Audiences of nearly one thousand came together for the third annual Riverway Storytelling Festival to share and enjoy the great tradition of storytelling.
This year expanded to full seven days of storytelling for all ages. Twenty-three events in communities throughout the region drew listeners of ages 1 to 81. Libraries hosted most of the events, while the College of St. Rose and the New York State Museum served as other sites.
Highlights of this year’s Festival included the ever-popular double-header ghost story concerts. Families enjoyed non-scary tales early in the evening, and then headed home to get the little ones to bed while adults and teens joined us for the spine-tingling, shivery stories! These performances at Guilderland Public Library can now be viewed online.
A new feature of the Festival this year was Laughin’ Night, an evening of funny stories. National tellers Derek Burrows and Susan Klein delighted audiences with their comical stories of growing up in the Bahamas (Derek) and on Martha’s Vineyard (Susan).
When the buses deposited their lively third-graders at the NYS Museum on April 7, four professional tellers and a group of storytellers-in-training from Maple Hill Middle School were all ready for them. The Story Walk part of our Festival, when area schools join us for stories among the Museum exhibits, grows more popular each year.
Workshops for new storytellers, a master class for experienced tellers, a juried showcase, and many more performances rounded out the rest of our Festival week. We heard often that this was the best Fesitval yet!
Come join us in 2006. We’ll save you a seat.
Mary Fellows
Producer, Riverway Storytelling Festival
