Ghost Walk

 The ghost walk was a blast. The weather was perfect fall weather, clear and just a little chilly. It was still light when we started the first walk, but darkness came quickly and made for a fine, spooky finish.

Lots and lots of stories...once again I dug into history to learn more about Ripley, the people, the places and the strange things that have happened here.

And each walk, I hear more stories from those attending.

We had visits from a sheriff, a Confederate soldier, a ghostly woman and a wandering preacher during the walk that took us from around the courthouse and up to an old cemetery,

then back to the center of town where there are lots of tales.

The first weekend walks are over, but we'll do it again next week.

Many thanks to the Ripley Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Jackson Players drama group for making this happen!

(And the scariest thing I saw all night... Larry clowning for the camera!)














Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

It's Going to Be a Storied Month

October is always a busy month for storytellers and my schedule for the month certainly bears that out.
What better month to be traveling around our state, with the leaves changing and the air crisp and cool?
Add in a little swing north to Brooklyn, NY, and then down south to Miami to visit my son, and I'll be seeing a lot of interesting, beautiful sights while spinning tales.

Here's a look at the month ahead, starting with tomorrow night--yikes! Gory stories? Yes indeed, for the strong at heart. And I've got a brand new, chilling tale for it too.

October 7: Gory Story Theater! La Belle Theater, South Charleston, WV 7:00pm

Following the Gory Story event, it's:

October 10: Ripley Do You Believe? Ghost Walk, Ripley WV 7:00pm and 9:00pm

A ghostly mile-long stroll through the dark side of town! Lots of tales, lots of strangeness!

And then:

October 12: West Virginia Ghost Stories: for ages 3rd grade and up. At:
11:00am: St. Albans Public Library, St. Albans, WV
2:00pm Main Library, 123 Capitol St, Charleston, WV
6:00pm Dunbar Public Library, Dunbar WV. .

October 13: WV Ghost Stories, Clendenin Public Library, Clendenin, WV 11:00 am

A quick dash across the state to the Eastern Panhandle for 

October 13: Speak! Shepherdstown, WV, 7:30pm, Shepherdstown Community Club, Shepherdstown, WV. Information at Speak! Shepherdstown Facebook page.

And then back to present at 

October 14-15: WV Storytelling Festival, Jackson's Mill, WV.School event, with an evening concert for the general public on October 14 at the Assembly Hall for the general public. For information:
160 WVU Jackson Mill, Weston, WV 26452 (304) 269-5100

On the way home, I'll stop by Elkview for

October 15: WV Ghost Stories, Elk Valley Library, Crossings Mall, Elkview, WV 6:00pm

and once again--

October 17: WV Ghost Stories, Cross Lanes Library, Cross Lanes, WV, 12:00 noon.

October 17: Ripley Do You Believe? Ghost Walk, Ripley WV 7:00pm and 9:00pm

A short break the following week before the next event:

October 23: Full day storytelling, Jane Lew Elementary, Jane Lew, WV,

and then off to New York!

October 25: Bady House Concert, Brooklyn, NY. Appalachian ghost stories! Information at the BadyHouseConcert Facebook page.

And family time at the end of the month:

October 26-28: Miami, FL visiting my son smile emoticon

October 30-Nov 1: unavailable--if the weather is good, we'll be cooking down some apple butter!

I hope your October will be a fine month, and that maybe somewhere along the way our paths will cross.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Here Comes Summer: Jack and Appalachian Programs and Travel, Oh My!

It starts tomorrow!

 My first program of the summer reading season is today at 1:00pm at the Williamstown Library in Williamstown, WV. It will also be the first time I've performed at this library. Nervous? A little--a new show always has me worried until I roll it out. Even with practice and planning, I just fret and try to see every detail in advance.

This year my program for the libraries "superheroes" theme is Jack: the Appalachian Superhero! Jack is my man when it comes to stories--I love the mischief, the cleverness and the imagery of the Jack tales. So much fun to tell! The trick is to be sure I have versions for all ages, right down to preschoolers. I work through the stories, finding ways to adapt them and have a variety on hand so that I can adjust according to who is seated in front of me. In most libraries, the audiences tend to be all ages, from the babies to the grandparents and that calls for creative thinking and performance on the part of the storyteller.

I think we're going to have a good time. Jack will be getting into all sorts of situations but I know him--he'll come out of all of them smelling like a rose.

I follow up this first summer reading presentation with two days of Appalachian stories and ballads, first at the West Virginia State Folk Festival and the following evening at Blackwater Falls State Park. A day of rest Sunday to celebrate both my birthday and Father's Day, and then next week a full week of Jack and travel. So I've spent the last few days getting things ready at home--the house clean, laundry done, rugs washed, jam made, peas put up, some food prepared in advance, groceries stocked up, bills paid, paperwork caught up. I also I finalized my stories, finalized my display and packed up my puppets. No booth work this week, but I have them all in pretty good shape, knowing there would be little time to care for them for the next few weeks.

I'm wishing my van was back. Another promise that it should be ready, but I'm not feeling too certain of that. I'm very disappointed in Lee Myles Transmission of Parkersburg--17 days is truly unacceptable and this long wait has only added anxiety to my life that I don't think was entirely necessary. It is, however, one of those things I can't change so all I can do is accept it and move on. A rental car may be in my future this weekend and that just means more expense for this already costly breakdown.

But let it go, right? I have good things to look forward to--lots of attentive faces, lots of smiles and lots of laughter. Life is good.

So come on summer! I think I'm ready. I hope.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

The Story Trail: Kentucky and Fairmont

It's been a storied month for this old lady. Typically I have a few events in November but this year really piled them on and it's been a fun ride.

The Kentucky Storytelling Conference was outstanding as always. Part of my commitment to storytelling is to connect with storytellers in the states in my region, either online or face-to-face when possible. I much prefer face-to-face, of course, and conferences are one way to see and hear other tellers and maintain relationships that otherwise must rely on computer communications.

Jo Ann Dadisman and I traveled together and we had a great time. She was presenting this year, while I was simply going to get new ideas, hear great stories, and see friends. It's rare for me to go to a conference at which I don't have any responsibilities, and it was fun to just sit back and do what I wanted for a change. The workshop on using all five senses in a story echoed what I have taught myself but as always there were new ideas and things to be learned. I also attended Jo Ann's session on developing stories from family history; I have been telling more family stories in recent years and Jo Ann was right on target with her suggestions for breathing life into the people of the past. I actually sat out one session, taking a break to do a little writing and take a short nap. I was definitely into making this a leisurely experience!

The story swaps at the Kentucky conference are some of the best I've ever attended and I was a happy listener, preferring for once not to tell myself. One of the most intriguing things about storytelling is how unique each teller is in their method of presentation--how they use their voice, gestures, body language, eye contact, and words to shape what they want the audience to see (both actually and mentally) and remember. Young, old, fat, skinny, tall, short are all unimportant in storytelling--how a teller makes his/her story compelling and involving is key. So an evening of storytelling is constantly stimulating and surprising because the audience usually does not know just what the next teller will do.

On our way home, Jo Ann and I hammered out the details for the workshop and concert we were hosting the next weekend. It was a good thing we had that car time because we had a lot of loose ends to tie up!

It all came together in the end though. We had a fantastic concert, one where the performances dovetailed so neatly together that it seemed as if we'd all rehearsed together, which of course we did not (storytellers rarely do that). I MC'd the evening concert that featured our workshop presenter Susan Gordon, poet Kirk Judd, Jo Ann and me. We had lots of volunteer help to handle refreshments and book/CD sales, and the Folklife Center at Fairmont State University was a perfect venue. Dr. Judy Byers made us at home in her facility and did everything she could to make things go well. I was thrilled to see old friends Bob McWhorter and Betty Bea Cox, who were the moving forces behind the first West Virginia storytelling festivals, and who got many storytellers, myself included, started on the right path.

The workshop was fascinating. Susan Gordon led us through exercises that led us deep into the heart of the stories we brought to the class. I was startled to find new insights into a story I have loved since childhood but never told. There were several in the class who were new to storytelling and that was exciting. We were very happy that we had full registration for this workshop and it makes me want to plan another in the future. Success breeds energy, doesn't it?

I returned home Saturday evening tired but very satisfied, with a new story that will soon be added to my repertoire. The best part of all was having time with other storytellers. It is, after all, the people in our lives who make it all worthwhile, and I soaked up their creativity and excitement as fuel for my own storytelling fire.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Tellabrations! Two and Three

I have been Tellabration-crazy this year. Tellabration began as a day set aside for the celebration of storytelling, to be held the Saturday before the US holiday of Thanksgiving. it was intended as a day for storytellers to give back to their communities; most events are free but any money collected was to go back to a storytelling guild or other means to support storytelling.

Then the idea caught on, and events spread from the US to worldwide, and the dates spread too. Tellabration now covers most of a month with events all over the globe, and in my area there were three within driving distance. I've not been able to participate much in recent years so this year I decided to take part in as many of the scheduled events as possible. The first was held in October as part of WVU's Mountaineer; the second was this past Thursday evening in Athens, Ohio, and the third was Saturday, on the original Tellabration day, in Beckley, WV. The Beckley event is the longest-running of the three, having been in existence since at least 1997 when I participated for the very first time (and was terrified!).

I wrote about the WVU Tellabration earlier, so I'll catch up now with the other two. The Athens event was held at the Athens County library, in an inviting, open setting that allowed patrons to listen as they checked out books and did other work in the library. Three women and three men told tales and sang songs. I was the only out-of-stater, but I am really just over the river from Ohio so I feel part of the storytelling scene there. It was a good night with good stories and a relaxed atmosphere.

Then Saturday I drove down to Beckley, about 2 1/2 hours south of home. Larry had intended to go with me originally as we were invited to stay at the home of storytelling friend Danny McMillion, but he was nursing a cold, and my oldest son and grandson were arriving for hunting season, so Larry opted to stay home by the fire and play host to our visitors until I returned.

The event was held at Tamarack, West Virginia's premier arts and crafts showcase. I was mesmerized by the displays of gorgeous artisan glass.

The staff at Tamarack were putting up trees and other decorations and the place was looking beautiful.

The telling was Spectacular! Sue Atkinson, a transplanted southerner with a soft Georgia accent, was out MC.

Terry Farley

Terry Farley led us off with his hilarious comedy, songs and jokes. What a funny man he is! Then Scott Hill told us about his son's quest to be a professional team mascot, I told a story from my husband's childhood in a coal camp and sang a ballad or two,

Fred Powers followed me with stories from his 20-year experience as a coal miner,

and John Wyatt wrapped up the show with songs and stories from his days working for a West Virginia Railroad. It was just perfect, and the audience showed their delight by staying afterward to talk with us and thank us for the stories. 

The Greenbrier cafe's tree

We stayed to eat dinner in the cafe run by the Greenbrier resort, delicious food and good conversation making a good end to the day. Then I followed my friend Danny to her lovely vintage home and more good conversation followed. She made me an awesome breakfast the next morning and I was soon homeward bound.

Stories, stories. They wrap our world, explain our world, make us laugh and cry, and teach us compassion and joy. Where would we be without them?

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

24 Hours

That's how long we were away from home, but it feels like much longer than that. The house is quiet, almost alien when we come inside, dark and cool and fairly tidy. The dogs look at us with reproach, as if asking how we could go off and leave them...again. The cats are nowhere to be seen, but will assuredly resurface when they realize we're back.

In that 24 hours, here's what we did:

 1.bought a quilt from a young man on our way out of town (Facebook meet-up). Not an old quilt, but nice and in very good condition.

2. Took the back way across Divide Ridge down to Eleanor, enjoying the scenery and finding surprisingly many new houses along the way. It's been a few years since we were out that road. I recalled some incidents from when I carried mail on part of that road, and the time a car was wrecked in one turn and the owner, one of the boxholders on my route, gave it to us for our oldest son. The car wasn't much but we traded it up for something better.

3. Took a side trip to look at the Homestead community created by Eleanor Roosevelt and named for her. The little homes were easily identifiable. More about the town of Eleanor in a future post.

4. Found our way to Camp Asbury Woods to tell stories to the young adults there for work camp--they do repairs on homes in the area for free. This is a church camp and I've been back several times over the years. It's always a pleasure to tell stories there, even on nights like last night when the temperature was 85 and sweat was dripping off my nose and down my back when I was done. But worth it--well worth it. CD sales were very good, too. Donated back half of the sales money, and left a CD for one young man who really wanted one but had no cash. What comes around goes around.

5. Back in the van to drive about 120 miles to Beaver, WV to our motel for the night. We arrived about 11:30 and stayed up for an hour watching American Pickers. How dumb can we be, right? But we don't have television at home, and you know how I love picking myself!

6. Up early for breakfast and on the road to Shady Springs.

We were early so we explored a little:

found a lovely lake we didn't know about and an old building that we later learned was once a general store upstairs, with hay and feed stored and sold downstairs.

We also found the old log cabin that was the original post office in the region.

7. Storytelling! This was a library program for the summer reading program, so we were into folktales and science experiments again. The audience was excellent and great participants in the stories. Too. Much. Fun.

Before the program a young girl of 7 told me stories of her encounters with snakes. One was especially fascinating: at three years old, she found a snake in the yard where she was playing. It was green, she said, with slitty eyes that looked red and strange (her words). It moved like this (she made a slithering motion with her hand) but she said it was really dancing. Three times she repeated that it was just dancing. She did not know better and played with it and the snake bit her. It didn't hurt but it surprised her. She told her father, who was so upset he killed the snake. I could see that she wasn't happy about the snake being killed; it was just dancing, after all. From the mouth of babes sometimes come the most extraordinary tales.

8. On the way back to Beckley and the interstate we again opted for the back way and found an amazing junk shop. We loaded the van with chairs, doors, dishes, and more for under $30.00. This turned out to be a nonprofit community center, and they also had teens there to work for the week. When they heard I was a storyteller, they asked if I might tell stories for their group. You know I did not mind at all! The teens gathered quickly and we had an impromptu session. I gave away two more CDs to teens with birthdays in June. I think the others were a little envious but the leader assured me all of the kids would have a chance to listen.

9. We got to Beckley and saw a place where we just had to have lunch. How cool is this? A drive-in! The King Tut has been in that same location since 1944. They even hook your trays on your window. And the food--oh yeah, it was fine. I have never before eaten in a drive-in restaurant so it was a lot of fun.

10. Homeward bound through lots of traffic, very heavy for some reason today. We were tired and ready to get home, but there was this young woman carrying a gas can up the road, her vehicle on the shoulder. Larry made room in the back and back we went to the gas station. It turned out she had no money on her either; it did my heart good to make sure she had enough to get her home. If it had been one of ours, we'd have wanted someone to do the same thing for them. She was a college student, traveling about 80 miles one way to go to school. Blessings on her; may all her future travels be safe. Again, what comes around...

And finally home! Larry is outside, filling a washtub with water so Daisy, our golden Lab, can have a splash pool all her own. Then he'll unload the van and we'll sit on the porch and play with the dogs for a while before getting ready for tomorrow's adventure: The West Virginia Folk Festival.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

In Honor of Mothers

This was written for the May issue of the new local newspaper, The Jackson View. June seems an appropriate time to post it here; my mother's birthday was June 13 and Larry's mother's was June 12.

I watched her navigate the aisles of the grocery store, steering her cart with one child in the seat, another clinging to the side, and she herself pregnant with a third. She corrected her children, consulted her shopping list, compared prices and kept moving rapidly and efficiently through the store and finally to the checkout where she unloaded the cart, denied her children’s cries for candy, exchanged comments with the cashier, fished out her card to pay, and then steered the loaded buggy and her children out into the parking lot. Behold the young mother: the original multitasking machine.

Mom and Dad (June and Bill Connelly, Manassas, VA in 1959. That was
Grandma and Grandpa's car, and they probably took this photo since they
were into photography and had a color camera. The car later became ours.

