Trish and I just finished the Shoals Storytelling Festival in Florence, Alabama.
Held in the great old Shoals art-deco era movie theatre, I was joined by Dolores Hydock, Bil Lepp, and Elizabeth Ellis, as well as several musicians.
The whole event started on Thursday evening with Dolores, accompanied by musician Bobby Horton, performing her historical story of Sallie Independence Foster based on the intact diary of that child who kept a personal daily diary from 1861 to 1887. Sallie Foster lived in a big house that still stands at the head of Court Street (the Main Street) of Florence just above the Shoals Theatre. This gave us a wonderful local history beginning place.
The festival concluded with local musicians on Saturday evening.