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A trio of storytellers participating in the annual Azalea Storytelling Festival performed at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Thursday night to provide a taste of the festival this weekend.

St. Mark’s has traditionally hosted the Storytelling Dinner, which serves as a preview for the upcoming festival and a thank you to festival sponsors and organizers. St. Mark’s returned to hosting the event this year. St. Peter’s Catholic Church hosted it for the last two years while renovations were done at completed at St. Mark’s.

Storytellers Donald Davis, Josh Goforth and Reno Harrell performed at the dinner with Carol Cain as emcee. Teller Sheila Arnold will perform at the festival but could not make the preview dinner.

“We have asked them to just give a taste. Don’t expect you’re going to get a long program, you’ll have to come to the festival for that. They’re going to give you just a little hint,” Cain said, thanking all of the sponsors for the event.

The Azalea Storytelling Festival has been an early spring staple for a decade. Most festivals only last a couple of years, if that, Cain said, applauding the hard work of festival organizers.

Josh Goforth began by performing a song in honor of his late father. He shared stories about his childhood in Madison County, North Carolina, and his experiences learning from older folk growing up. Goforth recounted stories about his grandparents, including his grandmother’s ghost stories and another grandmother’s adventures escaping the old folk’s home.

Donald Davis, a local favorite, shared stories about his parents, including his father’s love for playing tricks and his mother’s patience. He concluded with a hilarious tale of his mother turning it around on him.

Reno Harrell recounted his childhood experiences of visiting his extended family in North Carolina and the close-knit nature of his family. He reflected on the importance of family gatherings and the traditions they shared, including exchanging presents without wrapping them, before closing with a song.

Goforth, Davis and Harrell, along with Arnold, will perform at the Azalea Storytelling Festival on Friday evening, throughout the day on Saturday and on Sunday morning.

Tickets are available at https://lsparts.org/event/azalea-storytelling-festival/.