Azalea Storytelling Festival: Stories in the Garden
If you venture out to the Hills & Dales Estate on October 11, you may hear laughter in the breeze. The historic home known for its graceful Italianate architecture and extensive gardens, along with the Azalea Storytelling Committee and the Lafayette Society for the Performing Arts (LSPA), will be hosting the 4th annual “Stories in the Gardens,” featuring nationally acclaimed storyteller and humorist Andy Offutt Irwin.
“Stories in the Gardens” is held in the pecan grove at Hills & Dales, offering a family-friendly atmosphere in the cool autumn air, with the venerable old shade trees and room for children to enjoy themselves. Refreshments are provided, and guests are asked to bring along a chair or blanket to aid in their comfort. It is free to the public, but reservations are required!
This year’s “Stories in the Gardens” is a special one, as the Azalea Storytelling Festival, which draws world class tellers and large audiences during the first full weekend in March every year, gears up to celebrate twenty years of festivals in LaGrange! The casual gathering offers a fun way to get a feel for what storytellers do, and gives local tellers a venue for performing. This year’s lineup will include: Mr. Irwin and local teller, Pam Ramsay, along with Allen Keeble as emcee. Joanna Baxter serves as event coordinator.
Andy Offutt Irwin is the recipient of the 2013 National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence Award. He is known for his amazing repertoire of sound effects, his hilarious stories, fantastic whistling skills, and perhaps more than anything, a delightful character “Aunt Marguerite Van Camp,” an 85-year-old widow who is always having some great adventure or other.
Emcee Allen Keeble, known to most locals as Judge Keeble, is renowned for his sharp wit and southern charm. He is a member of the Azalea Storytelling Committee, and has proven himself onstage at past events.
Pam Ramsay is also a member of the Azalea Storytelling Committee. She is a retired educator with a background in journalism. Pam has often mesmerized fellow committee members with stories of her childhood in the Midwest, and she will enchant the audience at this year’s “Stories in the Gardens.”
Guests are asked to arrive through the Hills & Dales Drive entrance. The gate will open at 1:00 p.m. and close at 2:15 p.m. The stories will begin at 2:00 p.m. and last until 4:00 p.m. In case of rain, the event will be held in the Visitor’s Center at the Estate. For reservations, please phone (706)882-3242. Additional information can be found online at www.hillsanddales.org.
214 Bull Street
LaGrange, GA 30240
706.882.9909 info@lsparts.org
