A Storytelling Festival begins its two-day run tonight, with an open mic and other musical options offered at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center, 402 W. Main St.

Friday’s events begin at 6 p.m., with Karen McCulloch serving as master of ceremonies during the open mic opportunity, which ends at 8 p.m.

Following open mic, from 8 to 8:45 p.m., Nazario Chickpeazio, who, according to his website, is “a musician from the Milwaukee area playing classical instruments such as the oud (and) latva,” will perform. 

Additionally, between 9 and 10 p.m., according to information released by the Whitewater Arts Alliance, the organization which oversees activities within the Cultural Arts Center and a co-sponsor of this year’s event, live music, performed by County Craic Irish Fiddling, will be offered.

The two-days of activities are additionally sponsored by Discover Whitewater, a tourism brand which works in tandem with the city’s promotional organizations, including the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Whitewater, Inc., and the Whitewater Tourism Council, according to the release.

On Saturday, festivities continue at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and include, between 9 and 11 a.m., children’s activities and stories; between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., a vendor market; between 11:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m., storytelling and activities for participants of all ages; between 2 and 4 p.m., a watercolors demonstration with Barbara Mathews and the opening reception of the Wisconsin Regional Artist’s Program (WRAP) Exhibition, and between 4 and 5 p.m., Live music performed by Marco Wence.

Many of Saturday’s activities will be held outside as weather allows, the release noted, with activities moving inside in the event of rain.

Additional parking is available to those attending the event at the First English Lutheran Church, 401 W. Main St., Whitewater. The church is located across the street from the Cultural Arts Center.

The release further notes that the WRAP exhibition will run through Sunday, May 26 at the Cultural Arts Center and is available for viewing during the gallery’s regular hours of operation: Thursdays through Sundays, between noon and 4 p.m.

To learn more about the exhibition, with its theme: “Art Through Stories,” visit the Whitewater Art Alliance’s website: https://www.whitewaterarts.org/wrap-2024.

A story about last year’s storytelling festival, then held in Whitewater’s Cravath Lakefront Park, is here: https://whitewaterwise.com/music-storytelling-activities-characterize-festival-held-saturday-in-cravath-lakefront-park/.