The Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival is sponsoring a bus trip to the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. A Knoxville Tours motor coach will take participants to the festival on Saturday, October 8, leaving Oak Ridge at 7 a.m. and returning around 8 p.m.
“We have perhaps the greatest storytelling festival in the world right here in East Tennessee,” says Sue Byrne, trip coordinator. “This is a wonderful opportunity to experience it.”
The $125 fee covers transportation, admission to the festival, a site map and program.
The Jonesborough festival is held in five large performance tents scattered through the oldest town in Tennessee. Leading tellers from throughout the nation and abroad perform. Flatwater Tales tellers Bil Lepp and Carmen Deedy along with 2023 teller Lyn Ford will be performing at the festival.
In addition to local restaurants, numerous food vendors are set up on festival grounds, and the bus will stop for dinner at the Cracker Barrel in Morristown on the way home.
Sue Byrne at suebyrne33@gmail.com is the contact for more information and reservations. The deadline is Sept. 20 or until the trip is sold out.
“Here is your chance to experience the magic of the national festival when someone else does the planning and the driving,” says Byrne, who is a member of the executive board of Flatwater Tales.
Quick reminders
The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will present its seventh annual Butterfly Festival on Saturday, September 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the UT Arboretum Auditorium and surrounding grounds, 901 S. Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. The gate will open at 9:30 a.m. The entry fee is $5 cash per car. Other purchases may be made with cash or credit card. At noon, 500 painted lady butterflies will be released. Full information is here.
Stephen Alvarez, creator of the Ancient Art Archive, will talk about the project via Zoom at 7 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, September 20. The program is free, but registration is required to receive your link. Register at www.utarboretumsociety.org. This program will be recorded, and closed captioning is available. Contact UT Arboretum education coordinator, Michelle Campanis, at mcampani@utk.edu with any questions or registration issues.
Melanie Staten is a public relations consultant with her husband, Vince.