“…And That’s My Story” will return to the Hormel Historic Home on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5.  The Storytelling event will consist of a time to socialize with others interested the sharing of stories. A casual dinner with the Tellers interacting with guests in a will take place on Friday evening followed by a “concert” of stories during which the Tellers spin their craft and engage people into the story on a personal level. The Saturday morning workshop will allow those wishing to become better tellers or to learn how to launch their telling hobby into an art form a platform from which to do so. Through open conversation both Tellers and attendees will grow through the experience of sharing.

“…And That’s My Story” was organized in 2015 based on requests by many in the Austin community for a rebirth of the Minnesota Storytelling Festival which had been successfully held in Austin from 1986 to 2007. Under the leadership of Michael and Bev Cotter, the festival grew into an event that attracted people from all over the Midwest. With the passion of the Austin Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and collaboration with the Cotters the event has now been resurrected.

Bev Cotter described the event as an “opportunity for the people of the Austin area and beyond to begin appreciating the value of their own unique stories, to enjoy the stories of others, to gather ideas on story design and to understand the process of story preservation in both the oral and written form.”

According to the history of the National Storytellers Festival “a simple story breathes life into information people want to share with each other. As millions of story lovers all over the world already know, there is no substitute for the power, simplicity, and basic truth of the well-told story.”

The more the craft of storytelling is shared and promoted the more people will begin to appreciate the art form. By attending this affordable and accessible program, the general public will experience something they might not have recognized as beneficial before. The audience will identify parts of their lives in the stories they hear. When they hear the stories of others, their own stories will surface.

The Hormel Historic Home has chosen to be involved in the resurrection of the storytelling festival because we view it as an opportunity to share our own story with guests. We all have a story to tell whether through words, events, or actions, and people find a way to connect with each other when they hear a story.

Tickets are available on the website www.hormelhistorichome.org or at the HHH office 507-433-4243.

History Happy Hour: Stories of Orphan Train Riders, presented by author, Dorothy Lund Nelson 5:30 p.m., Oct. 10

Free for members of the HHH, Mower County Historical Society and the Friends of the Library. $5 for non-members.