Locally, regionally and nationally renowned speakers shared their stories at Chillicothe’s Pump House Center for the Arts this weekend, using the spoken word to entertain crowds as large as 300.
The Southern Ohio Arts and Music Festival, which spanned three days, was enjoyed by audiences of all ages, from grade school students to adults.
“There is no place where storytelling has been more a part of the fabric of life than here in southern Ohio,” states the event’s website. “The Shawnee and Mingo tribes that inhabited (the area) maintained their history through stories passed down from generation to generation.”
Although the feel of the fest has changed since its inception in 2004, the experience has become more intimate, said writer and speaker Bill McKell. Rather than preaching from a stage, attendees listen to stories inside of tents.
“(The stories are) different in print,” McKell said, adding the stories are “ever-changing” when performed live.
Performers such as Elizabeth Ellis use storytelling to provide insight into reality.
“Only one problem with eavesdropping, you can’t ask people to repeat what they said,” Ellis said. “The stories told by the performers manage to be comedy, romance and action merged together — like the reality of the lives the storytellers draw influence from.”
The festival attracts many storytellers, including Adam Booth from Huntington,
W.Va.. Booth played multiple instruments during his act and said he draws from his experiences living in West Virginia when conveying his work.
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