Audiences Set to Gather in Downtown Athens for the 12th Annual Storytelling Festival

 ATHENS —The 12th annual Athens Storytelling Festival will take place on October 23–27 around the courthouse square in downtown Athens. The yearly festival boasts a lineup of nationally-acclaimed storytellers and includes fun activities for festival-goers of all ages. It will be located in close proximity to local restaurants, gift shops and clothing stores, with food vendors catering to festival-goers stationed throughout the area.

Local storytellers will also have a chance to captivate friends and neighbors with tales of their own at the 6th annual Dan Williams Local Tellers Competition, also known as Amateur Night, on Tuesday, October 23. The Amateur Night participants are each given a shot to tell their most entertaining story, and the winner of this juried competition gets to share the stage with the professional storytellers later in the week.

Local business including restaurants, hotels, and retail stores benefit greatly from the yearly festival, with economic impact estimates totaling approximately $750,000. The festival consistently draws an audience of both local festival goers and overnight tourists from across the country.

Storytelling Festival Schedule:

• Tuesday evening, October 23, 6:30 PM
  • Amateur Night—Local tellers compete for a chance to appear on stage with the professional storytellers later in the week.
• Wednesday–Thursday, October 24–25
  • School Days—Students from local schools and homeschoolers will enjoy performances by our professional storytellers.
• Thursday evening, October 25, 7:30 PM
  • Storytelling Olio—All the professional storytellers take the stage together and give shorter performances. The winner of the Local Tellers Competition is also announced at this event.
• Friday–Saturday, October 26–27
  • The Tellers Weekend—Each teller takes the stage four times over the course of the weekend for two morning sessions and two evening sessions. Session times are as follows:
    • Friday 1st session: 9:00 AM–2:15 PM
    • Friday 2nd session: 3:45 PM–9:10 PM
    • Saturday 1st session: 9:00 AM–2:15 PM
    • Saturday 2nd session: 3:30PM–9:20 PM
  • Special FREE event Saturday, October 27, 1:30–2:30PM
    • Carmen Deedy and Tim Lowry will bring some family-friendly fun to the Athens-Limestone Public Library. No charge to the public and bring the kiddos!

Storytellers Lineup:

• Donald Davis
  • Hailing from Appalachia, Donald Davis draws from a variety of influences including ancestral folktales and scary mountain lore, to nourish stories from his own life.
• Carmen Deedy
  • A bestselling author of children’s books, Carmen Deedy has been a guest speaker for the Library of Congress, the National Book Festival, and other distinguished venues. Her personal stories recount funny and insightful scenes from her childhood as a Latin American émigré in the Southeastern US.
• Bill Lepp
  • Bill Lepp is an award-winning author and recording artist who blends humor and insight to share original stories that captivate and move audiences all over the the country. Frequently featured as a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling festival, he has also appeared the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and, recently, on Comedy Central.
• Tim Lowry
  • Tim Lowry is a nationally-renowned storyteller who makes his home in Summerville, South Carolina. Known for weaving true-tales from American History into his personal stories and folktales, he has made several television appearances and produced many recordings of his beloved narratives.
• Josh Goforth
  • Josh Goforth is an accomplished oldtime, bluegrass, and swing musician and a native of nearby Madison County. A descendant of the famous Madison County fiddler Asbury McDevitt, he is highly attuned to the musical heritage of his old stomping grounds.

Further information related to the Athens Storytelling Festival, including addresses and ticket prices, can be found on the festival’s website at https://www.athensstorytellingfestival.com/.

Media Release/Teresa Todd