Take an Oprah personality, shake in the travels of a military
brat, add in a single mother's experiences, and blend in a little
girl who loved reading any type of story with the college student that fostered
her love of history, and you just might have Ms. Sheila. If
you are looking for some variety in storytelling, Sheila Arnold is
like the Virginia weather: if you wait a minute, she will change up and surprise
you."
“My Daddy was a country boy who lived in Catlett/Calverton, Virginia in
Fauquier County. He used to play football and remembers the Culpeper team
as being one of the biggest. I love when he tells those stories about his
early days,” states Arnold, who will be one of four featured storytellers at
the first annual Culpeper Tells, a
Festival of Words, to be held at the State Theater in Culpeper on March 15,
2014 from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. “I come
to Culpeper with the joy of knowing my Daddy's footsteps have already been
there, and I hope that others will find footsteps that mirror theirs in my
stories.”
Arnold, who is often compared to the late, great storyteller Jackie
Torrence, says, “I love watching how people remember stories and how they recall
memories when I tell a story; whether it's personal, a folktale, a fairytale or
even one of my original stories. I especially love when they take the
tale and share it with someone else.”
When asked about her
favorite storytelling experience, Arnold replies, “I do a lot of storytelling for students who are visiting Colonial
Williamsburg. Many of the students and their chaperones travel for hours to get there, and when they walk
in and see a storyteller, they are likely to remark, ‘Ugh, can't we just
go the pool?’ But within ten minutes
chaperones and students alike are wide awake, participating, hearing every
word and, at the end, saying, ‘Wow! Is it over?’ I love watching the
change.”
Another time, Arnold was performing for adults at First Baptist Church in
Warrenton. “I began my first story with the song, Wading in the Water, and before I hit the second line, the pianist
rushed back to the piano, found my key, and started playing. Then the
entire congregation joined in. I had never had that happen before and I
loved it! After the song, everyone sat on the edge to listen to
storytelling. At the end, a number people told me that they never realized what
storytelling was and that they enjoyed being a part of it."
When you see Ms. Sheila Arnold, you will hear stories that make you see
pictures in your head and leave you wanting more. To find out more about
Ms. Sheila, visit her website at www.mssheila.org
The festival has received a media
grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation. A variety of partners are sponsoring
the event, including the Virginia Storytelling Alliance (VASA), the State
Theatre of Culpeper, Culpeper Tourism Department, Culpeper Chamber of Commerce,
Culpeper Renaissance, Holiday Inn Express and Suites Culpeper, and Gumbo Design
Studios.
VASA will be hosting its annual Gathering during this same weekend, with
events on Friday evening and Sunday morning. If you purchase a VASA Gathering
weekend ticket, it will include all performance and workshop events on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday.
Registrations fees range from
$10.00 for a single workshop, to $35.00 for the full day on Saturday, to $50.00
for a VASA Gathering weekend ticket. A barbeque dinner will be offered from
5:00 pm – 7:15 pm for $20 per person. To register for the festival, visit the
website of the State Theatre of Culpeper, Virginia, at http://www.culpepertheatre.org. You
may also reserve a room at the Holiday Inn by calling the hotel directly at (540)825-7444 and asking for the “storyteller”
rate. The Inn is located at 787 Madison Rd,
Culpeper, VA 22701.
