Off to a great start!

Kelly Russell plays a jig to kick off the festival at our Story Circle!

The smiles on everyone’s faces at our Circle last night told a tale of their own, and it was the story of having a great time at our first Festival event for 2018!

Our host, Kelly Russell, brought us all together with his delightful combination of music and his music teacher and the creative ways they came about naming some of their tunes. He kept the whole evening in harmony, really (ha!)

Our featured teller, Sharon King-Campbell – who spent time over Thanksgiving Weekend practicing as she walked around town – shared some treasured memories of her grandfather, Frank. Now that we’ve all about his adventures, his handiness, and his expansive vocabulary, we feel like we know him all to pieces.

Dave Paddon was on hand to share a hilarious recitation about a kitchen full of fish that had us all cracking right up. You can catch more of Dave’s terrific foolishness tonight (Wednesday) at ‘Ships at the Ship’ at 9pm.

After feasting on Rocket’s delicious treats during the Intermission, we were back with more glimpses of the story delights that lie ahead this week.

Gaurav Madan, who will be part of Tales from Near and Afar on Saturday, told us an epic tale of a 5 day run from Quebec to Montreal. The story was terrific and, by the end, our legs were tired in sympathy! Angus Anderson, who will be back for Homespun Tales on Friday night, had us all in stitches with his anecdote about telling time with the sun.

We enjoyed finely tuned tales from a few more open mic performers before closing the night with our visiting teller Anne Glover. Anne wowed us all with a real treat: an Anansi tale. We didn’t get video evidence but we are pretty sure she actually turned into a turtle, a chicken and snake right there on stage! We also got a chance to see her magical string come to life. Her workshop on Thursday is going to be amazing.

This was great fun and we’re just getting started. See you tonight at:

Engaging Evenings at The Rooms with Shoshana Litman, 7 pm (free with admission)

Ships at The Ship! Hosted by Randy Crane at 9 pm ($5 cash at the door)