An Evening of Rich White Storiesat Lake of the Ozarks State Park Campground
My wife Alice and I showed up at the Lake of the Ozarks State Park Campground in the early afternoon to scope out the venue for the 7:00 pm storytelling performance. We found the amphitheater was small enough that the PA system we had along would not be needed. We didn’t see any notices about the storytelling, and I was a little concerned.
We returned a little before 6:00 pm to the Campground Store where we met Candy Hawk, the Park Specialist who was handling the storytelling. Candy informed me that she had walked the campground on Friday night and invited everyone she found outside to the storytelling on Saturday. She was in the process of repeating that walk-thru again this evening to contact as many campers as possible. A little after 6:00 pm, Alice and I drove down to the amphitheater and then walked around the campground talking to some campers and inviting them to the storytelling.
By 6:45, Alice and I were at the amphitheater when two men we had talked to earlier showed up, closely followed by four women who we had also talked to. When Candy showed up, I was a little worried at the size of the audience. Then at around 6:55, the people Candy had invited started strolling in. We ended up with a nice size audience of 41 (ages 6 to about 80) thanks almost exclusively to the work Candy had put into promoting the event.
I told a variety of stories including a fairy tale, a folk tale, a tall tale and a historic story. The audience was attentive and joined in to make the storytelling a pleasure. To close out the program I asked whether they would rather hear a story of “An Owl and an Eagle”, a traditional folk tale, or “Aunt Eddy”, a tall tale. “Aunt Eddy” won out and proved to be a fun
wrap up to an enjoyable evening.
It was September of 1995. My wife, Jackie, took a storytelling workshop with Diann Joy Bank to learn how to become a storyteller. Diann told Jackie about an organization called MO-TELL. Of course, Diann had to explain exactly what MO-TELL meant. I was interested in storytelling as well. Years earlier, I had partnered with and accompanied, playing percussion instruments, a storyteller named Bert Minkin. Diann told Jackie that MO-TELL had an event coming up in October. So, Jackie and I both decided to attend MO-TELL’s event.
I believe it was a two-day festival. It was called the Missouri River Storytelling Festival. I recall MO-TELL on one of the nights, having dinner first, then a storytelling concert followed. I don’t recall who told at the first festival I attended, which was at some place called a School Mall in St. Charles, MO. Jackie and I attended so many festivals, it’s difficult to pinpoint who was featured in any particular year. In the early years of our attendance, the late 1990s, I do remember seeing Jackie Torrence, Loren Niemi, Angela Lloyd, Milbre Birch, and Doug Lipman. That’s all I can think of right now.
Every year, Jackie and I looked forward to going to the Missouri River Storytelling Festival. It was the highlight of our fall. We still miss it to this day. The festival had several locations over the years. I also remember attending on the Golden Rod Showboat that was docked in St. Charles on the Missouri River riverfront. Later it was at the Depot on the riverfront.
Of course, we soon became members of MO-TELL and got acquainted with the St. Louis storytelling community. A couple of years later, Diann Bank suggested to Sue Hinkel that Jackie was ready to tell on the Missouri River Storytelling Festival concert; and of course, I would accompany her on percussion instruments. So, Sue invited us to the October 1997 Missouri River Storytelling Festival. It was the year Milbre Birch was the featured teller. I believe it took place on the Goldenrod Showboat. Jackie and I were thrilled to be asked to be at the concert and thrilled to share the stage with Milbre Birch and the other tellers, Karen Young, Deb Swanegan, Joyce Slater, Pat Baker, and Donna Merz. Later, we were on the festival concert with Doug Lipman on the Golden Rod Showboat.
Jackie and I also attended Tellabration concerts every November, which included a silent auction. The silent auctions are now held during the Liars’ Contest. I believe I attended a Tellabration that was held at the Union Avenue Christian Church in St. Louis on Union Avenue. I recall Jackie and I telling on a couple of Tellabrations, including last year’s Tellabration in St. Louis at O’Connell’s Pub, upstairs at Jack’s Joint.
I remember the annual membership meetings that were held in January and still are. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, we usually met at Karen and Mike Potts home in St. Charles. Members came with a story to tell and a dish to share. Jackie told “Tale of the Three Trees” one year, as I accompanied her on percussion instruments. I also remember Jackie and I doing an upfront puppet show, “The Three Billy Goats” at one of the meetings.
In the early 2000s, Jackie and I were asked to be Co-Vice President of MO-TELL. We held the position until our term was up. Since 2023, I am on the board as a member- at- large and Jackie is the treasurer. Since I got involved with MO-TELL so long ago, my memory of a lot of the details has left, but I remember how I felt. I enjoyed the stories and the camaraderie of the storytellers and the story listeners, and I still do today.
MO-TELL will be holding an online auction at www.32auctions.com/mo-tell from August 15, 2024 to August 30, 2024.
The money raised will help MO-TELL continue to support storytelling in Missouri through storytelling at Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites, Zoom events, workshops, and festivals.
To donate an item, please email Linda Kuntz at lindakuntz@yahoo.com by August 1, 2024. Include the following information:
A picture of your item. If it's a service, send your photo or business card
A short (2-3 sentences) description of the donated item or service
The approximate value or the item or service (minimum $25)
Starting bid price for the item or service
Name of the donor, with mailing address, email address, and telephone number
MO-TELL is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and your item is tax deductible. After the auction closes and payments are received, you will be notified who has won your item or service and their mailing address so you can ship the item or contact them.
Thank you for supporting MO-TELL.
Joyce Slater, President
Missouri Storytelling, Inc (MO-TELL)