Storytelling Family

National Storytelling Festival 2012


The whole 15,000+ audience at the Festival is a community. We learned last year that anywhere –- in the seat next to yours, at the dinner tents, in line for the Port-a-Let !!, someone is likely to share a story.  “Where are you from?”
"Have you been here before?” Sure ways to strike up a conversation, which will lead …. who knows where, but somewhere interesting.
Our little campground has its community:

• THE TEXANS, a group of friends who arrive two weeks early in their big fifth wheels and know all the eating spots.
• NEIL AND  CAROL who are “surrogate Parents” to one of the favorite tellers and a delight in themselves.
• ROSE AND DAVID who share so many threads with our lives and always require an electrical gismo –- makes Al feel so useful.

By Friday the park is busy with Big Rigs, tents, and a fair number of Airstreams, but the time for visiting is limited to a few waves in the morning before the venue opens.  By Monday, we are dispersing with promises to stay in touch and perhaps relay a story or two along the way.
Around Jonesborough on the day before the Festival we meet this beauty.

“I’m 81 years old”, she tells Pat as she tries to help her over the mid-town railroad tracks, “but I still believe I’m 31.” 
She loves her adopted town and comes to shop here to help the local merchants despite the rugged walk.
“You know you can’t buy a bed sheet in this town anymore.  Just  stuff for the visitors; I got to get RID of stuff like that, not buy more.”










Certainly, close liaison with Law Enforcement is essential.



Come along quietly, mam.

The proud new owners of the  





…recounted the six month renovation and preparation for the big first day while the sidewalks and curbs and repaving were finished (hours before the festival began.)