Cape Storytelling Festival coming up this month

Want to go?

What: Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival

When: April 13-15

Where: Downtown Cape Girardeau

Info: Visit www.capestorytelling.com or call 335-1631

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The fifth annual Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival will kick off April 13, showcasing the talents of nationally known and local performers.

Six professional storytellers will headline the three-day festival, which was conceived as a way to celebrate the heritage and stories of the Mississippi River, said Stacy Dohogne Lane, director of public relations for the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The event quickly created a following and had more than 2,900 attendees last year, including 2,200 schoolchildren from around the region, Dohogne Lane said.

"We have some really loyal fans who come to everything we do," she said. The festival has grown to include two additional one-day events that take place at other times of the year -- a humorous storytelling show and a Halloween spooky stories performance.

Around 1,600 children will be bused in April 13, including the fourth-graders from Alma Schrader Elementary in Cape Girardeau.

Teacher Stacy Boerboom said the festival will tie in to a writing unit that focused on how to describe events so the reader can picture them. Alma Schrader brought a group last year that included third-graders, so many of the children will get to attend a second time.

"The kids were sitting on the edge of their seats," Boerboom said. "They are really excited to go again."

For those who would like to try their hand at storytelling, The New Voices Swapping Ground will allow amateurs up to 10 minutes to perform. Two sessions will be held the afternoon of April 14 for aspiring tellers young and old. Priority will be given to participants who sign up in advance.

Storytellers who aren't ready to get up on stage can visit the Raising Readers Van and be recorded by WSIU Public Broadcasting, which will be returning to the festival from 1 to 7 p.m. April 14. Each teller will receive a free audio CD of their story, which will also be featured online at WSIU.org.

Two tents will house the performers and attendees, one in the old bridge overlook park on Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus and the other on Main Street by the Red House Interpretive Center in downtown Cape Girardeau.

"It's just a phenomenal setting," Dohogne Lane said.

Dohogne Lane said the festival is appropriate for people of all ages and that families are encouraged to attend. The bureau recommends parents judge children's ability to enjoy the experience.

Shuttles between tents and sign language interpreters will be provided. Advance tickets for a one-day pass are $10 for children 6 to 18 years, students and faculty and $20 for adults. Three-day passes and family packages are also available. For more information, visit www.capestorytelling.com or call 335-1631.

salderman@semissourian.com

388-3648

Pertinent address:

518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau MO

128 S. Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO