It will feature a variety of crafts and activities in Whitewater
The Whitewater Area Chamber has an addition to its annual calendar of events in the community. The chamber’s brand-new Whitewater Storytelling Festival, a celebration of the art of storytelling, is happening the weekend of Oct. 15 and 16.
The festival will be bringing locally, regionally, and nationally known storytellers to Whitewater and is a collaborative event, harnessing the talents, skills, and resources of multiple organizations and individuals in the Whitewater community.
The festival kicks off Friday evening, with a Campfire Stories event from 5 to 9 p.m. Cocoa and s’mores will be for sale down by the fire pit in Cravath Lakefront Park and the chamber is encouraging anyone who wants to try their hand at being a storyteller to stop down and spin a tale or two around the campfire.
Special visitor, Spot from Fort Community Credit Union, will be joining in on the fun as well.
On Saturday, storytelling performances will be featured all day on the main stage at the Cravath Lakefront Park Frawley Amphitheater and in the children’s Story Zone tent. In addition to listening to the storytellers tell their tales, visitors to the festival have a multitude of activities to enjoy.
The event will also have workshops for budding writers, a story stroll for families to enjoy at their leisure, multiple art exhibits open around town, a Community Oral History gathering project hosted by the Irvin L. Young Library, a Community Storybook Project happening at Studio 84, and a local authors’ fair and readings hosted by The Book Teller.
Children should plan on making a stop at the Creativity Zone tent where they will find crafts and activities to enjoy hosted by The Whitewater Parks and Rec Department, the UWW Roberta’s Art Gallery, and the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Visitors might even catch a glimpse of Monty the Mammoth.
One of the storytellers will also have a special creative activity happening from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the tent.
The day ends with evening storytelling performances at the Cultural Arts Center from 7 to 9 p.m. and an open-mic night at The Book Teller.
For tickets and more information, go to whitewaterchamber.com.
The Whitewater Chamber extended its thanks to the event sponsors for supporting the festival, which include: Novel Sponsors, Generac and storytelling patrons, Rosa Spellman and family; Chapter Sponsor, Lavelle Industries; and Bookmark Sponsor, Fort Community Credit Union.
Questions about the festival may be directed to the chamber’s executive director, Kellie Carper, at 262-473-4005.
