Spooky Tales at John C. Campbell Folk School

The evenings performers (L-R) Terrell Shaw, Denise Mount, and Kanute Rarey. I didn't catch the name of the bony photobomber.

The the folk school's main entrance.

Kanute Rarey is something. He has had a big role in establishing, reviving, assisting, promoting storytelling in a variety of venues over the last few years. On Monday I had the opportunity, thanks to Kanute, to tell stories with Kanute and Denise Mount at the famous John C. Campbell Folk School. I had a ball!

I arrived very early and had over two hours to walk around that beautiful campus and see a little of what the school is all about. 

The program itself was in the "Open House" a rustic cabin will walls o=pen from about waist height to the rafters. We had very full and enthusiastic audience. 

I opened the show with Lewis Carroll's famous nonsense poem, "Jabberwocky," then told one of my favorite spooky stories that I call "Matilda Stood on a Grave".

Kanute took the stage told one of a class of stories that I call "story stories". It was reminiscent of a Jack tale that involved a suspicious old woman,

It was such a lovely fall drive that I shot a couple of pictures with my iPhone which was attached to the dash for directions.

Since I was so early I took about 30 extra minutes to take a sentimental driving tour to the top of the hill  above the location of the house I lived in from sixth grade till ninth grade.These are the mountains we saw from our front porch 1958-1962.

This the main building at the folk school.

Blacksmithing and other metal working is taught 

In the small museum of the folk school.

The craft shop is on the lower level of this building.

I suppose this class was doing some sort of food or drink preparation.

The "Open House" was our storytelling venue for the evening.

The "Open House" again.

Another view of the "Open House".

A selfie along one of the paths.

Note the pumpkin spider.

As the sun went down the light was too interesting  not to take a few pictures.

Enlarge this pano shot to get a full view of the valley from the gardens.

The many railings around the campus show off the school's blacksmithing.

Another pano pic.

Denise Mount performing her story.

Silver Tea Service

Sometime early in 1962, after it was announced that Daddy would be assigned to Trinity Methodist Church in a mid-year series of church assignments necitated by a death and a jurisdictional appointment, the folks at Watkins Memorial in Ellijay presented my parents with a beautiful Silver Tea Service as a parting gift.  

Time Machine: Children's Hour - July 16, 1958

These five index cards will fall out of a book in 2024 in Rome, Georgia and remind me of my first few days in Ellijay and with my new friends at Watkins Memorial Methodist Church.  

Here's my message from the future -- March 18, 2024: 

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I was packing up the huge library of "preacher books" from my Mother's house as we try to empty it so we can list it for sale. Many of the books date from my Dad's ministry in central Kentucky, southern Ohio, and northern Georgia in the fifties and sixties. 

In the summer of 1958 my Daddy, a newly ordained elder in the North Georgia Conference of "The Methodist Church," was appointed to Watkins Memorial Methodist Church in Ellijay. 

The first card held the outline of activities for the "Children's Hour" at the church on July 16 of that year. 

Gospel lessons

The contestants: Patsy Jane Wimpee, Sara Jo Poindexter, Charlyse Poindexter, Jane Poindexter, Terry Shaw (me, Terrell Shaw), Debbie Shaw, Carol Shaw, Margaret Youngblood, Dana Youngblood, Doris Dover.

The Bible drill winner? Charlyse (7) At least Sara Jo and Kathy managed a point each. In defense of the three preacher's kids who totally bombed: we had only moved to town a few days before!

I'll bet if the first game is ever played these days the name has been changed! I remember playing this silly game. Here's a link to Wikipedia's article about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_pussy