Press Release 5/25/08

Storytelling Festival Slated for this Weekend

On Friday May 30 and Saturday May 31^st, the art of Storytelling will be brought back to the Oho Valley.  The Strand Theatre Preservation Society will be hosting three well known storytellers for the Third Annual Strand Theatre Storytelling Festival.

The event will welcome back West Virginia’s Five-Time Liar’s Champion and nationally recognized teller, Bil Lepp, as well as nationally known teller’s Kim Weitkamp and Kevin Cordi. Each storyteller combines their own unique style to make an unforgettable weekend of stories.

Along with the featured storytellers, the DAE Creek band will be performing. This band is made up of local teens that will be providing a variety of music including blue grass, modern country and contemporary Christian music. Members of this group are Daryn Vucelik, Ellen Marchlenski and Andrew Marchlenski.

The Festival will also provide entertainment to the community outside the festival.  Prior to the festival each teller will be visiting various schools in the community.  Marshall County Schools has again partnered with the festival to provide students with this form of performing art.

On Saturday there will be an Amateur Liar’s Competition held for any person age 16 and up who thinks that they have mastered the art of storytelling.  This event will begin at 10:00 am for the Amateur Competition and 1:00 pm for the Youth Showcase, in which school aged children from around the valley, will be performing stories they have written. These events are free to the public.

There will be two unique evening performances on Friday and Saturday evenings beginning at 6:30 pm.  The festival is being held at Simpson United Methodist Church in Moundsville, WV.

The Strand Café will also be available throughout the festival for food and refreshments. Proceeds will benefit the Strand Theatre Preservation Society and their project to “Restore the Strand and Build the Arts”.

Tickets can be purchased at the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce, Moundsville Pharmacy and Hometown Floral Shoppe in Moundsville or at the door the day of the event. These tickets can be purchased for daily performances or a pass that entitles you to all the benefits of the weekend –long festival.