Teton Storytelling & Arts Festival kicks off in Rexburg - East Idaho News
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Teton Storytelling & Arts Festival kicks off in Rexburg

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REXBURG — A unique kind of entertainment event starts in Rexburg Friday night.

The second Teton Storytelling & Arts Festival begins at 7 p.m. at the Romance Theater. The event will feature a number of acts from national and regional performers such as Sam Payne, Josh Goforth, Michael Reno Harrell, and 11 year-old local storyteller Kenzlee Anderson.

Festival director Jackie Rawlins, said the event often gets misunderstood and likened some of the stories to a set of stand-up comedy routines.

“It’s not standing up and reading a story book to you,” she said. “It’s just really is about taking a journey through the stories (performers) have. Some of them are truth mingled in with a little bit of tall tales.”

International storyteller Sam Payne, best known for his jazz style musical storytelling, said this year’s festival is hosting a bigger lineup of tellers along with art and music.

“There will people telling folktales, ghost stories, and all kinds of stuff. There are great tellers coming this year who are really from all over the country,” Payne said.

Payne’s been a musician for years, and tells musical family stories.

“People have been telling stories since there were people. It’s how we learn about each other. It’s how we learn about other places, how we figure out our own ideas and beliefs, and stances about things. Storytelling is part of what makes us human beings,” he said.

Rawlins said the last the Teton Storytelling & Arts Festival was a two day event under a large tent, but this year the event will be spread out through the weekend at different locations.

On Friday, it starts off at the Romance Theater at 7 p.m. On Saturday the event will be hosted at the Madison County Fairgrounds from 10 a.m to 6 p.m, and there will be a Night Of Comedy show at the Romance Theater at 8 p.m. The festival will end on Sunday at the Rexburg Tabernacle, with the “Sacred Stories & Music” event at 7 p.m., according to the event website.

Alex Holloway, an audio engineer for the event, said he enjoyed the variety of entertainment at the previous festival last year. He said the experience was holistic with storytelling, bands playing music, and artists.

“I loved the comedy (stories),” Holloway said. “There were a couple I just remember watching and they were just gut busting. You know it was so fun and … everyone was having a good time.”

Rawlins said the events on Friday and Sunday nights are free with limited seating, but there is a $1 admission at the Madison Fairgrounds.

For more information about the Teton Storytelling & Arts Festival and the tellers please visit at www.tetonstorytelling.org.

Video clips “Bone Joe” made by BYU Magazine & The Roadside Ramblers ft. Sam Payne – “St James Infirmary Blues” LIVE made by BYU Radio are courtesy of Sampayne.com and YouTube.com.

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