Cape storytelling event drawing people from 15 other states

Now in its fourth year, the Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival continues to grow and attract visitors from across the country.

Weaving together comedy, music and history, the nationally recognized storytellers at this year's festival, Friday to April 10, will entertain hundreds of people coming from Southeast Missouri and 15 states.

"One of our biggest jobs is educating people on the art of storytelling," said Joel Rhodes, co-producer of the Storytelling Festival and a history professor at Southeast Missouri State University. "Storytelling is an authentic form of entertainment. The teller has an image in their mind, and their job is to project that image into your mind."

Last year's festival attendance increased 41 percent from the 2009, and organizers are hoping for a larger crowd this year as well. Sixty-eight percent of this year's ticket sales, so far, are from outside Missouri, including Arizona, Oklahoma, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa.

"This is really a destination event that keeps growing year after year," Rhodes said.

It is gaining a national reputation for offering the best storytelling event at an affordable ticket price, Rhodes said.

Cost is $35 for an adult weekend pass, compared to $175 for a weekend pass at the National Storytelling Festival held annually in Jonesboro, Tenn., he said.

Local sponsorship for the festival has increased from $3,500 its first year to $9,000 this year, Rhodes said, helping organizers to keep ticket prices low.

Events will be held in two tents, one at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus and another next to the Red House Interpretive Center, near Main and Aquamsi streets.

This year's storytellers are:

* Bil Lepp of Charleston, W.Va., a humorist, is a five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars Contest. His style has been compared to comedians Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Cosby. Lepp has been featured at the National Storytelling Festival and at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. He is the author of three books of tall tales, eight audio collections, and recently published his first novel, "Halfdollar."

* Willy Claftin of San Francisco grew up in New Hampshire, attended Harvard and became a folk singer before focusing his work on storytelling and puppeteer. He is also has published stories and recordings for children and adults.

* Elizabeth Ellis of Dallas has been designated an American Masterpiece Touring Artist by the National Endowment for the Arts. She grew up in the Appalachians and worked as a children's librarian at the Dallas Public Library before becoming a professional storyteller.

* The Rev. Robert Jones of Detroit has opened for B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt and John Lee Hooker. Jones's storytelling uses American roots music such as spirituals, blues, work songs, field hollers, folk songs and gospel.

Regionally recognized storytellers Kathleen Brinkmann of Urbana, Ill., and Linda Dust of Assumption, Ill., will also perform during the festival.

More than 1,300 students from area schools will attend storytelling sessions at the festival Friday. The festival's swapping ground will give amateur storytellers an opportunity to share their tales at noon and 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, visit www.capestorytelling.com or call the Cape Girardeau Convition and Visitors Bureau at 335-1631.

mmiller@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

128 Aquamsi St., Cape Girardeau, MO

518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, MO