 As I drove away my thoughts turned to my own mother. Married at seventeen to a dashing American from New Orleans who was stationed near her home as part of the Army Air Force, she left her life and family in rural England to come to a country where she knew just one person: her husband. Together they built a tiny house with few of the amenities we take for granted today, and started a family that grew to 13 children. In the 1970’s she went out to work for the first time since her days as a land girl during World War II. She sold Avon and Amway, babysat for neighbors’ children, and took a job as a nurse’s aide in the wing of the hospital she loved best, the maternity ward. She continued working for 20 years in a variety of jobs. Mom was always learning something new, interested in meeting people, and she would cross a street to see a baby in a stroller. Her love of life knew no bounds; everything fascinated her. She loved her new country but never gave up her British citizenship.

Dollie Holstein with Larry and his twin sister Mary, probably about 1954. Yes,
that's a big bruise on Mary's head, probably caused by that little guy on the left.

Those memories led me to my husband’s mother, who grew up in a coal camp in Boone County, WV and went on to marry a coal miner and live in Cabin Creek. She saw first-hand the struggle for the miners’ union and knew the hardships of coal camp living: the poorly built company houses, the company store and the dangers of using scrip for credit, the constant dust and dirt raised by passing trucks and coal trains. Yet she, like my mother, was determined to make the best of what life had brought her. She cared for her husband when he was injured in the mines and raised her four children to be able to take care of themselves, to work for what they got and to never lose sight of their heritage. She loved dishes with pretty flowers on them, and grew roses every year, carrying out her dishwater to wash the coal dust off their petals.

Mothers. They teach us grace and dignity, they show us by their example how to live lives of beauty and commitment. As our world gets increasingly complex and confusing, it is the mothers who provide the light that can guide their children to ethical, empathetic, and responsible living. Today we hear much about dysfunctional families, absentee parents, and troubled children. Yet the other story—the story of the quiet, steady mothers who work and care for their families and homes—that story is seldom told. It is not a headline grabber or tabloid material.

So here’s to the mothers who stand behind their families, guiding them like that young mother with her grocery cart, making wise decisions and teaching her children right from wrong. Happy Mother’s Day to her, and to mothers everywhere.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Quick and Easy Coffee Cake

I used to make this cake often when my sons were young, but forgot about it and hadn't made it in years, at least that I can recall.

I found the recipe the other day as I was putting recipe cards into a photo flipper. The flippers were popular once but have been replaced, I suppose, by the digital frames. They are perfect for recipes though, because you can slide your cards into the clear plastic sleeves and keep quite a few in a small space.

Anyway, about the cake: one bowl, mixes quickly, and is ready to eat in about 45 minutes.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup shortening (I used olive oil)
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
-------
Topping:
2/3 cup jam or jelly
chopped nuts (optional)
1/4 cup brown sugar (I mixed in a little cinnamon)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Combine all the ingredients except the last 3 in a mixing bowl. 
3. Beat with a fork until just blended. 
4. Spread in a 9" square greased pan.
5. Dot with jam; sprinkle with the brown sugar and nuts.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

You can add a glaze of confectioners sugar mixed with a bit of milk or water if you like. I prefer the cake without the glaze but it's good either way. I've used all kinds of jam for this and it's always good.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

More Time in the Gardens

I am slowly catching up on my flowerbeds, but there is so much more work to be done. I keep find more casualties of the winter's cold: my winter savory, most of the thyme, and the lilac are now added to the rosemary, Peace rose and other plants that did not survive. More replanting to be done.

Speaking of planting, I am finding it so difficult to be comfortable with late planting of our summer vegetables. My reason for deciding to plant later this year is because I will be away for two full weeks in mid July and beginning of August, teaching creative writing and Appalachian storytelling for the Augusta Heritage series. I know I will not be able to put up food during that time so I am trying to delay the veggies to come in later in August. But it sure goes against my grain! We have the spring gardens planted and I believe Larry put out some squash and cucumbers and we have a couple "cheater" tomatoes out (cheaters because they already had blooms when I bought them!). But beans, corn, and the main tomato crop have to wait.

