Thanksgiving is just a little more than a week away, and the Front Porch Storytellers are hoping to share the Thanksgiving spirit with their storytelling session “Over the River and Through the Woods.”
The storytellers, Mary Jane Kennedy and Chad Bogart, will share a night of Thanksgiving stories and songs at 7 p.m. Friday in the visitor’s center at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park.
The visitor’s center will be transformed into a cozy cottage where visitors are invited to enjoy the evening at “Grandma’s House.”
“We have never done a Thanksgiving storytelling before,” Kennedy said. “It is rare for there to be a Thanksgiving event like this. This will really kick off the Thanksgiving holiday.”
The stories shared during the event will “tickle funny bones and pull at heart strings.”
Kennedy said humorous tales and touching songs and stories will be a part of the storytelling night.
“To me, Thanksgiving and Christmas are about being thankful for everything we have and being close to your loved ones while celebrating the greatest gift we have ever been given,” Kennedy said. “This will set the theme for the coming month and get us ready for the holidays.”
The storytelling is recommended for the whole family and will last approximately an hour and a half. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door.
“I think people will walk out of the program feeling happy and thankful and ready for this exciting time of year,” Kennedy said.
The storytellers will also be hosting a series of Christmas story walks in downtown Elizabethton. The first will be held Thursday, Nov. 20. The others will be Thursday, Dec. 11 and Friday, Dec. 12. The walks will start at 6:30 p.m. outside the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library.
Kennedy described the Christmas walks as a timeline through the town’s past, focusing on different Christmas celebrations and traditions.
“We will be talking about traditions that were unique to this area that not a lot of the other areas did,” she said. “These were things that were celebrated and done until the 1900s.”
The Christmas walks will also discuss the different businesses that used to be open in downtown Elizabethton and share how those stores celebrated the Christmas holiday. The walks will feature interactive portions including caroling and a few Christmas games.
“These walks are completely different than the other walks we do,” Kennedy said, referring to the Ghost Walks the duo leads in October.
The Christmas walks are $12 per person or $10 for veterans and people age 55 and up.
Walks are limited to 20 people each session.
To reserve a spot in the walks, call Kennedy at 542-9360.