Decatur Storytelling Festival Pictures and Recap

On Monday when I said I would cover the remainder of our weekend exploits “tomorrow”, I clearly meant, “the next day I work at the Nest, which will be Wednesday, because working part-time is great though unnecessarily confusing!”

Getting on with it, Lain and I set up at the Decatur Storytelling Festival Saturday, which the Wren’s Nest sort of sponsored–one of our storytellers, Donald, was the emcee, while Curtis, another Wren’s Nest Rambler, performed.

(Curtis with a great shirt.)

It was a really neat concept, with great attractions including the craziest balloon-animal-maker I have ever seen. Seriously. Skywriting planes made out of balloons?! I mostly stared at her in favor of talking to people.

(Not the balloon artist, but Queen Glitter was still worth a stare.)

The location was also very unique, though apparently not as unusual as Lain and I originally thought. It was held in the Decatur Cemetery (which is beautiful, p.s.) and as Donald’s white-folks-in-residence we discovered that “white people always want to tell stories in cemeteries”.

Is that on stuff white people like?

(Fowl, cemetery.)

But I’ll tell you this: no matter where they are, children will go ABSOLUTELY CRAZY upon seeing a giant Curious George mascot. We would hear a child gasp and look to see a poof of dust where the child had been. It was nuts.

(Hannah, Isaac, and C.G.)

There were also (both real and fake) ducks to chase, faces to be painted, and, you know, storytelling to watch… but mostly kids exclaimed “CURIOUS GEORGE! Mom, hold my bubbles!” and subsequently disappeared.

(Donald with the also-ran. Donald, Duck. Get it?)

The only downside to the whole event was the gross weather. Somehow, it was the coldest 66 degrees I’ve ever felt. It was damp, windy, and rain was threatening, which certainly affected attendance.

And our will to live. See:

Now, if you missed this storytelling event (and… you did), there’s another on the (immediate) horizon! Tonight Wordsmith’s is hosting Story-Time for Grownups (naughty?). While there won’t be any mascots (that we know of), there will be drinks. Success!