DELAWARE FRIENDS OF FOLK
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE MEMBERSHIP
December 2025
Dover, Delaware

SUMMARY:

❖ Finances are healthy, and somewhat better than last year.

❖ Received nearly $5000 in grants during 2025.

❖ Started a new concert series at Fort DuPont.

❖ Over 40 acts and more than 100 performers during 2025.

❖ Membership is about five more than last year (we need more).

❖ On-line presence has improved, and more changes are coming.

❖ Changes in Board leadership and membership.

I am pleased to offer the following report to you, our members. I am concluding my nineteenth year as Board Chair of Delaware Friends of Folk (FoF) and first want to thank the folks who make this organization work. We are an all-volunteer organization and our members and others who step forward deserve special mention. Though our crowds are still somewhat smaller, Friends of Folk have been able to do much of what we did before the pandemic, largely because of our incredible members and volunteers. Thank you for all you do.

We held our 34th annual Delmarva Folk Festival, and the fourth one at G & R Campground. Our Old State House series continues into its 12th season, thanks to Kent County Fund for the Arts (KCFA) and the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs (HCA). We are completing our fourth year of coffee house concerts here at Dover Art League (DAL). We got together for 8 pick-ins at The Grey Fox Grille in Dover, and twelve at The Listening Booth, near Lewes. We presented four shows as we started a new summer series at Fort DuPont. And this evening we again gather for our annual membership meeting and Board elections.

Turning to some business, the financial state of FoF is that we have about $12,200 in the bank, about $1700 more than we had at last year’s annual meeting. Much of that surplus comes from the benefit held at The Listening Booth in September. Thanks again to Marissa, her staff, and especially The Honey Badgers and The Rough and Tumble for making it work so well. About $2500 of our bank account is committed to grant-supported projects such as the Old State House series. Grants from the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) and Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation (MAAF) continue to support us. For FY 2025, we received a total of $2500 in grants from DDOA. We obtained another generous grant of $2200 from KCFA supporting our 2024-25 Old State House concert series. MAAF provided $1000 to support our presentation of The Plate Scrapers at the 2025 Festival.

We presented nine coffeehouses at DAL, eight pick-ins at The Grey Fox Grille and twelve at the Listening Booth, six amazing concerts at the Old State House, four at Fort DuPont, and our 34th annual Delmarva Folk Festival at G & R Campground. That’s 40 times we offered this thing we call folk music to the residents of Delaware in 2025. Over the past few years, we have presented what may be the widest variety of music of any performing arts producer in Delaware. We’ve sponsored blues, bluegrass, Celtic, jazz, Cajun, singer-songwriters, old-time, Americana, jam bands, classical, Flamenco, choral, classical Indian, pop, parody, hip-hop, contemporary folk-rock, and just plain folk music. More than 30 of our own members were on one of four Friends of Folk stages. Over 40 different acts and over 100 different performers graced Friends of Folk venues during 2025.

This past summer, we were approached by the Fort DuPont Redevelopment and Preservation Corporation. They wanted to present a series of outdoor concerts as a part of their community engagement program and asked up to program it. Bruce Anthony opened the series in June and The Honey Badgers closed it in September. The staff at Fort DuPont were extremely happy with it all, and we are already planning the series for 2026. One other change to announce is that we will not be returning to DAL in 2026. New location TBA.

We have several important partnerships. Through the early sponsorship of the HCA and First State Heritage Park (FSHP) and the ongoing support of grants from the fine folks at KCFA, we continue to bring free music to our community in the form of the house concerts in the Old State House. We have three more of these planned for the 2nd Friday in January, February, and March 2026. We often have 40 or more in this truly intimate setting, almost able to touch the performers, frequently with minimal or no sound system. Given its success, it is our intention to continue this partnership, and we again express our thanks to FSHP, KCFA, and HCA.

We are concluding our 23rd consecutive year as members of Folk Alliance International. This is a world-wide group of folk organizations, performers, presenters, sponsors, and individuals who share common interests and goals in the broad areas of folk music and dance. We became official “small organization” members in January 2003 and have continued supporting this well-respected organization. Our dues help maintain our IRS 501(c)(3) tax designation as a nonprofit organization. That makes us eligible for DDOA, KCFA, MAAF, and other grants.

We are an organization of over 85 dues-paying members, a few more than last year. Thanks to Mary Zeller and Susan Donoghue for maintaining our membership rolls, and thanks to our new and returning members. We are still beset by the perennial problem of small, all-volunteer groups—too much to do and not enough people to do it. We need more members, so if you know someone who was once a member, or someone who should be a member, please encourage them to sign up. We literally depend on you, our members, for everything.

Beginning in 2026, the Board found it necessary to slightly increase our dues, but we remain a bargain: you’ll still need only $20 for one and $20 for a family. We probably don’t say it often enough but thank you for your continuing support.

A special “thank you” to your Board members, who have been busy as always. Susan Donoghue took charge of the Festival and our online presence. As noted, Mary Zeller has successfully taken charge of our membership rolls, along with the post of Treasurer, with the able assistance of Ian Fox. Susan also ran our 19th Delmarva Folk Heroes contest. Giani Siri again hosted our Festival artists backstage and was a constant at our coffee house. Tim Spong is another regular volunteer at the Festival and coffee house. Henry Torres is our Board Vice Chair and ably handled our beer concessions. Willa Jean Rodden took charge of our Festival merchandise sales. Nate Jackson helped keep publicity and marketing on track, aided by Susan and John Donoghue, and a whole lot of others. Marissa Levy opened the doors to The Listening Booth for a benefit and twelve pick-ins. A singular shout-out to Zeke and Mary Zeller who continue to go above and beyond both at the coffee house and the Festival. Volunteers

like Mary and Zeke make this organization run.

At the end of the year, we must have Board elections. This evening, we will elect seven folks to our Board of Directors. Being a Board member means different things to different people, but it’s always giving time and talent, stretching and being stretched, rewarding and being rewarded. You can do all of that without being a Board member too. Talk to any of us and we’ll welcome your energy and your help, especially if you have an interest in marketing and publicity.

Again, my thanks to everyone connected with this organization. It’s been a genuine pleasure working with everybody, and we can look forward to a productive, successful, 2026.