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Lovers of storytelling are invited to gather on Sunday, October 10, 2021, for the 10th Annual Stories in the Garden, sponsored by Hills & Dales Estate and the Azalea Storytelling Festival, and held in the lovely Pecan Grove on the grounds of the historic Callaway home.

Tellers will be Chetter Galloway and Carol Cain. Gates will open at 1 p.m., with music from the Dulcimer Troupers beginning at 1:15 p.m. Storytelling will commence at 2 p.m. and continue until 4 p.m.

Haley Merciers, Assistant Tour and Programs Coordinator for Hills & Dales Estate had this to say about the long-standing relationship between Hills & Dales and the Azalea Storytelling Festival.

“At Hills & Dales Estate, we understand the importance of storytelling,” Merciers said.

“Stories help us know who we are and from where we’ve come. In working with the Azalea Storytelling Festival over the years, it’s been a pleasure to see first-hand the wonderful joy felt by the tellers and audience members. We hope the event will continue to grow and give families an opportunity to spend quality time together and create a new tradition in our historic garden.”

Chetter Galloway is a native of Suffolk, Virginia.

The youngest of ten children, he remembers his father telling stories to his family on road trips. After honing his craft at East Tennessee State University in their Masters of Storytelling Program, Chetter has worked with the Woodruff Arts Center, the South Carolina Arts Commission, and Better Basics Enrichment Program of Birmingham, Alabama.

He has recorded three storytelling CDs and has performed across the country at venues such as: Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta Dogwood Festival, The Fernbank Museum, The High Museum of Fine Art, The National Black Arts Festival and The Smithsonian.

A Hogansville native, storyteller Carol Cain has been part of the Azalea Storytelling Festival family from the beginning, both as a committee member and a talented storyteller.

Carol has been attending Donald Davis workshops for at least 20 years, including all the ones held in LaGrange.

She has emceed for the Azalea Storytelling Festival sixteen times, has been a regional teller three times and will be a featured teller for the second time at the 2022 festival.

She is known far and wide for her one-woman show in which she portrays “Rosie the Riveter,” paying homage to the women of the World War II era who went to work in positions traditionally held by men.

In addition to telling in local venues and area festivals, Carol has told at the Exchange Place Concert of the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee.

   Stories in the Garden is one of several free storytelling events offered by the Azalea Storytelling Festival Committee, and the Lafayette Society for the Performing Arts (LSPA), under whose auspices the Azalea Storytelling Festival falls, every year, leading up to the Azalea Storytelling Festival held in March.

In 2022, the three-day “Azalea” as it is affectionately known, will mark its silver anniversary with tellers who have been beloved by festival attendees for many years, some even from the first Azalea Storytelling Festival.

For Stories in the Garden, guests are asked to enter through the Visitor Center gates at 1916 Hills & Dales Drive, and park in the field adjacent to the Pecan Grove.

Attendants will be on hand to assist with parking and light snacks will be provided.

Attendees can bring a chair or blanket to sit on.

Social distancing will be a snap in the large area beneath the beautiful pecan trees.

This is a free event, and all are welcome, but reservations are appreciated. In case of rain, the event will be postponed until October 17.  Call Hills & Dales for information at (706) 882-3242 or email info@hillsanddales.org.