Back on The Road

 This past week Trish and I drove from home out to Midland, Texas, for the Thirtieth Annual Midland Storytelling Festival.

Thirty years ago Rex Ellis and I traveled to Midland to work with a special group of teachers in the Midland Independent School District called the Dream Team.  While there we had an evening community performance that sowed the first seed for the Midland Storytelling Festival.

While I have been here all thirty years, I have gradually been joined by a wonderful group of tellers who now come together here each year for this festival.  They include:  Barbara McBride-Smith, Charlotte Blake-Alston, Willy Claflin, Laura Pershin Raynor, Antonio Rocha, and Bil Lepp.  

Telling at Hillander School.

On our first day we all split up and made school visits.  I had the best time ever at Hillander School.  The kids were so perfect and responsive and we had fun together.

Friday night we were all at the Basin PBS studio to tell on television.  We started with four youth tellers then four of us told.  There was a small audience there but mostly it was a TV audience.

Getting set for television live!

Saturday was the live festival day.  In the morning we had two shows each for children and adults and then the big finale Saturday night.  We will all be back next year the first weekend of December.