Gleaning Facebook: Gary Greene

Many of my friends will know the Grand Imagineer, Gary Greene. Gary is a wonderful storyteller and songwriter friend. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

He is one of the folks who not only inpires me with his storytelling and songwriting (I love his song "Cherokee Names") but has encouraged my storytelling by inviting me to join him for storytelling at the Etowah Mounds and doing some joint gigs with me. A great guy!

From Karen Lyn Dobson's Facebook:

Please pray for Gary! Moving him out of ICU. He's been put on Hospice. He's been such a WARRIOR for the past 2 years. One of MY BEST FRIENDS IN THE WHOLE WORLD. Gary is the first one to accept me as a SERIOUS MUSICIAN in Rome. I had already established myself in Cartersvlle. HE welcomed me with LOVING ARMS & we've done so many projects together. My favorite song we do is by John Prine "In SPite of ourselves" It's so good especially when I mimic Iris Dement. I LOVE YOU!!! We WILL SIT ON THAT RAINBOW together one day! Until then, sit with Gammy & ya'll wait on me!

Gleaning Facebook: A Time To Tell

It was great to have Gary Greene back with us for the February “A Time To Tell” storytelling session at Rome Floyd County Library. We also had stories by …

Diane Hoffman

George Dean

Mary Elena Kirk

Jane Cunningham

Delmas Franklin 

Gleaning Facebook: YoungTales Summer Show

 We had a great time with two outstanding student storytellers this morning. We had an enthusiastic room of kids from preschool through eighth grade and adults. Our storytellers included:

• Terrell Shaw (ta-dah!), There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly!

• Jane Owen Cunningham who had trouble with that bubblegum!

• Michael Rios, West End Elementary with his hilarious tale of sugar and salt.

• Mary Elena Rivera Kirk who dressed a pig for church!

• Courtney Hutcherson, Armuchee Middle who could NOT keep those ducks out of the garage!

• Gary Greene who remembers Superman and Mister Mxyzptlk.

• and Mary Elena Rivera Kirk, again, who gave us a story to take home with us.

Thanks to everyone who told, everyone who came to listen, and to everyone who helped spread the word to get us a good audience!

One more show! Monday July 17! Keep spreading the word.

Gleaning Facebook: Big Fibbers

From Tony Pope:

At Big Fibbers finale. I like this one the best!

 

Howard Smith

Are you at some Republican rally.... just guessing by the signs

Terrell

Maybe we could sell our posters to the Trump campaign?

Howard

And, invite one of his spokespeople to participate in the professional category next year.

Gleaning Facebook: Storytelling News

 I had a great time telling tales and talking about storytelling this morning with one of the drama classes at Coosa High. One more go-around this afternoon.

For our Ridge & Valley Tellers: There is no August meeting scheduled. We have a plannning session scheduled for September, but illness has intervened in one of our families and we'll wait a few days to assess whether that can go on as planned, be postponed and rescheduled, or simply be moved to another location.

There's some great storytelling on tap for the rest of the year:

• Listen to WRGA for Nelle Reagan's Talk of the Town tomorrow at noon. The "Storytellers" will be there (usually some combination of Bob Harris, Delmas Franklin, Gary Greene, and me)

• Our Christy Davis is the director of Cave Screams Ghost Tours the wonderful ghost-story event that is expanding to two-days this year.

• Tellebration will occur on November 21. Watch for details of tellers, venue, etc.

Comment

Christy Davis

I'm so excited about Cave Screams! If anyone is interested in being a tour guide or storyteller for one or both nights, please let me know. I take good care of my tellers, and I know you guys are the best in Northwest Georgia, so you will definitely get the billing y'all deserve! 

Gleaning Facebook: Big Fibbers Is Coming!

 Don't miss Opening Night at the Big Fibbers Festival. Bil Lepp will headline the program with his prize-winning tall tales. As an added bonus three previous winners of the Big Fibbers Contest will reprise their winning five minute tales. Leonard White won the Judges Prize in 2010. Gary Greene took the People's Choice award in 2010. Current champ Terrell Shaw is a two-time winner of the contest. He won in 2012 with his version of a traditional tale he calls "The Biggest Hickory Log in Adams County". He won again in 2014 with his story of Yellowtail, his pet snake.

Gleaning Facebook: Peach State Storytelling Festival

 We had a great time at the Peach State Storytelling Festival. I got to tell my winning fib from last year's Big Fibbers Storytelling Festival again. I was thrilled to see the dean of American Storytelling, Donald Davis, laughing in the audience. Donald's program tonight started at eight. He kept us chuckling for an hour and a half with three tales. Too late to write about it tonight. Maybe tomorrow! After a busy weekend and late nights I sing at all three services at Trinity in the morning. G'nite all.

David Jones
I know you were great

Terrell Shaw
Thanks!

Terrell Shaw
I wish you could have been there tonight. You woulkd have gotten a kick out of Donald.

Terrell Shaw
My fellow Roman, Gary Greene wowed 'em with his great song (and story) Cherokee Names.

Terrell Shaw
Martin Penland Teem I used your name in vain again!

Martin Penland Teem
I'm flattered, I think.

Terrell Shaw

Gleaning Facebook: Celtic/Cherokee Festival at Chieftains

From Nick Douglas's Facebook:

Celtic Arms and Armor by storyteller Bob Harris. Not pictured, storytellers Terrell Shaw who told the story of the Spoorworm and Gary Greene who told of the Cherokee Removal and sang his Cherokee Names song which was inspired by the old man who told the soldiers who came for him, "You may take my people from their homeland but you'll never take our names from your waters.

Terrell Shaw
It was a great and pleasing surprise to recognize you in the audience, Nick. Great to see, and we're looking forward to seeing you on the Fourth again this year.

Amy Douglas Tapia
Nick, where was this? Let me know next year Please. If I am free I want to go too!! Amy

Nick Douglas
Amy, this might not be an annual event. I hope it will be. This was in Rome, Georgia, at the Chieftains Museum located in MajorJohn Ridge's home. 

Major Ridge was a Cherokee leader, a lawyer, plantation owner, ferry-operator, and author of the Cherokee law that forbade transferring Indian lands to white governments despite the 1802(?) Georgia Compact in which President Jefferson promised the state of Georgia that Cherokee lands would become Georgia's once they Indians were removed. 

After the removal of the Creek and other southeastern tribes and after the whites discovered gold near Dahlonega (Cherokee for yellow rock) and forcibly took those lands from the Cherokees living there, in accordance with nearly passed Georgia laws, Ridge came to believe that the only way to prevent complete extermination of the Cherokee people was to agree to move to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). When he and some others (without authorization from Principal Chief John Ross) signed the Treaty of New Echota agreeing to Cherokee Removal, he reportedly said that he had just signed his own death warrant. He was right. He was assassinated or executed (depending on your point of view) a few years later near the Arkansas - Oklahoma border.

Terrell Shaw
Nick, this was the second or third year of the event. I hope it will continue.

Gleaning Facebook: Cabin Tales

Don't miss "Cabin Tales" in Cave Spring

This Sunday at 3 p.m.

Storytellers: Gary Greene, Debby Brown, Bob Harris, Terrell Shaw plus Another storyteller, Cave Springer, teacher, and my former wonderful student, Christy Davis! Yay! There will also be one child teller from Cave Spring Elementary. I'm gonna tell a story I call "The Burglar and his Gourmet Granddaddy". Br'er Rabbit has a supporting role and I'm even gonna include a little bit of TRUTH in it!