Preserving the art of storytelling with Flatwater Tales, June 3-4

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, to be presented on June 3 and 4 at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge, has announced its Advisory Committee, a group of Oak Ridge volunteers from all three Rotary Clubs as well as other civic, charitable, business and other organizations throughout Oak Ridge.

The festival will feature three world renowned storytellers.

Heading the Executive Committee is Emily Jernigan, chair of Flatwater Tales; Martha Hobson, vice chair, sponsorships and fundraising; Charlie Jernigan, chair for financial, website, tickets; Lydia Birk, chair of operations; Charles Crowe, special projects; David Hobson, Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL); Pat Postma, special projects, teller logistics. Most of these people are members of Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs, according to the news release.

“It truly takes a village to put on this large, annual event,” Jernigan said. “Not only do we have Rotary officers and members involved, but we also have civic, educational, business and others lending their expertise. All are volunteers dedicated to preserving the art of storytelling and bringing it to Oak Ridge.”

Early bird tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com or The Ferrell Shop (cash or check only) in Oak Ridge. Tickets for individual performances and events are available.

Other committee members are: Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary, Peter Bancroft, Sherrie Fairchild-Keyes, Mike Morris, Ray Smith, Kesha Waters (CASA); Noon Rotary, Tom Beehan; Sunset Rotary, Malcolm Stocks; Altrusa, Kay Brookshire, Chris Iversen; University of Tennessee Arboretum and UT Arboretum Society, Michelle Campanis; Oak Ridge Chamber, Christine Michaels; ORAU, Laura Hammons; Oak Ridge Schools, Larissa Henderson; CNS, Gene Patterson; Staten Communications Ink, Melanie and Vince Staten; Lee McClure, Craig Rigell.

The storytelling festival

The three-day event will feature storytellers Sheila Arnold, Bil Lepp and Kim Weitkamp known to audiences nationwide for their wit, wisdom and abilities to make audiences laugh, cry and reminisce. Two special events have been added to the weekend: a workshop by Bil Lepp on Thursday, June 2; and a special tour of Oak Ridge by Oak Ridge Historian D. Ray Smith on Friday, June 3.

Story continues

Highlighting the Friday night performance will be acclaimed storyteller Sheila Arnold, who will tell the story of the “Scarboro 85,” the 85 brave young people who were the first to desegregate a school district in the Southeast. Few people know of this 1955 milestone event that took place in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Sheila will honor the Scarboro 85 by telling some of their stories. Lepp and Weitkamp will also perform Friday evening. Friday evening tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children, according to a release.

There will be three shows on June 4, and the storytellers will share different stories for each performance. The morning family show, from 10 a.m. to noon will offer tickets at $10 for adults and $5 for school-age children. The afternoon show is from 2 to 5 p.m. and the evening show is from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets for the afternoon and evening performances are $25 for each show. Early bird pricing is currently available at $40 per ticket for both the Saturday afternoon and evening shows. For groups of 10 or more tickets will be $20 each for either the afternoon or evening performances.

Lepp will present a special workshop, “Bringing a Story to Life and Including Your Audience in the Experience,” from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, at the UT Arboretum Auditorium in Oak Ridge. Tickets for workshop are $50 and are also available at Eventbrite.com and The Ferrell Shop in Oak Ridge. The Ferrell Shop accepts cash or check only.

A first-time special event has been added to this year’s Flatwater Tales. Oak Ridge Historian Ray Smith will lead a tour of some historic Oak Ridge sites on Friday, June 3 at 1 p.m. Tickets for this free tour are available also available on Eventbrite.com. The event is free, but registration is required. Learn the history of Oak Ridge by spending the afternoon with Ray.

The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival is led by volunteers from all three Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Preserving the art of storytelling with Flatwater Tales, June 3-4