The Monroe County Public Library invited us to tell traditional American Folk Tales for our 5th presentation of Summer Tales. Our tellers found some great ones, from traditional tall tales to a genuine American (and personal) legend, from long ago and not-so-long ago, and interspersed with traditional folk songs.
Featured performers were:
Kellen Everett
who began the program with a Hoosier tale:"Why the Devil stays out of Indiana"
Connie Shakalis
who took on different personas for each song,"The Deaf Woman's Courtship" told a funny little story; "Johnny's gone for a Soldier" and "Shenandoah" were full of sorrow and longing, and "Skip to my Lou" was lively and silly.
Patty Callison
whose story of "Why the Possum's Tail is Bare" is a traditional Cherokee tale , with a bit of a lesson about vanity underneath the explanation for that bare tail that opossums have now.Ken Oguss
who gave us "The Incredible Story of Great-Grandpa Jack's Hunting Trip" - a tall tale of an amazing fellow who went hunting with only one bullet, an ax, and a bird net. Lisa Champelli
who turned the audience into amphibians with "Parley Garfield and the Frogs"David Matlack
with "My great-great-great-great-great Grandmother" - a family legend that has become an American myth.Faridah Pawan
who gave us the strong woman "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett" in a tall tale worthy of ol' Davy himself.Johnathan Frank
with a possibly true Kansas tale "What Gold?, involving the dangerous Anderson gang.Ginny Richey
who took us back to Hoosier folklore with "Copperhead in the Bin".And thanks to our coordinator for this program: Laura Clavio, who skillfully arranged the event, herded the storytellers , and set the show in context with her introduction.
The show was videotaped by Community Access Television Services and is available on the MCPL cable channel :
Watch the whole show on CATS here
