News Release

Storytelling Days 2018

NPS photo

News Release Date: July 24, 2018

Storytelling Days
Friday, August 24, 2018 
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 25, 2018
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

 George Washington Carver National Monument is pleased to announce the park’s 3^rd annual “Storytelling Days” event on Friday August 24 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and Saturday August 25 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. This event celebrates the establishment of the National Park Service, and focuses on stories about American culture and history. Come hear the stories of diverse experiences and special places and spaces from these dynamic storytellers, and historic re-enactors. Our history is part of who we were, who we are, and who we will be. The event will take place indoors in the multipurpose room and is FREE of charge.
 
Friday August 24 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  

Mike and Nancee Micham - The Michams are Missouri folklorists who regale their audiences with Ozark tales and music. They are also talented multi-instrumentalists who skillfully perform renditions of traditional American music. They are very popular in Branson where they entertain people from all over the world.  

Thomas Hart Benton (as portrayed by Doug Mishler) - Mr. Mishler is a seasoned veteran of numerous Chautauquas, and he gives an amazing performance as the Ozark artist and muralist. Eminently charismatic with an acerbic wit, you will love this portrayal of the Regionalist master! 

Saturday, August 25 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

Loretta Washington - Ms. Washington has performed at the park numerous times, and also at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis in the play "Where Would I Be Without Thee", where she explored the poignant stories of several enslaved women. This year she will share African American folktales that are inspiring and empowering for all ages!

Willa Cather (as portrayed by Betty Jean Steinshouer) - One of the greatest novelists of the 20th century, Willa Cather told wondrous stories of the Midwestern plains, such as O'Pioneers and My Antonia. She was incredibly gifted in conveying an intimate understanding of her characters in relationship to their environment, and Ms. Steinshouer's portrayal captures her perfectly! 

George Washington Carver (as portrayed by Keith Henley) – To honor the 75^th anniversary of Carver’s death, and the establishment of the national park in his honor, we welcome professional touring actor Keith Henley as Carver. He has also portrayed numerous historical figures, including Langston Hughes, Henry "Box" Brown, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Shadowball with Bobby Norfolk - Emmy award winner Bobby Norfolk returns to Carver to interpret the incredible story of Negro League baseball, and it's many triumphs, and tragedies. Learn about Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson and other baseball legends, and the struggles they faced on and off the diamond!  

This “Find Your Park” event invites the public to see that a national park can be more than a place -- it can be a feeling, a state of mind, or a sense of American pride. Beyond vast landscapes, the campaign highlights historical, urban, and cultural parks, as well as the National Park Service programs that protect, preserve and share nature, culture, and history in communities nationwide. “Storytelling Days” is co-sponsored by the Carver Birthplace Association, with support from the Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Administered by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior, George Washington Carver National Monument preserves the birthplace and childhood home of George Washington Carver, scientist, educator, and humanitarian. The park is located two miles west of Diamond, Missouri on Highway V, then ¼ mile south on Carver Road. For more information, please call the park at 417-325-4151 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.