Up & Coming Weekly

Spin a Yarn at the 4th Annual Storytelling Festival by STEPHANIE CRIDER With all of the busyness of life sometimes things fall through the cracks, or get pushed off the table altogether — things like sitting on the porch and chatting with your neighbor, lying in the grass and watching the clouds take on imaginary shapes or reminiscing with friends and relatives about past adventures and aspiring hopes and dreams. Really, sometimes just getting dinner on the table and the family gathered around to share the events of the day it is a feat in itself, never mind retelling the tale of the time Uncle Bob got sprayed by a skunk on the way to the county fair or how Mr. Garcias down the street traveled from Cuba to make his fortune in America. Sadly, for many, stories are no more than the few minutes Andy Irwin spent reading to youngsters before lights out. Some of the folks in Scotland County are doing their best to remind us that storytelling is important. It bridges generational gaps, entertains and strengthens bonds between the teller and the listener. On April 23-25 the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast in Laurinburg is hosting the Fourth Annual Storytelling Festival of North Carolina. “We have the best tellers that come to our festival each year,” said Jan Schmidt, executive director and cofounder of the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast. “They’ve all been to the national festival... we have six storytellers.” The talent roster includes award winning children’s author Carmen Deedy, Doug Elliot with his tales of North America’s back country, Mitch Capel who uses COMMUNITY NEWS COMMUNITY NEWS Author to Speak on National Security, Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy at ASOM The Airborne & Special Operations Museum will host a special presentation by Dr. David Gray, retired Air Force offi cer, former foreign service/CIA offi cer and an expert in national and global security, terrorism, and U.S. foreign policy, on Saturday, April 24 at the museum. The address, “Terror at Mumbai”, will begin at 11:00 am in the museum’s theater. Examining the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, this presentation focuses on the tactical and operational aspects of the event as well as the strategic security implications. The event undoubtedly established the precedence for this type of operation and current and future attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere. Gray is a retired Air Force offi cer, former foreign service / CIA offi cer and an expert in national and international security, U.S. foreign policy, terrorism, intelligence, counterintelligence, and WMD. He has taught courses in international security studies for nearly 30 years. Dr. Gray has extensive experience in the national and international security and intelligence communities and has completed assignments for the United States Departments of Defense, Energy, Homeland Security, Justice, and State, as well as, the United Nations, the Congress and the National Intelligence Council. He has served in a number of overseas assignments in various parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Admission is free but will be limited to the fi rst 45 people. Faces and Places Exhibit Opens April 18 at the Bladen County Library Serene seaside scenes and rushing mountain waterfalls are among the many images in the Celebrate North Carolina: Faces and Places exhibit that comes to the WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Bladen County Public Library in Elizabethtown from April 18-May 8. Celebrate North Carolina is an initiative of the Offi ce of First Gentleman Bob Eaves , arranged in cooperation with the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. It contains 30 images from professional and amateur photographers and from the State Archives, and will travel across the state through Feb. 19, 2011. The exhibition of 30 photographs features four from 2009 N.C. State Fair winners, eight from the State Archives and 18 from members of the N.C. Press Photographers Association. Altogether 27 libraries and three museums will present the quality color and black-and-white images to the people of the state. The State Library of North Carolina invited public libraries to host the exhibit, and museums were invited to ensure greater geographic distribution. There are urban and rural scenes, and pictures of people at work or play. The “Back With His Girls” photograph by Tech Sgt. Brian Christensen captures the joy of a National Guardsman’s reunion with his daughters in Asheville. The 1939 picture “Summer Fun at Cape Lookout,” from the State Archives, captures a time gone by. Library patrons have praised the exhibit in written comments. From Smithfi eld- Johnston County comes this observation: “Very interesting to see people of all ages and walks of life working and playing. Enjoyed this exhibit very much.” Others also praised the exhibit and the library for sharing it. For more information on the exhibition in Elizabethtown call the Bladen County Public Library at (910) 862-6990. For information on the tour call (919) 807-7389. The State Archives and the State Library are within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build N.C.’s social, cultural and economic future. APRIL 14-20, 2010 UCW 13 a lot of rhyming in his work and refers to it as “sto’etry,” former singer/songwriter Andy Irwin, Kim Weitkamp who specializes in telling whoppers, and local talent and retired high school English teacher Gwen Rainer. “The tellers have different styles,” said Schmidt. “Many pick stories from personal lives and make then into funny personal stories, others tell folk tales or traditional stories that move them, some of them intersperse music in their stories and are really accomplished musicians as well.” Quite often the story tellers are as interesting as the tales they tell. Doug Elliott The festival begins on Friday and most of that day is spent entertaining local students. That evening, the tellers do a sampler at the arts center in Laurinburg. The next day and all day Sunday there are two tents set up and festival go-ers can meander in and out of the tents and listen to the different performers. “On Saturday evening we have a little bit of telling, music and some sweet and savory desserts and wine tasting. It is a wonderful evening,” said Schmidt. “It is a beautiful weekend. There is something very personal about storytelling, so when someone is on stage you feel like they are talking just to you and you have a connection that is very special. You realize how important it is for us to share our stories with our friends and our families — it carries on traditions and it is a way of sharing your heart, your experiences with other people and these tellers we bring in do it with such excellence that it just inspires you.” Ticket prices vary. For more information or to purchase a Carmen Agra Deedy ticket contact the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast at 901 291- 0929 or www.sfoc.info. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or Editor@upandcomingweekly.com

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