Note: Tonight means Friday, Oct. 18.
PORT ANGELES — Cherie Trebon never forgot Meg Philp. The two storytellers, from Port Angeles and Australia respectively, met at a conference some 20 years ago; then Trebon became director of the Forest Storytelling Festival, a gathering of humorists, musicians and tale-spinners in Port Angeles.
Many months ago, Trebon was planning the 19th annual event — at Peninsula College’s Little Theater tonight through Sunday — when she found out Philp was headed for the Pacific Northwest at exactly the right time.
Trebon booked Philp and a flock of other storytellers, mixing their styles carefully; then she added an extra event to the lineup of concerts, workshops and story swaps.
First comes tonight’s opening concert with all of the featured storytellers: Philp, Andy Offutt Irwin, mandolinist-teller Anne Rutherford, Mary Hamilton and Gene Tagaban, possibly the world’s only Tlingit-Cherokee-Filipino storyteller.
Saturday will bring four workshops, two at 9 a.m. and two more at 10:30 a.m.; the annual Open Mic Story Swap at 12:30 p.m. and more concerts through the afternoon and evening.
The Forest Storytelling Festival’s newest event is “Stories for Families” at 2 p.m. Saturday. Philp will lead this activity for children age 4 to 10 and their folks, with tickets at $2 per person or $5 per family.
Throughout the weekend, concert-goers will have a chance to support the festival by buying raffle tickets for “Quilt of Roses,” a quilt made and donated by Phyllis Luther. The drawing will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
A full festival pass costs $80, while tickets to single events — except the family stories workshop and the free Sunday concert — range from $13 to $20. All activities emanate from the festival hub: the Little Theater in the J Building at Peninsula College, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
The festival is about one thing for storytellers and listeners alike. That thing, Trebon said, is “a sense of joy in the spoken word.”
We’re all storytellers, she added, and through our stories we learn what’s important in our lives.
This weekend’s activities draw plenty of people from out of town, “but now we’re getting our own homegrown folks,” Trebon said.
“It’s nice to have your neighbors there.”
Festival Sunday starts with the Inspirational Concert, which brings all of the guest storytellers together again; this free presentation is a gift to the community, Trebon noted.
Here’s a basic schedule of activities, which are in and around the Little Theater at Peninsula College, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd. More details can be found at www.clallamstorypeople.org.
Tonight
■ 7:30 p.m. Featured storytellers Andy Irwin, Mary Hamilton, Gene Tagaban, Meg Philp and Anne Rutherford in concert, $13.
Saturday
■ 9 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Choice of workshops: “All Together Now — Audience Participation Stories” with Mary Hamilton or “The Storyteller’s Journey: Opening to Awareness” with Gene Tagaban, $20 each.
■ 10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. Choice of two more workshops: “Using Humor and Wit for Serious Business” with Andy Irwin or “Rock Your Storytelling” with Anne Rutherford, $20 each.
■ 11:45 a.m. –12:15 p.m. Lunch available for purchase in the college PUB adjacent to the Little Theater.
■ 12:30 p.m.- 1:15 p.m. Two events to choose from: Open Mic Story Swap with an eight-minute limit, or the Story Circle with a 10-minute limit, free.
■ 1:30 p.m. Storytelling concert with Naomi Baltuck opening for Mary Hamilton, $20.
■ 2 p.m. Meg Philp’s workshop for children age 4 to 10 and their parents; $2 per person or $5 per family.
■ 2:45 p.m. Storytelling concert with Karen Drum opening for Anne Rutherford, $20.
■ 3:45 p.m. Concert with Ken Iverson opening for Gene Tagaban, $20.
■ 7:30 p.m. Featured tellers Irwin, Hamilton, Tagaban, Rutherford and Philp in concert, $13.
Sunday
■ 10 a.m. Inspirational Concert with all featured tellers plus Billie Mazzei opening, free.
■ Noon Concert with Erran Sharpe opening for Meg Philp, $15.
■ 12:45 p.m. Performance by Irwin closes the festival, $15.
■ 1:30 p.m. Drawing for the “Quilt of Roses” prize quilt.
