Daylong storytelling event to be held Oct. 20 in Moreland
By W. WINSTON SKINNER
winston@newnan.com
The Coweta Public Library System and the Moreland Cultural Arts Alliance are working together to present a storytelling festival that both hope will become an annual event.
The Spin Time Storytelling Festival will be held in downtown Moreland on Oct. 20 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The day is described as a free event for the entire family.
Marie J. Vielot, manager of the libraries in Grantville and Senoia, and Carol Chancey of MCAA have been working on plans for the festival for several months.
An exhibition of local artisans will be held on the sidewalk throughout the day. There will be hands-on craft activities for children from noon-3 p.m., while supplies last.
Storytelling workshops for children, teens and adults will be held from 10:45-11:45 p.m. and from noon-1 p.m. Ann Wallace will conduct the workshops.
Wallace is with the Southern Order of Storytellers. “They do different showcases around Atlanta and the southern region,” Vielot said.
Registration is required for the workshops. For information, call 770-683-0535 or visit www.cowetapubliclibrary.org.
A Lewis Grizzard Living Museum Exhibit will be in place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
A puppet show by the Piccadilly Puppets will be staged at 1 p.m. and 1:45 p.m.
Food vendors, hayrides and live music will be featured from noon-3 p.m. “It will be a really fun day,” Chancey said.
The highlight of the day will be a storytelling concert from 3-6 p.m. Barry Stewart Mann of Young Audiences will be master of ceremonies.
Participating in the storytelling concert will be Tersi Bendiburg of Young Audiences, Anthony Vinson and Jonah McDonald of the Southern Order of Storytellers, LaDoris Bias-Davis and Josie Bailey of Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia, Curtis Richardson of the Wren’s Nest Storytellers and Marian Sorensen of the Alliance Theatre of Atlanta.
A hometown writing competition for youth is also part of the event. “We are celebrating the spirit of hometowns by showcasing hometown stories from around the world,” Vielot said.
The Spin Time Festival is inviting “all young aspiring writers in Coweta County to enter My Hometown Story Competition, a competition in the descriptive and reflective style of Moreland’s native author, Lewis Grizzard,” Vielot said.
The rules call for a story of 500 words or less about the writer’s hometown. “You may write a humorous story, a scary story or an adventurous story,” Vielot said. “Most importantly – write a descriptive and reflective story highlighting the place you call your hometown.”
The contest is open to children between the ages of 9-17, and Sept. 29 is the deadline.
The first place story “will be performed by a professional storyteller during the storytelling concert,” Vielot said. “First, second and third place winners will receive gift cards from local merchants.”
Entry forms are available at CPLS library branches or the CPLS website.
Electronic entries are encouraged and may be sent to: info@morelandadventure.com . Postmarked entries must be mailed to The Grantville Branch 100 Park Drive Grantville, GA 30220. All entries must be submitted electronically dated or postmarked by midnight Sept. 29, 2012.
Chancey said MCAA’s members are excited about Spin Time and its becoming an annual event in conjunction with county library system. The library system’s leaders “get where literature can go in the community,” she said.
The Storytelling Festival is one of a number of events and activities in which MCAA is involved. The non-profit started God’s Little Acre, a community garden, in the spring.
MCAA is working on a couple of event in conjunction with the annual hunt at Bear Creek Farms, and a Lewis Grizzard exhibit is being staged at the Male Academy Museum.
Ongoing sponsorship and membership projects are also taking place. “Boy, are we going to have a busy fall,” Chancey said.
