Southern Ohio Storytelling Festival

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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.

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[edit] 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 the work of many community members and regional storytelling organizations. The festival began in 2004 and has been held in the downtown, historic Majestic Theatre. Various venues have been used over the years, in addition to the Majestic Theatre, to accommodate the thousands of school children. These locations have included the Stevenson Center library, Bennett Hall auditorium and the Shoemaker Center gymnasium at the Ohio University-Chillicothe Branch, 30 East Main Street, the J.A. Smith Middle School auditorium, local school libraries/gymnasiums and the courtyard of the Majestic Theatre.

[edit] The Festival

The main festival location has been the historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Chillicothe. Over a thousand students from local schools come to hear the storytellers during the school day on Friday. During Friday evening and all day Saturday, the festival has been held in the downtown area in the Majestic Theater. Participants are also encouraged to share their own stories at a stage with an open microphone on Saturday.

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, Rick Carson, Michael Kasony-O'Malley, Bill McKell, and Jim Flanagan.

[edit] See also

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