Flatwater Tales festival returns to Oak Ridge
The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival will return to Oak Ridge June 5-6 with nationally known and regional storytellers performing a variety of stories designed to entertain, inspire and educate audiences of all ages.
Most events will take place at the Oak Ridge Conference Center, 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
The festival finale, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — 250 Years of America’s Stories,” will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center, 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
The performance will feature the storytellers alongside the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
All four featured storytellers have appeared at the International Storytelling Center.
Featured performers include:
• Bil Lepp, an award-winning storyteller, author, recording artist and History Channel host known for family-friendly tall tales. A five-time champion of the West Virginia Liar’s Contest, Lepp has appeared at every Flatwater Tales festival.
• Josh Goforth, a musician who plays nearly 20 instruments and combines Appalachian storytelling with traditional music. Goforth has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.
• Elizabeth Ellis, making her first Flatwater Tales appearance, brings Southern storytelling marked by humor and heartfelt moments.
• Sheila Arnold, a storyteller and educator who specializes in historical presentations. Arnold will portray “Ole Bess,” a character from 1776 discussing freedom and liberty.
Festival events begin at 10 a.m. Friday, June 5, with Ellis presenting “Taste of the Tales,” a 35-minute program. Lepp will present another “Taste of the Tales” performance at 3 p.m.
Ellis, Lepp and Goforth will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, while Arnold joins the group for a 3 p.m. storytelling event Saturday at the Oak Ridge Conference Center.
Arnold also will present a historic character program at 11:30 a.m. June 6. The presentation includes the story of the Scarboro 85, the students from Oak Ridge’s Scarboro community who became the first to desegregate a public school system in the Southeast in 1955.
New this year will be the Homegrown Tellers Contest at 1:30 p.m. June 6, hosted by Lepp. Local storytellers will each perform a five-minute story, and audience members will vote for their favorite performance.
Oak Ridge historian Ray Smith also will lead a free Historic Tour of Oak Ridge from 9-11 a.m. June 6. The tour begins at the International Friendship Bell in Bissell Park. Organizers ask participants to register in advance because space is limited.
Tickets are available through the festival website at Flatwater Tales.
A $60 weekend pass includes admission to all seven shows and entry to the American Museum of Science and Energy, the Oak Ridge History Museum and the Oak Ridge Art Center. Individual “Taste of the Tales” tickets are $5. Tickets for the remaining performances are $15 for adults and $5 for children.
Festival proceeds support community service projects through Oak Ridge Rotary clubs.
Sponsors include Consolidated Nuclear Security – Y-12 National Security Complex, Pinnacle Financial Partners and Explore Oak Ridge.