This morning I worked on reclaiming the herb garden. What a mess. Last year I left a goldenrod plant right in the middle because I thought it would be pretty in the fall. Big mistake. That plant came back a hundredfold and this morning I wrestled with getting them all pulled up. I will have to go back and dig out the roots. That little green sedum groundcover took over that garden too, so all of it had to be pulled--and the garlic is going totally wild all over the place. I've got all the weeds pulled and now when the ground dries--we had torrential rain last night which made for easy weeding--I will hoe it, turn the soil, and replant. I think, though, that I am going to continue to have major weed problems in this plot and might have to relocate it next year.

Here are a few more garden photos from yesterday.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

The Brasstown Possum Drop and Clay's Corner

Driving into Brasstown, NC last weekend, this was what we saw:

Possum Network? Wait, something was beginning too surface in my memory. Something about possums...

and something about Clay's Corner...

While we were looking at the Model T, Mack told us his father was the Clay of Clay's Corner, and to be sure to stop in and say hello.  So we did just that. Clay Logan came out to meet us, and invited us into his store.

Possums were everywhere! On the walls, in photos, on t-shirts...and in this back room where there is a weekly music jam on Friday nights. We missed that, sadly. But notice that sign board on the left: "Possum Drop Sponsors." 

Yes, this is the home of the annual New Year's Eve Possum Drop! According to the website, "If New York can drop a "Ball", Georgia can drop a "Peach", then we can lower the Opossum."

I will haste to say that the possum is caught and kept in a cage and fed well until the event. He is lowered in the cage, and let back into wild afterward. You can read more about the event here.

We spent a little time talking with Clay and enjoying his eclectic store. You can find pretty much anything at Clay's Corner, from milk and bread to gasoline, candy, t-shirts (this one glows in the dark), bottled Possum Water and canned possum.

My Brasstown souvenirs

 And a warning to all:

I don't know if I will ever be there to witness the Possum Drop but I can now say I have visited the place where it happens. It's about as small as a place can get, I have to admit, but once a year Brasstown polishes itself up for for this event, and thousands come to watch and enjoy the bands, singing, and contests. 

After it's over, the possum will waddle off into the night, his hour of glory over and his mind full of wonder at the silly antics these humans will get themselves up to, all in the name of fun.

And Brasstown will return to a sleepy junction of two roads and to its usual place of fame as the home of the John C. Campbell Folk School.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Celebration, Appalachian Style!

Stories. Music. Singing. Dancing. Good food. Fine people. It all adds up to a celebration of life in these Appalachian Mountains. Tipper Pressley of Blind Pig and the Acorn blog put together a fine event, and over 70 people turned out at the local community center to hear, laugh and enjoy the evening. Gail demonstrated how to play the spoons and was joined by a young guy who added washboard rhythms to the mix.

The music was by Tipper's family: her father Jerry Wilson, brother Paul Wilson, and her twin daughters who perform as The Pressley Girls (you can find them on Facebook), while Tipper herself played bass.

Young cloggers known as The Kudzu Kickers showed us just how mountain dancing is done. Look at those feet! Nothing but a blur! These kids can dance! Can you imagine the energy it takes to clog?

The twins did triple duty, not only singing and playing but also dancing with the Kickers.

Tipper's brother Steve did the introduction for the evening and I told stories, sang ballads and MC'd.

We. Had. Fun! Highlights for me were the girls singing and hearing Paul and Jerry ("Pap" on Tipper's blog) in person. I've listened to them for several years online and I can tell you that they're all even better in live performance. Family harmonies are known to be something special and the Wilsons prove that adage to be true.

Larry found several former Marines in the crowd--including Tipper's father Jerry Wilson. The two of them connected immediately and spent some good time sharing memories and experiences. There were two other Marines in attendance that evening and Larry enjoyed talking to them too.

People lingered long after the program was over, sampling the desserts and visiting. I heard several say that they thought this should be an annual event. What a great idea. This is the kind of thing that brings a community together and what better way to celebrate the uniqueness of this culture and heritage?

To hear the girls singing, check out Blind Pig's post. And to hear me telling the old favorite Rindercella the next morning in Tipper's kitchen (WARNING: I hadn't brushed my hair or put on makeup when we filmed this! Talk about natural storytelling!) you can find it in this post or on YouTube. Videos of my storytelling at the event didn't work out, but when I told the girls Rindercella the next morning, they immediately said, "We've got to film this!" So, here it is.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.