Lin Waterhouse and others will entertain June 7-8 at storytelling sessions at WP
Former Ozark County resident Lin Waterhouse, acclaimed author and journalist now living in West Plains, will be the lead-off storyteller at 12:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 7-8, during the Yellow House Storytelling Circle at the 30th annual Ozark Heritage Festival in West Plains.
Waterhouse, author of the popular "The West Plains Dance Hall Explosion," will entertain listeners at the Yellow House, 209 Trish Knight St., with stories titled “A Newcomer to the Ozarks” on Friday, and “A Fish-Out-of-Water Records the Ozarks” on Saturday.
The historic Yellow House's storytelling sessions, to be held from noon to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday, will be hosted by two well-known practitioners of Ozark lore, Marideth Sisco and Danette House. Those who enjoy listening to traditional Ozarks stories are invited to pull up a chair and escape the heat and bustle of the other activities in the Ozark Heritage Festival while enjoying enchanting and riveting tales of Ozarks life throughout the generations.
Art will also be displayed in the Yellow House, and food and drink will be sold.
Linhouse's 12:30 p.m. Friday storytelling presentation will be followed at 1:15 p.m. Friday by Sabrina Lewis, who will share the extraordinary account of her Great-Uncle Eugene Pattillo, a soldier who fought for four years on the battlefields of World War II under the indomitable Gen. George Patton. Lewis will recount the gripping tale of courage, sacrifice and resilience as this Ozarks boy was swept into one of the most historic marches of World War II, from the invasion of Sicily to the liberation of Nazi concentration camps.
At 1:15 p.m. Saturday, the legendary Marideth Sisco will regale audiences with her firsthand experiences of the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the grounds of the National Mall. She will bring to life her tale of "How the Ozarks Came to Be America's Oldest Mountains."
Perhaps the most poignant stories of the storytelling event will come at 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday as three remarkable women, the Patillo sisters (now in their 80s), take the stage to share their childhood memories that offer a glimpse into a bygone era. The women will recount their 1948 journey from Caulfield to Grants, New Mexico. They will tell their story of poor Ozarks people trying to earn a living in hard times as their father led a group of 80 sawmillers and their families on a five-month expedition to log timber in the harsh desert.
And in between all these colorful stories, Danette House will weave her own brand of Ozarks magic, talking about the colorful Ozarks language and humor of the past.
Promoters say attendees are invited to stay for each day's entire session or "drop in for a spell," predicting that "you're sure to leave with your heart full and your soul enriched by the enduring legacy of Ozark heritage."