Rosie Best-Cutrer is a storyteller from Topeka, Kansas. She started working in semi-professional theater with the Dale Easton Players at Lake Perry then as a costumer for the Topeka Recreational Department Community Theater. From there she became an elementary teacher for grades 1-3 and did that for 23 years. She was introduced to storytelling as a teacher and with her background in theater she was intrigued. While looking for other things to do with her life in 2000 she decided to start her own storytelling business. Starting with summer-time jobs, then jobs throughout the school year she finally made that transition from
teacher to storyteller.
One of her mentors and coaches is Priscilla Howe from Lawrence, Kansas. Her favorite types of stories are folktales and historical stories. In addition to telling stories she is also a musician, author, and soon to be playwright. She plays the banjo in the claw hammer style and adds singing to her stories. She does Irish storytelling programs and has performed at the Kansas City Irish Festival. She is writing the script, and will then perform as the storyteller, for the ballet “The Book of Kells” for the Storling Dance Theater which is part of the Culture House of Olathe. The show is in the theater in Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, Kansas and will run April 17-18, 2020.
Rosie has written a book titled, Read and Tell Stories for Parents, Grandparents, Aunts,
Uncles, and Other Loving Adults. Parkhurst and Brothers Publishing expect a spring 2020 release. She has also recorded four CDs. You can contact Rosie at www.rosiecutrer.com or rcutrer50@gmail.com.
February 2020. A new year for MO-TELL. MO-TELL celebrates 33 years of storytelling. That’s a lot of stories.
January 25th , MO-TELL held its Annual Membership Meeting. Many thanks to River and Prairie Storyweavers and the Chicken Festival for the opportunity to meet with our members during their event.
Twenty people were in attendance for the meeting. Reports were given by Joyce Slater, President, on the 2019 in review, Jim Two Crows Wallen, Secretary, on our presence in the Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites and on his workshop with the Missouri Interpreter’s Association. Gary Kuntz, Board Member at Large, discussed the Liar’s Contest and announced the upcoming Liar’s Contest. Sue Hinkel, Treasurer, gave the financial report for 2019. Perrin Stifel, Emeritus, was unable to attend. We introduced a new board member for the 2020 fiscal year. Linda Kuntz will come on board as Secretary. Jim Two Crows Wallen will move to Board Member at Large.
We announced that we would like to add 2-3 more board members with skills in accounting, grant writing and computer skills. We thanked Ken Wolfe for the fantastic job he has done on the newsletter. We also thanked Hilary Kuntz for her wonderful work on the website (check it out, www.mo-tell.org ). We reminded everyone that Ron Turner was made a Life-time member at the last Liar’s Contest in thanks for all he has done for storytelling in the state of Missouri.
We added new members and we sold books. Watch for the reports in
your email.
James kicked at the rocks, picked them up and threw them to the side of the field as he plowed his rocky field and grumbled, “It just isn’t fair! I love Maggie and she loves me. How can I prove to her father that I can provide for her?”
One particular rock would not budge. James stopped and tugged with all his might. Slowly, slowly the rock gave way and James carried it to the side of the field. Looking into the hole, he was astounded to see the glint of gold. Kneeling in his field he pulled seven wee bags of gold from the hole. He wondered how these bags of gold had ended up in his field and who had hidden them there.
James took the bags of gold and used them to show Maggie’s father that he had the means to support her as his wife. The Wedding Banns were posted. Finally, the wedding day came.
Maggie looked as beautiful as the morning dew as the exchanged their vows. After the wedding celebration, James took Maggie back to his farm.
Wedding or no wedding, farm animals still need to be fed and watered. James gave Maggie a quick kiss, left her standing in the kitchen still wearing her wedding finery, and headed out to the barn. As he neared the barn, James heard crying. He wondered who would be out at this time of night and why they would be crying. He held up his lantern and followed the sounds of weeping and wailing.
At the edge of his field, James saw a small wee woman sitting on a rock, crying, twisting her handkerchief and wailing, “Gone, tis all gone! Where did it go?” James approached her and asked what was wrong. The wee little woman exclaimed that all her bags of gold were gone!
James admitted that he had found them in his field and took them. He did not know that they belonged to her.
She brightened and asked for her bags of gold back. James admitted that he had spent the gold fixing up the farm preparing to marry Maggie. The little old wrinkled woman looked deep in thought. She asked James how many bags of gold did you take? James answered her seven.
Then she smiled and said that it was all right, you can keep the gold. James could not believe his good fortune. He thanked her, finished caring for the animals and returned to the house. When he entered, he saw Maggie had changed clothes and was fixing dinner with a child on her hip and a toddler playing on the floor. He wondered who would ask them to babysit on their wedding night. Then he noticed his friend Tom sitting at the table.
James called out to Maggie. Maggie turned and almost dropped the baby. “James!” she exclaimed, “what happened to you and where have you been these last seven years? We searched for you and thought you dead. When you didn’t return I married Tom and these are our children.”
James explained what had happened with the bags of gold and the wee woman. James and all his dreams were shattered. She had indeed given James seven bags
of gold, but she had taken seven years of his time.