Storytellers, activities set for 2014 Corn Island Storytelling Festival

The University of Louisville, Fifth Third Bank and the International Order of E.A.R.S. will present the Corn Island Storytelling Festival 6-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at the George J. Howe Red Barn on the Belknap Campus. Storytelling begins at 7 p.m. with a mix of family-friendly stories and spooky tales.  Col. Bob Thompson, storyteller and writer for the Kentucky Homefront radio program, will be the master of ceremonies. Storytellers (in order) include:

• Sarah Elizabeth Burkey, singer-songwriter, recording artist, actress and author focusing on Native American heritage;
• Anne MacFie, a New Mexico native and one of Kentucky’s acclaimed musicians, writers and storytellers;
• Cynthia Changaris, a storyteller for more than 30 years, who uses songs, rhythms and finger-plays to connect with children, and;
• Roberta Simpson Brown, “The Queen of Cold-Blooded Tales,” a paranormal investigator and author of more than a dozen books and tapes of ghost stories. 

Activities for children will run 6-7 p.m. The Student Activities Board will host pumpkin painting and crafts. The UofL Repertory Company will also present the short play “Ms. Peabody’s Apples,” an adaptation of Madonna’s book of the same name. Children are encouraged to come in Halloween costumes. Those dressed up will be entered to win a prize.Patrons should bring lawn chairs or blankets, flashlights and their imaginations. Concessions will be available for purchase on site. 

Named after Louisville’s first settlement, the Corn Island Storytelling Festival was a nationally known autumn fixture that drew thousands of fans for three decades before ending its run in 2007. UofL and the Corn Island organizers for the last two years joined forces to revive the event.

Additional sponsors include the Student Activities Board, College of Arts and Sciences, Vice Provost for Diversity and International Affairs and Kentucky Homefront. 

For more information, go to uofl.me/cornisland2014.