On a fine summer day 30 years ago, a group of friends with divergent musical interests who shared the joy of sitting around a kitchen or the campfire jamming and throwing songs at each other for competition and camaraderie came up with the idea to organize a Fall Fling and share their musical talent with others of like minds.

Lonnie Field, Greg Shrader, Richard Shockley, John and Vicky LeCroy, Don and Ruth Coates and Deloy Moore, along with sound gurus Danny Herrick and Paul Gumerman, decide they could invite more musicians they knew along with their friends and family to come out and celebrate a musical welcome to the Harvest moon. They set Saturday, October 10 as the target date and “the farm” as the venue.  The FALL FLING  was born.

The first fling was entirely volunteer, everyone pitching in from the sound equipment to the picnics! Everyone had so much fun that day, that Greg looked Lonnie in the eyes and told him that this just couldn’t be the one and only fling. that everyone should make the effort to come together again every year and make sure it continues.  Everyone thought it was a great Idea and work began to construct a raised platform nestled in the trees at the back of the farm for a stage and The Delaware Friends of Folk was born and the Fall Fling became an annual event.

As the years passed, the organization and the crowds grew, the Fall Fling changed its name to become the “Delmarva Folk Festival” and even though there have been many changes such as new walls, a roof, side-stage, and more, the original railroad ties and pallets are still there, still serving as our stage.

Now 30 years later, even though we have lost some of the original founders, friends, and fellow musicians, we are still here and still bringing great new talent to our area through our Festival and monthly events and celebrate the wild notion that those friends had on that fine summer day.

In 2022, we moved venues and celebrated the 31st Annual Delamarva Folk Festival in Houston, Delaware. While things have changed, the spirit of that first Fall Fling at the Fields Farm in Hartly, continues to be carried on by musicians, volunteers and friends of folk!