Waynesville, NC (December 21, 2009) – Folkmoot USA, North Carolina’s Official International Festival, has its first presenting sponsor. Evergreen Packaging has partnered with the Festival as its presenting sponsor for 2010 through 2013. Evergreen Packaging, with facilities in Canton and Waynesville, employs more than a thousand people in Haywood County, home to Folkmoot USA. Evergreen produces paper and packaging products in operations worldwide.
“The fact that we are an international company made sponsoring this festival a particularly good
fit,” says Jody Hanks, Vice President and General Counsel. “We’re looking forward to helping bring people from all over the world to experience being in Western North Carolina and make friends with the wonderful people who live here.”
“This means a lot to the festival,” says Folkmoot USA Executive Director Karen Babcock. “In tough economic times it’s good to have someone step up and make a multi-year commitment.”
In fact, as Presenting Sponsor, Evergreen Packaging becomes the first international corporation to develop a multi-year relationship with the nonprofit Folkmoot USA and its mission to promote international diversity through world music and dance. Based in Haywood County’s town of Waynesville, Folkmoot USA operates a 2-week folklore festival hosting approximately 350 musicians and traditional dancers from all over the world.
The 2010 Folkmoot Festival will take place July 22 – August 1 throughout ten counties in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. Folkmoot has been presented annually longer than any other traditional international folk festival in the US and is considered one of the best festivals of its kind in all of North America.” About 55 performances, including several free performances for public school children, the Parade of Nations, 5K Run and International Festival Day will take place during the eleven-day festival. Out of more than three hundred annual submissions, only a dozen or so countries are invited to participate each year in a highly competitive juried process.
Held for 26 consecutive years, Folkmoot is North Carolina’s Official International Festival (Senate bill 840) and has been designated “One of the Top Twenty Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society for 19 years. According to an Economic and Fiscal Impact Study performed by professional staff at Western Carolina University, Folkmoot USA attracts more than 100,000 visitors to Western North Carolina and pumps more than $4 million into the local economy, and is responsible for creating 56 jobs.
Grand Opening and Candlelight Closing Tickets are now on sale!—for the best seats, call 828-452-2997 or email info@folkmoot.com. For more information, go to www.FolkmootUSA.org or call 877-FolkUSA.
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Digital Images Available Upon Request
About Evergreen Packaging
Evergreen Packaging, is a world leader in fiber-based liquid packing solutions, publication and converting papers. The Blue Ridge facilities have operated in Western North Carolina for 100 years. For more information about Evergreen Packaging visit www.evergreenpackaging.com.
For more information:
FolkmootKaren Babcock
828-452-2997
info@folkmoot.com
.
Evergreen Packaging Mike Cohen 865-584-0550 mcohen@ackermannpr.com