Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival

Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival

The Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival is an annual event held on the Friday and Saturday after Labor Day in Chillicothe, Ohio. Local, regional and nationally known storytellers are invited to perform their favorite stories for thousands of school children and storytelling enthusiasts. This non-profit organization is directed by a board of community members.

History

The history of storytelling in this region extends back to the Native American. Shawnee and Mingo tribes that inhabited southern Ohio and maintained their history through stories passed down from generation to generation. The pioneers who established communities in the same area brought with them the stories of their ancestors even as they created their own. The travelers, and those who helped them, along the Underground Railroad encouraged one another with their stories of hope as they passed through this area. The Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival continues this oral tradition through the sharing of stories by both professional and amateur storytellers. The festival was spearheaded by a local storyteller, Bill McKell, who had visited many festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. With no similar regional festivals in Ohio, the potential for bringing this cultural event to the historic city, the first-captital of Ohio, was made possible through grants/donations and the work of many community members and regional storytelling organizations.

The festival began in 2004. Various venues have been used over the years, in addition to the Majestic Theatre, to accommodate the thousands of school children that attend the festival. These locations have included the Stevenson Center library, Bennett Hall auditorium and the Shoemaker Center gymnasium at the Ohio University-Chillicothe Branch, a tent at the Pump House Art Gallery in Yoctangee Park, 30 East Main Street, the J.A. Smith Middle School auditorium, local school libraries/gymnasiums/auditoriums and a tent in the courtyard of the Majestic Theatre.

The Festival

Storytelling concerts are held throughout the day on both Friday and Saturday. Thousands of students participate during the day on Friday in various venues that include the Majestic Theatre, a tent at the Pump House Art Gallery in Yoctangee Park and local school auditoriums. Classes of students around the state of Ohio are also invited to participate through the state's videoconferencing network. Friday's afternoon and evening concerts are held in the Majestic Theatre. Saturday the venue is moved to a tent at the Pump House Art Gallery in Yoctangee Park.

Past performers include Bill Harley, Carmen Agra Deedy, Donald Davis (storyteller), Barbara McBride-Smith, Elizabeth Ellis, Connie Regan-Blake, Sheila Kay Adams, Bobby Norfolk, Bil Lepp, Antonio Rocha, Len Cabral, Kate Long (storyteller), Lyn Ford, Kevin Cordi, Bill Harley, Willy Claflin, Kim Weitkamp, Granny Sue, Rick Carson, Michael Kasony-O'Malley, Bill McKell, Sally Crandall and Jim Flanagan. Participants are also encouraged to share their own stories at a stage with an open microphone on Saturday.

ee also

*Storytelling festival
*Storytelling

External links and references

* [http://www.sostoryfest.com/ The Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival] (Chillicothe, Ohio, USA)
* [http://www.sostoryfest.com/festivals.html Storytelling festivals] List and links to storytelling festivals
* [http://www.storynet.org/ The National Storytelling Network] (USA)
* [http://www.storytellingwithchildren.com/2007/06/20/bill-mckell-building-a-storytelling/ An interview with Bill McKell, the founder of the Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival "Building a Storytelling Festival from the Ground Up"]


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