9/4/2012
34th Annual Tale-Telling Festival Oct 12-Oct 13
The 34th Alabama Tale-Tellin’ Festival is Friday, Oct. 12 and Saturday, Oct. 13 at Carneal Arts Revive, 3 Church St., Selma. Enjoy storytelling for the whole family that begins at 7 each evening with The Dill Pickers, Dolores Hydock and Carmen Agra Deedy. Come early for concessions and the Swappin’ Ground at 5:30.Tickets are $15 for adults ($25/both nights) and $10 for children 12 and under ($15 both nights). Call 334-878-ARTS or email info@artsrevive.com. For more info, check the ArtsRevive Facebook page, and visit www.artsrevive.com. The festival coincides with Riverfront Market Day on Oct. 13. Music and stories vary each night, so plan to attend both Friday and Saturday.
The popular Dill Pickers vocal stringband/theatrical group from Birmingham returns once again to kick off the main event at the 7 p.m. shows, and Hydock and Deedy complete the lineup.The Dill Pickers play and sing a variety of music in an upbeat fashion that keeps the audience wanting more. They add a few comedy routines in the mix, and it’s entertainment that is fun for all. Check out their music at www.thedillpickers.com.
Birmingham actress and storyteller Hydock not only tells a story, she also sings and dances it and becomes some of her characters. She transitions from medieval personas to North Alabama mountaineers to the spirited Cajun people of Southwest Louisiana. She has performed one-woman plays and been a featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tenn. She is also a founding member of Birmingham’s Association of Cajun Music Enthusiasts. Visit her website at www.storypower.org.
Deedy, who was born in Havana, Cuba, came to the U.S. in 1964. A children’s author, she began by writing a collection of stories, Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, Georgia, which was featured as NPR commentaries on All Things Considered. Over the past 20 years, Deedy has told stories to hundreds of thousands of school children and was the 2008 National Spokesperson for School Library Media Month. She has also spoken before Pulitzer prize winners, Nobel Laureates, major corporations and heads of state. More information is available at www.carmenagradeedy.com.
The festival was founded by the late Selma author Kathryn Tucker Windham, because she thought there wasn’t “anything more important than families that laugh together,” “and this year’s event will keep the laughter alive,” said Ann Thomas, chairman. Sponsored by ArtsRevive, the festival opens at 5:30 each evening with the Swappin’ Ground and food court at Carneal ArtsRevive, 3 Church St. Come early, tell your stories and have supper on the terrace overlooking the scenic Alabama River.
