival? Click here to request brochures to distribute to friends or customers. Or write The National Folk Festival, East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbott Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 337-1731. Fax: (517) 337-1607.



	Get Involved
	Each year that the National Folk Festival was in Dayton, Ohio, (from 1996-1998), it attracted over 300,000 visitors. Increased marketing and publicity in Michigan mean that we expect at least that many visitors and even more in 1999! The Dayton Daily News estimated that ”the 1996 National Folk Festival was the biggest single event on Dayton’s cultural calendar . . . and brought about $5.6 million in economic benefits to the area.” In addition to economic benefits, the National Folk Festival brings regional and national media exposure for Festival sponsors and traditional artists and brings an opportunity for diverse elements of the community to work toward a common goal. Find out how you can be part of the team behind the National Folk Festival, our community’s most spectacular millennial event. Volunteer Be a Festival Sponsor Vending Opportunities Spread the Word VOLUNTEER One key factor in making the festival a success is the volunteer team that will support three action-packed days each summer. Over 400 volunteers are needed to staff two- or four-hour shifts during the 1999 festival. Opportunities are varied, with something for everyone’s interest. Volunteers will enjoy significant rewards for their time. Click here to see a list of Volunteer Opportunities Some volunteer positions are limited. Show your community spirit by becoming part of the National Folk Festival Volunteer Team. For more information call Sharon Radtke at (517) 337-1731 extension 202 or e-mail: sradtke@ci.east-lansing.mi.us. Or click here to have an application you can print. Take the opportunity to learn about volunteer positions at the festival on Tuesday, April 13th, 1999 at 7:00p.m. at the Nokomis Learning Center on 513 Marsh Road next to the Meridian Township Public Safty Building. BE A FESTIVAL SPONSOR The National Folk Festival offers a wide variety of sponsorship opportunities. Click here to see a list of Sponsor Categories. We encourage three year commitments on each sponsorship. Some may accomodate several sponsors. The City of East Lansing qualifies for tax deductible charitable contributions and also has established a 501c3 fund, the East Lansing Fund, through the Capitol Region Community Foundation. The Michigan State University Museum also has a 501c3 fund. Download a sponsorship application here. For Additional Information: Please contact Judith Taran at East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbott Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 337-1731. Fax: (517) 337-1607. VENDING OPPORTUNITIES FOLK ARTS MARKETPLACE Twenty spaces are available in the 1999 Folk Arts Marketplace for invited, traditional artists to sell their products. The group of artists includes recipients of Michigan Heritage Awards and National Heritage Fellowships as well as past participants in the Smithsonian Institution’s Festival of American Folklife, the Festival of Michigan Folklife, the Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, and other programs coordinated by the Michigan Traditional Arts Program (a joint program of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan State University Museum). In addition, some of the invited artists have been recommended by state folk arts organizations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Participation Guidelines: In order to maintain the kind of quality and authenticity standards this festival offers, all vendors are asked to abide by the following guidelines. Any deviation must be approved in writing by the Marketplace coordinator. All work must be traditional. Vendors must be present with their work for the entire two days of the Marketplace. No booth or display may be dismantled or removed from its assigned space prior to the end of the festival on Sunday. Craft vendors must sell only the type of work for which they have been invited. No commercial reproductions of any kind are permitted. Demonstrations are encouraged. Space can not be divided, sold, or given to other artists. More about the marketplace: Booth options: Plan A: $175.00 provides one 10’ x 10’ tented space two tables two chairs one vertical lattice display panel an interpretive sign explaining your craft tradition. Signs are designed and written by the Michigan State University Museum staff. volunteer “booth sitters’ will be on hand during the day to watch over your booth in case you need to take a short break. security is provided on Saturday night, but all fixtures and crafts are left overnight at your risk. The festival sponsors do not carry insurance to cover artists’ personal property, so you might want to obtain your own insurance. Plan B: $75.00 provides one untented 10’ x 10’ space. (No tent, tables or chairs are provided under Plan B. However, since the event is held regardless of rain or extreme sunlight, and since site design and safety considerations do not permit vendors to shut down early, please come prepared to provide your own cover.) one vertical lattice display panel an interpretive sign explaining your craft tradition. Signs are designed and written by the Michigan State University Museum staff. Volunteer “booth sitters’ will also be on hand during the day to watch over your booth in case you need to take a short break. Security is provided on Saturday night, but all fixtures and crafts are left overnight at your risk. The festival producers do not carry insurance to cover artists’ personal property, so you might want to obtain your own insurance. Note: Electricity might be available for an additional fee. Final payments are due April 15, 1999. To apply: In order to confirm your participation, please do the following by March 15, 1999: Complete and sign the application form (download it here), or request one by e-mailing to hartle17@msu.edu Mail the completed form and check to “Coordinator, Folk Arts Marketplace, National Folk Festival, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1045. Expect notification by April 15, 1999, confirming your space and providing additional updated information about the festival. Booth space fees will be due to us by May 15, 1999. Fees can not be refunded if a cancellation is made after June 15, 1999. Set-up Times: You are welcome to come early and enjoy the music on Friday night, August 13th, but you will not be able to set up your booth until Saturday morning, August 14th, at 8:00 a.m. For More Information: To find out more about the Folk Arts Marketplace, contact Julie Hartley of the Michigan State University Museum, East Lansing, MI 48824-1045. Phone: (517) 353-4574. Fax: (517) 353-0676. SPREAD THE WORD Want to tell others about the National Folk Festival? Click here to request brochures to distribute to friends or customers. Or write The National Folk Festival, East Lansing City Hall, 410 Abbott Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 337-1731. Fax: (517) 337-1607.

Get Involved