BANGOR – Organizers of the 65th National Folk Festival have announced they are accepting applications for both food and craft vendors at the event, which will be held Aug. 22-24 along the Bangor waterfront.

2003 will be the second year that the National Folk Festival is held in Bangor, the second year of a three-year run. In 2002, more than 80,000 people attended the festival and spent between one and three days enjoying the music, dance and culture of many different groups.

In addition, they had the opportunity to shop in the Folk Arts Marketplace, a craft marketplace that featured local and regional artisans selling their crafts, with some demonstrating the traditional skills used in their creation. The Folk Arts Marketplace again will be a highlight of the National Folk Festival, and those interested in receiving a vendor application packet should call the festival office.

No festival experience would be complete without a variety of food choices. Last year’s festival offered an array of traditional festival food, along with regional and ethnic specialties such as lobster rolls, Indian food, baked beans, strawberry shortcake and much more.

Heather McCarthy, coordinator of the National Folk Festival in Bangor, noted that at the 2002 event, “We had such great attendance that the number of food vendors we had on site was almost overwhelmed by the crowd. In 2003, we’re looking to add a number of vendors at several key areas.”

To obtain a food vendor application packet, contact the festival office at 947-5205.