Three Rivers Storytelling Festival

StorySwap, the Pittsburgh Storytelling Guild, is pleased to announce a

new partnership with the Winchester Thurston School-North Campus bringing to

you the 13th Annual Three Rivers Storytelling Festival on August 16

& 17, 2013.  Two days of magical

storytelling on the beautiful at campus at 4225 Middle Road, Allison, Park, PA

15101. 


Humor will reign supreme at this free two-day event featuring national storytellers

Beth Horner, Bil Lepp, and Randel McGee. With a comic sensibility and warm,

energetic style, Beth Horner possesses a repertoire of stories that has been

called “heartfelt, articulate and truthful.” Her stories are renowned for their

high comedy and stunning drama: from her hysterical childhood farmyard

escapades to eerie folktales of her native Missouri, from a side-splitting

bawdy spoof on romance novels to a courageous tale drawn from her great-great

grandfather’s Civil War diary, and from the humorously inspiring story of a

song that motivated change in a city’s sewage policy to her comedic

tour-de-force tale told with nothing but the buzzing cadences of a kazoo.  Horner will also be teaching a Master Class,

“From Fact to

Fascination: Telling Tales of True-Life and Historical Facts” on Sunday, August 18th. 

Bil Lepp is a nationally renowned storyteller and five time

champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest. His outrageous, humorous

tall-tales and witty stories have earned the appreciation of listeners of all

ages and from all walks of life, from elementary schools to veterans’ homes,

from churches to colleges, from festivals to formal dinners. Though a champion

liar, his hilarious, insightful stories often contain morsels of truth which

shed light on subjects such as politics, religion, relationships, and human nature.  The festival is pleased to announce that Lepp

will be the judge of the first ever Three Rivers Liar’s Contest on Friday

night. 

Groark the Dragon and Randel McGee will be making their second

appearance at the festival bringing a unique puppet/ventriloquist act that is a

fast-paced, high-energy blend of stand-up comedy, witty banter, original songs,

and hilarious storytelling that appeals to young and old alike.  McGee will also appear as Hans Christian

Anderson in his costumed portrayal of the beloved storyteller as he shares some

of Anderson’s most loved stories. 

Returning to the

festival’s stages this year will be several of your favorite local tellers from

around Western Pennsylvania.  Just to

name a few, Barra the Bard our Celtic storyteller and musician, Lisa

Hollingsworth-Segedy with her traditional stories and folk songs, Edmund

LoPresti sharing tales of fools, sages, and wise fools and Judi Tarowsky

telling her tall tales.

Youth

tellers this year will be performing throughout the festival.  This year we are pleased to have members of

the Savvy Cinderella Storytelling Troupe and Shaler Area High School students

Sara Walker, age 14, who will tell

"The Princess Who Wanted to be Beautiful”, Kara Jans, age 15, and

Becca Helfrich, age 15 who will tandem tell "Manka

and the Judge" and from CAPA 6-12 Elizabeth Irvine, 14, who will be

performing "Oisin in the Land of Tir

Na Nog” as well as “The Lady Macbeth”

at the Ghost Stories.

No matter your age we have

an event for you. Friday bring your children for the Storytelling for Children

concerts, sign up for a Workshop with your favorite national teller, have lunch

with Beth Horner at the Lunch for Seniors, or participate in the Liar’s Contest

before the Evening Concert. Ghost Stories are moving to Saturday night, after a

full day of storytelling by the national, local and youth tellers.  Nominal fees charged for Senior Lunch, Workshops,

Master Class, and Ghost Stories. 

For more information

please check out either our website at http://www.3rstf.org  or our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/3rstf and if you would like to help support the

festival you may donate on line at our website or to our crowd-source funding

campaign at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/three-rivers-storytelling-festival.

So mark your calendars

and come on out to Winchester Thurston – North Campus for a weekend of hilarious

stories and good ol’ fashion family entertainment!