Off Hours: Kelley Smith, administrative assistant, folk festival coordinator

She praises the performance of the band exiting the stage, instructs an audience of more than 1,000 as to where to go to buy the band's latest CD, and reminds them to drink water and wear sunscreen.

One weekend a year, Smith (left), the administrative assistant for the Population Studies and Training Center, is host and manager of a stage at the annual folk festival in Fort Adams State Park. Her days are spent coordinating the activities of about a dozen artists to ensure they are onstage on schedule.

"It's a lot of running around," said Smith, who works for Festival Productions during her spare time. But the work is worth it. "It's so rewarding to play some background role for people trying to cement their place in music," she said.

On a Saturday and Sunday last August, Smith was charged with the Harbor Stage, one of two stages at the festival, which can draw a capacity crowd of 10,000. Most of the acts at the Harbor Stage are lesser known than those at the larger Fort Stage; they may or may not have road managers or booking agents, said Smith, an aspiring singer and songwriter herself during her days at Smith College.

In general, six artists - either bands or soloists - perform on the Harbor Stage each weekend day. Each act performs 30 to 40 minutes, with 5 to 10 minutes in between.

But Smith's work begins far in advance of the summer weekend.

At this time of year, Smith corresponds with one of the event's producers and suggests artists. Closer to the weekend, she arranges travel for the artists. When they arrive, she gives them their credentials and sets them up in the dressing rooms on site. Once the artists are ready to go on stage, Smith coordinates with the sound crews to ensure the artists will be heard.

Among last summer's performers who will likely be around for some time, said Smith, are Toshi Reagon, daughter of Bernice Johnson Reagon, founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Melissa Ferrick.

Smith got her start at the festival in 1992 through an acquaintance who first asked her to lend a hand in at a Ben & Jerry's ice cream party for the festival artists and staff. The party's success resulted in a job and an expanded role.

On occasion at the Population Studies and Training Center, Smith relies upon the same set of organizing skills that she uses at the folk festival. The recent international seminar on migration, hosted by the center, is one example. Speakers from around the world came to Brown for that event, which required Smith to coordinate travel plans, catering and meeting rooms.

But planning special events is exhausting, and is something Smith would rather continue part time. The Newport Folk Festival is perfect in that "it affords me a glimpse into the music industry," said Smith, " ­ a nice, small dose." - Kristen Cole