The 2022 Flatwater Tales in Oak Ridge, TN, is June 3 – 4 at the Historic Grove Theater with a workshop on June 2 at the UT Arboretum Auditorium.
Tickets are available for the June 3 and 4 Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival, featuring three nationally renowned storytellers. This annual event returns to the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for four performances.
Early bird tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite or in person at the Ferrell Shop (cash or check only) in Oak Ridge. Tickets for individual performances and events are also available.
The three-day event will feature storytellers Sheila Arnold, Bil Lepp and Kim Weitkamp, known to audiences nationwide for their wit, wisdom and abilities to make audiences laugh, cry and reminisce.
Two additional events have been added to the weekend: a workshop by Bil Lepp on Thursday, June 2, and a special tour of historic Oak Ridge by Oak Ridge Historian Ray Smith on Friday, June 3.
Acclaimed storyteller Sheila Arnold will highlight the Friday night show with a one-time-only telling of her original story, “The Secret City’s Secret City: Scarboro.” This story honors the Oak Ridge 85 from the Scarboro neighborhood in Oak Ridge who were the first to desegregate a public school district in the Southeast after the US Supreme Court decision. This 1955 historic first in Oak Ridge, was a peaceful transition before the “Clinton, Tenn. 12” or the “Arkansas 9”. and did not gain the national attention of
Storytellers Bil Lepp and Kim Weitkamp will also perform Friday evening. Tickets for the Friday, 7 PM show are $10 for adults and $5 for children 5 and older to attend.
There will be three shows on Saturday, June 4, and each storyteller will share their stories. Tickets for the morning family show, from 10 to noon, are $10 for adults and $5 for children 5 and older.
The afternoon show is from 2 to 5 PM and the evening show is from 7 to 10 PM. Tickets for the afternoon and evening performances are $25 for each show. Early bird pricing is currently available at $40/ticket for both the Saturday afternoon/evening shows. For groups of 10 or more tickets will be $20 apiece for the afternoon and evening performances. For group sales contact: flatwatertales@gmail.com
Storyteller Bil Lepp will present a special workshop, “Bringing a Story to Life and Including Your Audience in the Experience,” on Thursday June 2, from 2 to 4 PM at the UT Arboretum Auditorium in Oak Ridge. Workshop tickets are $50 and are available at Eventbrite and the Ferrell Shop (cash or check, only) in Oak Ridge.
Learn the history of Oak Ridge by spending a couple of hours with Ray Smith. A special event has been added to this year’s Flatwater Tales. Oak Ridge Historian Ray Smith will lead a tour of historic Oak Ridge sites on Friday, June 3rd from 1-3 pm. The event is FREE but registration is required on Eventbrite or at the Ferrell Shop.
The tour will start at Jackson Square, located near the intersection of Broadway and Kentucky Avenues. Meet in the north parking lot across Broadway Avenue from Jackson Square.
The tour will consist of driving the historic district of alphabet houses, visiting the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell, the Secret City Commemorative Walk and the Birth of a City monuments. If available, the Y-12 History Center will be included. At the end of the tour there will be an optional visit to the Oak Ridge History Museum ($4 per person).
You will enjoy the 2022 Oak Ridge Flatwater Tales as much as the Jonesboro National Storytelling Festival.
ABOUT: Flatwater Tales Created For Oak Ridge is an annual event offered by the three Rotary Clubs in Oak Ridge. The festival’s goals are to help bring our community together, introduce others to Oak Ridge, support local economic activity, and raise funds for the clubs’ community projects. We expect to grow Flatwater Tales to include local and regional lore, music, and history, and to help share the Oak Ridge story – past, present, and future – with a wider audience. We want to expand our storytelling training to include helping children, seniors, and veterans find their voices using this age-old art form.
The Oak Ridge Fund for Achieving Community Excellence (ORFace) is an affiliate fund of the East Tennessee Foundation, which supports projects in 25 counties of East Tennessee through more than $336 million in grants to projects since 1986. The Flatwater Tales Storytelling project is an important addition to the culture of Oak Ridge, long known for outstanding achievement in science, education and the arts.