Ted Hagaman and the Magic of MerleFest

For the past 34 years, spring in the Brushy Mountains means the apple trees are in full blossom, birds return to their nests, and music floats through the air as musicians take the stage at MerleFest. Every year the festival is a magical event, but it might be even more so this year, as it returns to its spring-time schedule after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions.

There are a lot of people who work together to make MerleFest happen, but one who is instrumental to it all is Ted Hagaman. This year’s festival will be bittersweet for him, as it’s his last one serving as executive director of events and hospitality at Wilkes Community College. For 22 years he has helped organize the festival and make sure it runs smoothly. This spring marks his last one before he retires and hands the reins over to Wes Whitson, Festival Director.

Before leaving his position and getting the opportunity to enjoy MerleFest as a fan, we had the opportunity to catch up with Ted and get some of his insights on the festival and the one-of-a-kind experience it is for Wilkesboro.

* For the regular festival-goer, it is easy to get star struck at the musicians and bands who come to play at MerleFest. After more than two decades dealing with artists, bands, agents, and assistants, I’m sure some of it has become par for the course for you. Do you still find magic in the moments of MerleFest?

Definitely. I still pinch myself sometimes when we’re in the middle of the festival, just being able to witness the talent that is all around us. What I find magical is seeing what these people can do with an instrument. Yes, I do enjoy seeing some of the big name acts, and I get a chance to meet some very nice people, but most of all I’m just amazed at what people can do musically with their talent. I feel like that experience is what brings a lot of people back to MerleFest year after year.

* What is one of your favorite stories from behind the scenes of MerleFest?

It’s hard to narrow it down to just one. Of course I’ll always remember when Dolly Parton came. Behind the scenes, she was just a regular person, and so easy to talk to. She told us she ate at Glenn’s Restaurant three times while she was here in Wilkesboro. James Taylor was another one who you could sit and talk to like old friends.

But one of my favorite stories is about Randy Travis. Doc and Rosalee just loved Randy Travis. We had tried to get him here for years at their request and for one reason or another things just didn’t work out. Then when we finally did get Travis, Rosalee was in a nursing facility up in Boone, and not able to attend the show.

We took Travis over to meet Doc before the show, and while they were talking Doc ended up saying how much his wife loved Travis, and that he wished she could be at the festival. Travis looked over at his manager and asked, “How far is it to Boone?” They had two hours before the show, just enough time to get there and back and see Rosalee for a few minutes.

We got a van, drove him up there, and Travis spent about 20 minutes inside with Rosalee, getting back to Wilkesboro just about 20 minutes before getting on stage. That experience showed me just what a caring human being Randy Travis is.

* As MerleFest has grown over the years, how do you work to keep it rooted in the Wilkesboro community?

I think it all goes back to the early days when the festival was formed. It started out as a volunteer effort, and that remains core to our festival today. We have over 70 organizations, clubs, and local nonprofit groups that help put this festival on. We even have some volunteers who have worked at the event for 34 years.

Another aspect that is meaningful to the community is the school music component. Each year some of the musicians travel to each of the Wilkes County schools to put on shows for the kids. Not everyone can attend the festival, and this way all the kids in school in our county get an opportunity to enjoy live music and interact with the artists. We’re not able to do it this year because we were still dealing with some pandemic restrictions, but it’s something that will definitely come back in 2023.

* What are you looking forward to most about this year’s event?

I’m just excited to get back into a little more normalcy. Our COVID protocols have been relaxed some based on the information we received from local and state health authorities. I know that it will be nice for people to be able to get out and go to MerleFest again. It’s a tradition for so many, people who came as kids are now bringing their own kids. It’s nice to be back to normal.