Bulk of festival's advance tickets sold out of state

This weekend, folks from as far as Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa will journey to Cape Girardeau to hear tales of drama, folklore and action. So far, the bulk of the 220 advance tickets sold for the Storytelling Festival have been to people from out of state.

Cape Girardeau's own may be hesitant to buy tickets until they know how the weather will pan out, said Chuck Martin, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau and festival co-producer.

"I think local people, with 17 inches of rain in March and a forecast of five inches later this week, are waiting," Martin said.

The National Weather Service reports there is a 90 percent chance Cape Girardeau will be hit with periods of showers and thunderstorms Thursday night. The chance is lowered to 40 percent Friday. Saturday and Sunday are slated to be mostly sunny, with highs in the middle to upper 60s.

Martin said the festival will continue unless a severe thunderstorm warning or similar advisory is issued. The festival, scheduled for Friday to Sunday, will be held in three tents downtown. Four nationally known and five Midwestern storytellers will perform, telling stories and incorporating music and theater.

On Friday, more than 600 students will attend the festival, including children from Poplar Bluff and Chaffee, Mo., and Ullin and Cairo, Ill. General admission tickets cover every session during the three-day festival. Seating is open. Call 335-1631 or e-mail info@visitcape.com for tickets. Passes can also be purchased at the festival as space permits.

Performances begin at 9 a.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. A schedule can be viewed at www.capestorytelling.com/schedule.html.

Four of the storytellers will conduct master classes, which will be capped at 30 students. Topics of the three classes are: "Ballads, Old Love Songs and Tuneful Traditions," "Finding Your Own Stories... How To Remember and How To Tell So That Listeners Want To Hear!" and "The Ghost Story -- Boo! Finding, Researching, and Telling the Ghost and Horror Tale."

Call the Office of Extended and Continuing Education at Southeast Missouri State University at 986-6879 or visit www.semo.edu/continuinged to enroll.

Martin said the event is a "great opportunity for people of the community to have a cultural experience as a family. ... Today people interact more with equipment than with people. This is a good time for kids to ask 'What do you remember, Grandma or Grandpa? What are some memories and recollections you have?'"

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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