There is a place in Tennessee where people gather every October under the Harvest moon to tell stories. The National Storytelling conference in Jonesboro has become a huge event but in the early 90’s it was 5 or 6 tents and a few hundred people. My mother took us every year, and we saw every flavor of story on display; funny stories, sad stories, stories with music, and stories from every culture and nation in the world.
In the early days, the profession of storytelling was pretty green. People were nervous, they struggled with microphones, and sometimes the stories just went off the rails completely, but it was magical. That’s when I learned that the very best stories come from ordinary people. The pros can entertain, but neighbors telling stories to neighbors forge human connections with heart and authenticity. Imagine my delight when I discovered a solid story tradition right here at The Colonial!
This week is the final week to submit your story for the return of The Colonial’s Do Tell! story event on November 3rd. Don’t worry if you feel your story isn’t “ready”, we can help you smooth out any rough edges. Just take the leap and give it a try!
To submit your story, simply call our story line at (802) 424-0132 and leave us a message telling us your story. We can’t wait to hear them all!
Questions? Contact sbrent@bethlehemcolonial.org. Read more on our Blog