The Friends of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site are excited to announce that the 30th Annual Not Just for Kids Storytelling series will occur at the Erie Canal historic site in 2022. Award winning storytellers from the region will perform tales to intrigue, legends to compel, and stories that illustrate how we are all connected as human beings. The series is open to the public and is meant for all ages. It runs on Sunday evenings at 6pm from July 31st to August 28th outside the Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street in Fort Hunter, New York.
Eileen Mack and Claire Nolan will begin the series on July 31st with a set of stories they call “Blessings of Trees & Earth: Stories Honoring the Natural World.” These talented and accomplished tellers are from the Capital-Region with years of experience engaging audiences of all ages.
On August 7th, Lale Davidson will perform “Folktales and Family Tales: Quaking Bogs, Fairy Queens, and Mystery on the High Plains.” Davidson comes from a strong line of storytellers, from Kentucky cousins telling family tales around the kitchen table to her mother conjuring Greek gods on camping trips across Europe. This program combines Irish fairy tales about chasing corpses through quaking bogs with true family tales of mysterious lights on the high plains in South America, taken from her magical realist novel, Blue Woman Burning. She’ll also tell stories from her collection, Strange Appetites, published by Red Penguin Books.
August 14th, the multi-talented Tim Van Egmond will dazzle the audience with, “The Eye of the Beholder,” a program of tales about epiphanies of beauty and insight. Have you ever had an experience in which something suddenly raised your awareness and appreciation, and it’s as if curtains were pulled away or you were seeing with new eyes? Including folktales and a personal tale, these stories have shifts in perspective like this, openings for the mind and the heart that lead to new understanding.
Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation, Perry Ground has been telling stories for more than 25 years as a way of educating people about the culture, beliefs, and history of the Haudenosaunee (sometimes known as Iroquois) Confederacy. Ground will be at Schoharie Crossing on August 21st with “Stories from the People of the Longhouse.” This presentation is filled with traditional Haudenosaunee legends that have been told for hundreds of years. These stories teach about the beliefs, customs, and history of the Haudenosaunee people.
Concluding the series will be The Storycrafters on August 28th. Barry Marshall, and Jeri Burns, PhD have been working together as The Storycrafters since 1991 and have been the recipients of the National Storytelling Network’s “Circle of Excellence” Award. They believe in the time-tested wisdom of traditional stories and share that wisdom with today’s audiences. They strive to honor world cultures by telling the old stories in respectful ways, often integrating the musical instruments, songs or dances indigenous to that region. Then of course, look out for their original modern renditions of the oldest stories … some of their most requested material.
This free series is rain or shine. Please bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the outdoor performances. If raining, we will hold performances inside the Enders House adjacent to the Visitor Center. Donations are always greatly appreciated and gladly accepted.
The grounds for the site are open all year from sunrise to sunset. Visitor Center hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm and Sunday 1pm to 4pm. Group reservations available for off hours.
For information about these events or what is available at Schoharie Crossing, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516 or email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov. Find and like us on Facebook. For more information about New York State Parks, visit the website at www.nysparks.com.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 78 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.
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