Tellabration at Jones House November 21
Tales To Be Told by Three Well-Known Storytellers
Charlotte Ross tells a story at Tellabration two years ago. Ross, an ASU professor who is also a nationally known storyteller, will be at the Jones House on Saturday, November 21, along with storytellers Sandra Gudger and Mountain TLC. Photo submitted
Doyle Pace is pictured at last year’s Liars’ Competition. The competition will not take place this year, but entertaining stories will abound, and Pace might tell a story or two if time allows, he said. Photo submittedTellabration, an international storytelling celebration, will be observed locally at the Jones House Community Center in Boone on Saturday, November 21, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
“Communities all over the world will be having storytelling,” said Mark Freed, folklorist with the Watauga Arts Council. “We’ll have [a storytelling celebration] right here in Boone. What better place to have one [than in Watauga County], which includes Beech Mountain? There’s such a rich history of storytelling in the area.”
Freed and Doyle Pace, who is on the board of directors for the arts council and on the board of directors for the North Carolina Storytelling Guild, organized the event locally.
“This will be the fourth year,” Pace said. “I like storytelling, I’m a storyteller [and] I want to promote storytelling. Since Tellabration is a worldwide event, I wanted to be a part of it.”
Local storytellers Sandra Gudger, Mountain TLC and Charlotte Ross will spin their yarns at Tellabration.
Gudger, a native of Buncombe County, founded the Asheville Storytelling Guild, has served on its board and is the president-elect of the North Carolina Storytelling Guild (NCSG).
Mountain TLC, who now lives in Lenoir, is originally from Beech Mountain and strives to keep Appalachian heritage alive through stories about the N.C. mountains and the people that inhabit them.
Ross, a nationally known storyteller, “usually [tells stories] related to history—either local history or Native American history,” Pace said. “She is very knowledgeable about the history of this area [and] has taught at ASU for 25 to 30 years.”
“Tellabration was originally started by someone in Connecticut who wanted to bring adults into storytelling,” Pace said, adding that Tellabration is geared toward older children and adults.
“The stories are not going to be entertaining for little kids,” he said.
If time allows, Pace may tell stories as well, he said.
The Watauga Arts Council has sponsored Tellabration at the Watauga County Public Library for the past three years—this year marks the first year it will be celebrated at the Jones House.
“We’ll be decorated for the holidays [and] it will be a little more cozy atmosphere,” Freed said.
The Liars’ Competition, which was held in conjunction with Tellabration last year, will not take place this year because of budget constraints, Pace said, but Tellabration attendees will still enjoy plenty of quality stories for free.
“I can’t think of a better deal on a Saturday afternoon than that,” Pace said.
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
