Some great history!
The Kansas Storytelling Festival started in 1994 as the vision of local citizens in conjunction with the Downs Arts Council. The Downs Arts Council's mission is "to enhance the quality of life in our rural area," and the Kansas Storytelling Festival was a great step in meeting this mission."
Since the early days, the festival has continued to grow every year, and the Kansas Storytelling Festival committee has been able to sign more well-known names each year. The Kansas Storytelling Festival is made possible each year by a dedicated group of volunteers who coordinate the event, the entertainment, and the business of the Kansas Storytelling Festival. The committee functions under the guidance of the Downs Arts Council Board.
Former Kansas Governor Bill Graves officially recognized Downs in 1998 as "The Storytelling Capital of Kansas" and has proclaimed the last week of April as "The Kansas Storytelling Festival." Please join us!
Guest Storytellers through the Years
Festival One- 1994
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Kay Negash
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Priscilla Howe
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Bev Nelson
Festival Two- 1995
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Pam Faro
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Priscilla Howe
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Danny & Becky McMillan
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Greg Martin
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Norman Peire
Festival Three- 1996
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Nancy Duncan
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Bill Rexroad
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Marilyn Black
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Don Coldsmith
Festival Four- 1997
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Royal Eckert
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Janet Goodenow
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Sharon Arndt
Festival Five- 1998
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Dan Keding
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Margaret Deaver
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Richard Kimbrough
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Jeff O’Donnel
Festival Six- 1999
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Maureen Korte
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Bettie Jane Bibler
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Richard Kimbrough
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Angela Bates-Tompkins
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David Alexander
Festival Seven- 2000
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John Stansfield
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Judy Nichols
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Carol Rehme
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Phillip Thomas
Festival Eight- 2001
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Lynn Moroney
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Rosemary Cutrer
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Priscilla Howe
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Omofolobo Ajayi
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Dick Wellman
Festival Nine- 2002
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Pat Mendoza
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Dennis Gaines
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Lu Adams
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Regina Leininger
Festival Ten- 2003
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Bil Lepp
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Jo Ho
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Judy Coder
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Joe Boley
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Pippa White
Festival Eleven- 2004
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Ed Stivender
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Marla Matkins
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Elda Martens
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Judy Nichols
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Sharon Treaster
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Ann Zimmerman
Festival Twelve- 2005
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Jim ‘Two Crows’ Wallen
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Rachel Thompson
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J.F. Stover
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Fred ‘Bo’ Switzer
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Priscilla Howe
Festival Thirteen- 2006
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Dan Keding
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Jo Ho
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Amah Lou Schreiber
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Kathryn Thurman
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Deborah Raney
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Kim Sawyer
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Judy Miller
Festival Fourteen- 2007
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Willy Claflin
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Mike Gracy
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Bonnie Smith
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Rosie Cutrer
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Nolan Sump
Festival Fifteen- 2008
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Bil Lepp
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Mike ‘Blue Hawk’ Adams
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Deborah Greenblat
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Kevin Dolan (Dino O’Dell)
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Deanne Gist
Festival Sixteen- 2009
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Pippa White
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Ann Zimmerman
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Teresa Bachman
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Robert Stelmach (Max Tell)
Festival Seventeen- 2010
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Michael Reno Harrell
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Dianne de Las Casas
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Vicky Town
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Angela Bates
Festival Eighteen- 2011
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Andy Offutt Irwin
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Kim Weitkamp
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Dino O’Dell
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Nancy Jo Leachman
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Solomon Valley Players
Festival Nineteen- 2012
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Donald Davis
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Chris Sutton
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Joyce Slater
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Aaron Fowler
Festival Twenty 2013
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Bill Harley
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Beth Horner
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Vicky Town
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Marla Matkin
Festival Twenty-One- 2014
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Kevin Kling
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Dianne de Las Casas
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Jim Two Crows Wallen
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Tom McDermott
Festival Twenty-Two- 2015
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Kim Weitkamp
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Sherry Norfolk
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Adam Booth
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Linda Batlin
Festival Twenty-Three- 2016
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Michael Reno Harrell
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Geraldine Buckley
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Phil S. Dixon
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Jo Ho
Festival Twenty-Four- 2017
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Tim Lowry
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Linda Gorham
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Adam Miller
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Brian "Fox" Ellis
Festival Twenty-Five- 2018
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Andy Offutt Irwin
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Bil Lepp
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Kim Weitkamp
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Pippa White
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Dino O'Dell
Festival Twenty-Six- 2019
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Bill Harley
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Geraldine Buckley
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Ed Stivender
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Megan Hicks
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Joe Herrington
Festival Twenty-Seven- 2021
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Tim Lowry
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Anne Rutherford
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Dan Keding
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Adam Booth
Festival Twenty-Eight- 2022
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Andy Offutt Irwin
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Kim Weitkamp
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Don White
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Regi Carpenter
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Phil S Dixon
Festival Twenty-Nine 2023
Festival Thirty - 2024
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Bil Lepp
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Andy Offutt Irwin
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Anne Rutherford
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Dino O'Dell
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​Norm Brecke