• Storytelling Days

We are thrilled to formally announce our lineup for the 3rd annual "Storytelling Days" event at George Washington Carver National Monument. We are cordially inviting you all to join us on August 24 and 25!
 
Although we have hosted several living history and performing arts events over our 75 years, this one began with the NPS Centennial in 2016 as a Founders Day event, and has since become one of our most popular offerings. The past few years we have had actors portraying Frederick Douglass, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harriet Tubman; we have also featured Native American dancers, and Ozark musicians. It is always a wonderful multicultural experience! 
 
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 played at our Prairie Day event a couple of years ago, and I was very impressed with their skillfully performed 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) - I saw Mr. Mishler in Joplin last year, and he gave 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 been a treasured friend to the park for many years! Ms. Washington has also performed 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 (portrayed by Betty Jean Steinhouser) - One of the greatest novelists of the 20th century, 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. Steinhouser's portrayal captures her perfectly! 
 
George Washington Carver (portrayed by Keith Henley) - Carver, obviously, needs no introduction! Keith Henley is a professional touring actor who has portrayed numerous historical figures, including Langston Hughes, Henry "Box" Brown, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Please join us in welcoming Keith to Carver's birthplace and childhood home!
 
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!  
 
As always this event is FREE to all, and it will take place indoors. Please see and share the attached flyer with your friends and family. A formal press release will be issued in the coming days. 
 
This event is sponsored by the Carver Birthplace Association with additional funding from the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau. Thank you to them, and thank you to all our partners for your strong support in our 75th year!
 
Please stay cool, and we hope to see you at the park for Storytelling Days, or another event, sometime soon!