By Kim McDarison

A full day of activities brought area residents on Saturday to Cravath Lakefront Park, as individuals of all ages enjoyed storytelling, music, games and food.

In its third year, the annual Whitewater Storytelling Festival is “dedicated to celebrating the art of storytelling in all its forms,” according to information released by its sponsoring organization, the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce, in advance of the event.

The full festival began at 9 a.m. with activities designed to appeal to children, including a performance given by Milwaukee-based Renaissance musician “Nazario Chickpeazio,” who performed on-stage alongside his wife, Leah Jurgens.

While Nazario played instruments, such as the the oud, latva, flute, Baroque guitar, sitar and Afghan rabab, Jurgens, dressed in a colorful costume, performed puppetry on stage and led games designed for children on the lawn in front of the Frawley Family Amphitheater in Cravath Lakefront Park. 

A popular game facilitated by the couple involved a parachute, which, Nazario said, was meant to replicate a crocodile as he performed his musical rendition of a poem from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” titled: “How Doth the Little Crocodile.” 

Nazario said the parachute was meant to play the part of the crocodile, and the children were playing the part of fish, which, according to the poem, are welcomed by the crocodile “with gently smiling jaws!” 

In a tent located near the amphitheater, festival-goers, in the early afternoon, were treated to a reading of a book titled: “Every Cake has a Story,” written by Christina Tosi and illustrated by Emily Balsley.

The book was read aloud by University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King, who told those in attendance that he had chosen the story because he likes to bake.

Throughout the afternoon, families were treated to various stories, delivered by seasoned storytellers, and activities.

As evening approached, several food trucks arrived, offering dinner options to event-goers, and music, performed by “Cead Mile Failte,” a band which plays traditional Irish music, emanated from the amphitheater.

The event concluded with nighttime storytelling, with stories designed for listeners of all ages, which were told around a campfire.

Two storytellers, Chad Johnstone, Jefferson, and Doug Way, Madison, volunteered Saturday afternoon by lending technical assistance. Both were among those scheduled to tell stories that appealed to listeners of all ages near the campfire Saturday evening. 

Dressed as an “itinerant storyteller,” Johnstone said his stories are set in the 1880s to 1920s, and his character told tales in exchange for food and lodgings. 

Among stories he planned to share by the campfire, he said, was one recounting his exploits when he escaped from the “Hodag,” a carnivorous creature from American folklore resembling a large bull with horns and spines running down its back. In his story, Johnstone said, he escaped twice. 

Way, a native of Texas, said his stories are set in the state and, with a campfire as backdrop, would bring a spooky element.

An earlier story about the event is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/whitewaters-third-annual-storytelling-festival-slated/.

Photos from the event follow.