October 12th & 13th, 2007
October 12th & 13th, 2007
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Alabama
Tale Tellin’ Festival Celebrates Silver Anniversary By
Ginger Harvill One of Alabama’s most popular events, the
annual Tale Tellin’ Festival, celebrates its silver anniversary October 10-11,
2003, in historic Selma, Alabama. The Festival has steadily grown in prominence,
and today it’s recognized as on of the country’s top Tale Tellin’ events. Twenty-five
years ago, renowned author and storyteller, Kathryn Windham sat around a table
with her friends and Alabama Tale Tellin’ was born. That was 1978, and by that
time Windham was already an acclaimed storyteller, having been featured at the
National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. Windham continues to
play a pivotal part in the Alabama Festival and does double duty each year as
featured storyteller and emcee. Windham’s
penchant for storytelling began with the written word; she is the author of over
twenty books. From the beginning, her intent was to preserve the traditions and
stories that so strongly influenced her during her growing-up years in west
central Alabama. This
same motivation to preserve a heritage is shared by David Holt, one of the
featured storytellers at this year’s Alabama Tale Tellin’ Festival. While a
college student in California, Holt attended a concert by banjoist Ralph
Stanley, and promptly fell in love with old-time mountain music. At Stanley’s
suggestion, Holt and a friend decided to explore the Southern mountains where
the music originated. They spent the summer of 1969 traveling all around the
Appalachians, discovering a way of life rich with traditions that Holt feared
could easily be lost forever. “A
lot of those folks are now gone,” Holt says. “They were all fantastic
musicians and were very friendly. I had a wonderful time finding them. Not only
watching how they played and getting ideas, but also just learning about the
culture and mountain ways.” Today Holt lives in a mountain-top home near
Ashville, North Carolina where he started and Appalachian Music Program at
Warren Wilson College. “Traditional music has so much power because it is
written from the heart and not for profit. It has been hand-rubbed by many
generations, and it’s distilled into these incredible little nuggets,” Holt
explains. Holt
plays ten acoustic instruments and is a Grammy-award winner. He has been
nominated for that honor four times. Over the years he has expanded his talents
and now “performs and informs” as a storyteller, musician, historian, and
entertainer, all the while focusing on preserving the culture he so cherishes.
His mission of blending Southern storytelling with traditional mountain music
has carried him across this country as well as to Europe, the mountains of
Bolivia, and the foothills of the Himalayas. Holt
has this to say about his work: “I do what I do because I really love it.
Hopefully some of those people will be inspired to carry on.” Sharing
the stage with Windham and Holt will be Len Cabral, who tells his African and
Caribbean stories through mime, poetry, song, and humor. Connie Regan-Blake, who
was featured at Alabama’s first Tale Tellin’ Festival a quarter-century ago,
rounds out the trio of guest tellers. Regan-Blake specializes in Appalachian
Mountain stories and true-life adventures. The
Tale Tellin’ Festival offers Friday and Saturday performances beginning at 7
p.m. in Selma’s Pickard Auditorium on Washington Street. People are encouraged
to come early for the “Swappin’ Ground” at 5:30p.m. This informal
gathering precedes the main events and extends to everyone the opportunity to
swap a tall tale. Admission to the Festival is $10 for adults and $5 for
children 12 and under. Web
pages www.taletellin.com and www.selmaalabama.com Additional information:
Selma & Dallas County Centre for Commerce 1-800-45-SELMA or
334-875-7241 |
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