Get in character for Franklin County Storytelling Festival
CHAMBERSBURG - On Saturday, August 27, the Chambers Fort Park in downtown Chambersburg will be filled with characters, families, stories and music.
The Path to Literacy Character Walk supporting the Franklin County Literacy Council is from 9-10 a.m. Dress as a favorite storybook character (or come as you are) and walk to support literacy. Walk a path around Chambers Fort Park and the Rail Trail, reading a story along the way.
Prizes will be awarded for best costume in various age groups along with door prizes. For more information, contact Franklin Thomas, 717-504-4459 or email fbthomas@iu12.org.
After the Path to Literacy, the Franklin County Storytelling Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event will include two world renowned storytellers and one bluegrass band. This year the event is presented by the Coyle Free Library and sponsored by the CoyleFriends.
Storyteller Adam Booth from Shepherdstown, W.V., blends traditional folklore, music, and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia. His original voice, both humorous and touching, is influenced by generations of diverse storytellers from West Virginia. His appearances include Teller-In-Residence at the International Storytelling Center, New Voice at the National Storytelling Festival, resident at the Banff Centre (Alberta) Spoken Word program, and multiple events in 15 states.
Equally at home as a teller and educator, Booth's research and educational presentations have included the Berea Appalachian Sound Archives Fellowship, Ghost Ranch, the National Storytelling Conference and the Appalachian Studies Association Conference. His presentations include a unique blend of story, education, and traditional and contemporary music. For more information visit www.adam-booth.com
Andy Offutt Irwin from the Atlanta area, brings a Silly Putty voice, hilarious heart-filled stories, and amazing mouth noises to his storytelling. Arguably the greatest whistler in the world, Irwin is equal parts mischievous schoolboy and the Marx Brothers, peppered with a touch of the Southern balladeer. One of the most sought after performing storytellers in the United States, he is especially known for relating the adventures of his 85-year-old, widowed, newly minted physician aunt, Marguerite Van Camp, a woman who avoids curmudgeonship by keeping her finger on the pulse of the changing world around her as she seeks to grow – even at her advanced age – in the New South. Marguerite steps lively through this existence, loving as many people as she can.
October 2015 marked Irwin's sixth year as a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival. He has appeared 10 times as Teller in Residence at International Storytelling Center and is the recipient of many awards, but he is tickled to have received the Oracle 2013 Circle of Excellence from the National Storytelling Network. For more about him, visit andyirwin.com.
At 12:30 pm, local band Jerry Rigged will perform bluegrass music. Band members are: Daniel Emig, vocals, banjo, violin; Andrew Jones, vocals, mandolin; David Welch, vocals, guitar; Jared Wenerd, vocals, upright bass; and TJ Enderlein, vocals, dobro.
New to the event will be a half hour open-mic time from noon to 12:30 pm, where the audience can take their turn at telling a story. Sign up at the event for your chance to be a storyteller.
The Chambers Fort Park is located between North Main Street and the Rail Trail at 40 Spring Street, Chambersburg. If it rains, the festival will be moved to King Street Church.
Preview the storytellers at the Storytelling Night Out Friday, August 26, at the Inn at Ragged Edge, 1090 Ragged Edge Rd, Chambersburg. Tickets are $10 and include two hours of storytelling and hors d'oeuvres. Wine from Jan Zell Wines will be available for purchase. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the performances from 7-9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Coyle Free Library, 340 N 2nd St, Chambersburg.
For more information contact Denice Bigham at dbigham@fclspa.org, 717-263-1054 ext 1007. Visit the Facebook page www.facebook.com/franklincountystorytellingfest to see videos and listen to music by the performers.