Oct 6 - Bill gets Rhythm

Today was filled with more storytelling which gave us so many belly laughs. It's so hard to explain this festival to you. It's so much bigger than I ever imagined. The storytellers come from all over to regal us. Here's just one of the 5 tents that hold over 1,000 listeners. 

Another infamous part of this festival is the Jonesborough Novelty Band. Friends of ours, Terry Countermine and Chip Ward are two of the original members. If you ever visited the Phyrst in downtown State College in the 70s, these two gentlemen would have been there picking and grinning. Love these guys. They have added another ex-officio member, Bill Shuffstall, to play the git fiddle. Never thought he had THIS much rhythm. What fun. 

Next on our list of must hear was Gee's Bend Quilters. Yes, Bill went along with me to hear 4 ladies talk about their life in an African-American community of 400 people and how they earned national acclaim for their quilting. To this day, most of them are still making quilts by hand and using scissors (not rotary cutters). 

Now we are back at Terry and Sandy Countermine's for the PSU vs Northwestern football game. Go PSU. 

After a great win, we headed to the Storytelling Center for the Tarnspinner's Party. More sing-a-long and dance tunes from the Jonesborough Novelty Band with some guest appearances from several storytellers who played music as well. There was also a catered meal with beer and wine.