Tellers entertain students, community on first day of Cape storytelling festival

Friday was the first day of the third annual Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival, which continues through Sunday, in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Advance ticket sales totaled 435 tickets by Friday afternoon.

"Tomorrow we expect to be a really big day for us because of the weather," said Chuck Martin, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We know a lot of our local people are working today, but tomorrow and Sunday have the potential to have the best turnout yet."

Area school children made up the bulk of Friday's Festival participants. Just shy of 2,300 students from all over Southeast Missouri came to the festival by the busload.

Saturday two "Swapping Ground" sessions featuring more than 20 amateur storytellers will take place. These are scheduled at noon and 3:30 p.m. in the tent at the corner of Merriwether and Main Streets. A second storytelling tent is located at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus.

Throughout the festival six professional storytellers will take the stage and WSIU will have a booth set up at the base of the old bridge where people can tell their own stories and have them record on a CD. There is no additional cost for this.

Tickets may be purchased at the Storytelling Festival headquarters at the Convention and Visitors Bureau office, by calling 800-777-0068 or online at www.capestorytelling.com