Tell me a story

Cape Girardeau's third annual Storytelling Festival starts today. The three-day event, which drew 3,000 people last year, features a dozen local storytellers as well as six professionals.

The professional storytellers will perform throughout the day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The local storytellers will give "Swapping Ground" performances at noon and 3 p.m. Saturday in the tent set up at the corner of Main and Merriwether streets downtown. The other storytelling tent is at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus.

Tickets are available at the Convention and Visitors Bureau office, 400 Broadway. A three-day pass costs $30 for adults and $20 for students age 6 through college. A one-day pass is $20 for adults and $10 for students. Family passes cost $110.

The stories at the festival range from humorous to poignant to scary. This year's addition of local storytellers is sure to bring out listeners who know -- or know of -- the individual performers.

The Storytelling Festival offers something for everyone. In addition to local audience members, the festival draws a sizable number of visitors from outside the area. Welcome to Cape Girardeau, where the river turns a thousand tales.