Wimberley: Storytelling Capitol of Texas?

Kevin Baxter | Staff Reporter

HAYS COUNTY – Thursday, February 17, marked the beginning of the 2nd annual Wimberley Story Fest. Every day of the event focused on a unique form of storytelling and included traditional storytelling along with stories through poetry, songwriting, and illustration.

Dr. Don Minnick, the organizer of Story Fest, said there was a similar event organized by the Wimberley Valley of Arts and Cultural Alliance in February 2020, just before COVID19 shutdowns.

“That event was basically a one-day traditional storytelling event. It was at the Opera House in Pioneer Town at A7 Ranch, where we headed again this year. In 2020, they sold way more tickets than expected. So it sort of proved the concept that storytelling was something that resonated with people in Wimberley,” said Minnick.

This year Dr. Minnick wanted to highlight storytelling in all its forms while moving people around to various venues throughout Wimberley.

The first night of Wimberley StoryFest was held at Middleton Brewing and highlighted storytelling through poetry. The event was hosted by Nathan Brown, an author, songwriter, and award-winning poet who lives in Wimberley.

Brown and his daughter, Sierra Brown, were also performers that night. Brown has published multiple books including Don’t Try, a compilation of poems using Bukowski lines as the title written by him and Jon Dee Graham. Some of the poems from Don’t Try were performed by Brown during StoryFest.

Other poets from the area that performed include Alan Berecka, Jena Kirkpatrick, Lise Liddell, Kim Miller, and Rhie Azzam. The organizers of the event described Thursday night as “a surprising hit” and the event was sold out.

Friday night’s theme was Stories in Song. The event was held at Old Glory Ranch and had three separate acts, with Sierra Brown and Sam Downing opening the night.

Nathan Brown, Lise Liddle, Elliot Rogers, and Chris Carroll played after the opening act. They were all on the same stage and playing their songs individually. Sometimes one of the artists would join in on their guitar or assist with singing.

The grand finale of the night was Slaid Cleaves, Adam Caroll, and Susan Gibson all performing their songs one at a time with some banter in between.

“Friday night singer-songwriter’s at the sublime Chapel Hall at Old Glory Ranch was one of the crown jewels for the weekend,” stated Dr. Minnick.

Saturday was the day for traditional stories. There were two locations for this event: The Opera House in Pioneer Town at historic 7A Ranch, and the Burdine Johnson Theater at the charming Emily Ann Theater and Gardens.

The stories told on Saturday were mostly from local Wimberley residents and writers. Not including W.F. Strong, who finished out the day at the Burdine Johnson Theater. Strong is a Fulbright scholar and professor of Communications at the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg. He also has a daily news program produced in Austin that is carried on 32 NPR stations across Texas.

“The mostly local storytellers connected Wimberley history, endearing Wimberley characters and even a local ghost story, to this storytelling event,” described Dr. Minnick’s statement.

The final day, Sunday had two events. The first was illustrated storytelling at the Wimberley Playhouse with Mary Schulte, Kevin Tully & Maggie Goodman, Steve Shellenberger, Tim Leibrock, Rodney Bursiel, and Jay Bachman performing.

“Storytellers at the beautiful Wimberley Playhouse showcased how art is made. In addition, we featured two other amazing Wimberley citizens: National Geographic award-winning photographer Rodney Bursiel who swims with the sharks and brings back the photographic evidence, who enlightened us about endangered species that he has come to champion;  And Jay Bachman told the gripping and heart-warming ‘Mercy Chefs’  story. Sunday afternoon we saw the charming, funny and cleverly-designed play ‘Clue’, the first production of the Wimberley Players 2022 season,” read Dr. Minnick’s statement.

Sunday ended with a production of Clue at the Wimberley Playhouse. When asked about the future of Story Fest, Dr. Minnick explained that the Wimberley Valley of Arts and Cultural Alliance definitely want to do some version of the event next year.

“I’m willing to take the position that Wimberley is the story capital of Texas in the sense that I think we have more talent in any of those areas than, certainly, any town our size in Texas,” said Dr. Minnick. “We’re laying claim to that. If you want to challenge that then bring your evidence because I think we can back that up.”

 More information about the Wimberley Story Fest can be found on their website.