Join us for the 8th Annual “Once Upon a Thames” Storytelling Festival

Wednesday, June 1st – Saturday, June 4th

St. Marys Storytelling Inc. is excited to announce the line-up of its 8^th Once Upon a Thames Storytelling Festival this June. Some new programming will happen early in the week.

Wednesday, June 1^st

The band The Fugitives all the way from Vancouver will be the featured performers during the very first “Once Upon a Thames Story Slam”. Storytellers from all experience levels and walks of life are encouraged to sign up to tell a 5 minute story and participate in our first Story Slam! Ruthanne Edward, host of Ottawa’s Once Upon a Story Slam will host the evening. Prizes for the taking too! If you’d like to sign up to tell a story, send an email to events@stmarysstorytelling.org

Location: The Merchant House, 159 Queen St. East, St. Marys.

Admission: $5 cover charge at the door. Doors open at 8pm, starts at 8:30pm

Audience: This is a licensed event for adults 19+

Wednesday, June 1^st, Thursday June 2^nd

Storytellers in Residence Programs at St. Marys Schools!

The Fugitives will give a workshop to lucky DCVI students on Wednesday, June 1^st.

Ojibway Storyteller Aaron Bell and Canwegian (Norwegian and Canadian!) storyteller and musician Sarah Granskou will present storytelling workshops to students of Little Falls Public School on Thursday, June 2^nd.

Thursday, June 2^nd

Storyteller Gail Fricker and Artistic Director Carol McLeod will lead a Stonetown Ghost Storied Tour & Pub Crawl. Come for a few pints of craft beer and learn about some of St. Marys more hauntingly ‘storied’ locations. Tour will begin at 8pm with a beer tasting and introduction to the history of St. Marys, followed by a downtown stroll to significant locations, ending with a final beer tasting and sharing of tales at another pub.

Location: Starting at The Creamery, then a tour downtown, and ending up at The Merchant House.

Admission: Tickets are $20 a person, includes 2 pints of beer and appetizers, and will be available online at www.stmarysstorytelling.org, by email: events@stmarysstorytelling.org, or by phone: 519-284-6468.  Limited to 20 participants.

Audience: Recommended for adults 19+

Friday June 3^rd

Schools at the Festival Day.  Approximately 1,000 Perth County schoolchildren will hear stories either at the Festival site in St. Marys, or at their schools.

Friday, June 3^rd, 7:30-9:30pm

Friday Night Family Concert of Music and Stories Invited storytellers include Aaron Bell, Sarah Granskou, Gail Fricker, and La’Ron Williams. A few local treats are in store too!

Location: Festival Site, Milt Dunnell Field

Admission: By donation

Audience:  Recommended for all ages.

Saturday, June 4^th, 9am-11:30am

Write On: A Memoir Writing Workshop with Ivan Coyote
Join award winning writer and storyteller Ivan Coyote in this workshop designed to help you take things like family anecdotes, old photos, memories, keepsakes, recipes, regrets and love letters and transform them into the building materials for an engaging and readable memoir. Bring a pen, paper, and the belief that your own life is worth remembering.

Location: St. Marys Anglican Church, corner of Church and Elgin streets.

Registration Fee: $35. Registration is limited to 15 participants, so advance registration by emailing events@stmarysstorytelling.org is required.

Audience: Adult

Saturday, June 4^th 9-11am

Charly Chiarelli at the St. Marys Farmer’s Market. Best known for his one-person plays Cu’Fu and Mangiacake (both of which have been performed as part of the St. Marys Storytelling Performance Series!), Charly Chiarelli is also an accomplished jazz and blues harmonica player. Stop by the market for some local food, music, and stories!

Location: St. Marys Farmers Market, Jones St. parking lot in front of Canadian Tire

Admission: Free

Audience: All ages

Saturday, June 4^th 10am-5pm

Artisan Tent at the Festival

Browse the works of local artists and artisans, watch demonstrations, let the kids participate in planting demos with the Stratford Urban Farming Experiment, and learn about the Storytellers of Canada’s StorySave project. Refreshments will be provided by McCully’s Hill Farm, Northwestern Secondary School’s Screaming Avocado, and the Stratford Urban Farming Food Co-op, whose focus is on supporting local food producers and artisans, and bringing awareness to local and sustainable food.  Free tastings will be offered too!

Location: Festival Site, Milt Dunnell Field

Admission: Free

Audience: All ages

Saturday, June 4^th 1pm

Gonrah Desgohwah White Pine Dancers perform “The Concrete Path”

First Nations Storytelling, Dance, and Drumming. Thundering drums, vibrant, flowing regalia, traditional dances and stories that have been passed down for generations are all part of a Gonrah Desgohwah White Pine Dancers performance. Audiences will especially enjoy the humour and association with modern day references to times past. This ability to connect with audiences is what makes Gonrah Desgohwah White Pine Dancers one of Ontario’s premier First Nations dance troupes.

Location: Festival Site, Milt Dunnell Field

Admission: By donation

Audience: All ages

Saturday, June 4^th 2-5pm

Storytelling for Adults and Children

Join us for an afternoon of stories celebrating food and our connection to our rural heritage! Storytellers include Aaron Bell, La’Ron Williams, Donna Dudinsky, Gail Fricker, Mary-Eileen McClear, Brenda Byers, Charly Chiarelli, and Ivan Coyote.

Location: Festival Site, Milt Dunnell Field

Admission: By donation

Audience: Adult, Family, Children

Saturday, June 4^th 8pm-10pm

Saturday night Concert

The final concert of the 2011 Festival! With programming for a slightly older crowd, this concert will feature the stories of Ruthanne Edward, Ivan Coyote, Charly Chiarelli, Brad Woods, and will feature the musical talents of the Great Wooden Trio.

Location: Festival Site, main tent, Milt Dunnell Field

Admission: By donation

Audience: Older youth and adult.