Enjoy America’s best loved storytellers in a beautiful mountain lakeside setting during the 15th Annual Cave Run Storytelling Festival, Sept. 27-28, in Morehead. The festival features professional storytellers who come from across the nation to the shores of Cave Run Lake to share their talents.
Along with a dedicated group of community volunteers, the Morehead Tourism Commission, Daniel Boone National Forest and Morehead State Public Radio contribute as partners to the festival’s success.
Donald Davis, a festival favorite, will return to tell his stories. Davis, from North Carolina, crafts stories of family and friends that appeal to listeners on a personal level. He was born into a family of traditional storytellers, and the honesty and simplicity of his stories endear listeners of all ages to Davis as a teller and a humanitarian.
Noa Baum comes to the Cave Run festival for the first time. She started telling stories in Israel where she was born and raised. She uses stories to illustrate peace and understanding between Middle Eastern cultures.
Barbara McBride-Smith tells family stories that relate human foibles or poignant moments while her stories about Biblical characters and Greek myths provide fresh insights that will not be forgotten. She has been referred to as “a comedian, historian, teacher and preacher all rolled into one.”
Ed Stivender comes to the festival from Philadelphia, Pa. He has been called “the Robin Williams of storytellers” as well as “a Catholic Garrison Keillor.” Combining skills as a banjo player and juggler with his experience as a Shakespearean actor, Stivender has entertained and enthralled audiences around the world.
Willy Claflin, currently from San Francisco, grew up in the woods of New Hampshire. He spent his childhood dreaming and impersonating wildlife. His imagination still serves him well as he shares stories and songs with audiences across the nation. His sidekick puppet, Maynard the Moose, will join him as he delights audiences of all ages.
Dolores Hydock from Alabama will fill the stage with a swirl of characters in her humorous stories about family, fireworks, parallel parking, true love, turnip greens and other everyday peculiarities. Her stories celebrate the quirks, confusions and joys of the human condition.
The Rev. Robert B. Jones is making a return trip to the festival. He is a musician, storyteller and radio producer. A Detroit native, Jones has performed for more than 20 years. He developed an interest in the blues at an early age and started performing at Detroit’s music venues. He accompanies his singing with guitar, harmonica and storytelling.
The festival begins on Friday and Saturday at 9:45 a.m. with evening performances at 7 p.m. On Friday and Saturday evenings in the main tent, a Storytelling Showcase will feature stories that appeal to all ages.
On Saturday at 7 p.m., a popular choice for many is the “Night of Fright.” Telling ghost stories of Eastern Kentucky will be Morehead native J.D. Reeder. Octavia Sexton from Orlando, Ky., also will be on hand to tell her special brand of spine tingling tales.
The festival started in 1999 after a number of area residents attended the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tenn. They believed that others also would appreciate hearing professional storytellers tell their tales and the first festival was organized. Since that first year, the festival has grown to include attendees from many states as well as school students from surrounding counties.
Tickets are available at CoffeeTree Books, the Morehead Tourism Office, and online at www.caverunstoryfest.org. For more information, call the Morehead Tourism Office at 606-780-4342 or 855-270-8733.