If you go
› What: Cleveland Storytelling Guild’s Warm Stories and Hot Cider.› When: 7 p.m. Friday, March 3.› Where: First Presbyterian Church, 433 N. Ocoee St., Cleveland, Tenn.› Admission: Free; donations accepted.› Phone: 423-479-7887.› Email: tellone@bellsouth.net.› Website: www.tennesseetellers.org.Did you know?The Cleveland Storytelling Guild meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library, 795 Church St. NE, Cleveland, Tenn. Stories begin at 7 p.m. Tellers and listeners are welcome.
Judy Baker of the Cleveland Storytelling Guild.
Caneta GentrySpring is inching ever closer, but winter hasn't quite loosened its grip. For the Cleveland Storytelling Guild, it's the perfect time to enjoy Warm Stories and Hot Cider.
One of the guild's signature events, Warm Stories and Hot Cider will take place Friday, March 3, at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Cleveland, Tenn.
Special guest teller will be Stephen Hollen, the featured storyteller for the guild's recent 22nd annual Ocoee Story Fest.
"If you enjoyed hearing Stephen as Mark Twain, come hear Stephen Hollen as Stephen Hollen," quipped Judy Baker in a news release announcing the event.
In addition to various personas, Hollen tells stories of Appalachia and his hometown in the hills of eastern Kentucky.
Baker also will take the stage to share her stories, as will Caneta Gentry and Sylvia Greene.
The Cleveland Storytelling Guild has been keeping the art of the oral tradition alive in the community since its founding in 1991. Baker explains that storytelling is a big part of the area's rich Appalachian heritage.
"Stories were shared around the table at the end of the workday, in the fields as crops were tended to, as milk was churned into butter and on front porches as grandfathers and grandmothers shared the stories of their youth with yet another generation," she says.
Warm Stories and Hot Cider will reflect that tradition, she says, "as a relaxed evening filled with stories and fun for the entire family."