With two storytelling festivals under his belt, Steven Law is feeling optimistic that this year’s event will be a big success.

“I learned a lot from the first two festivals,” said Law, producer for the Grand Circle Storytelling Festival. “There were a few unexpected bumps the first two festivals, but we worked it out. Through it all, I learned what I can do better, and a few tricks to make it run smoother this year and in the future.”

The 3rd Annual Grand Circle Storytelling Festival returns to Page Thursday, Sept. 12 with a new cast of storytellers.

Law said a few questions and misconceptions still linger around what actually happens at a storytelling festival.

 “A lot of people who have never been to a storytelling festival probably picture an old man or an old lady reading stories to kids, and that’s not at all what it’s like,” Law said. “Yes, the material is kid-appropriate. There’s not any swearing, or off-color subjects, but the stories are meant for a family audience. Both adults and kids of all ages will enjoy the show.”

This year’s storytellers will be Donald Davis and Kim Weitkamp. Davis will be this year’s headliner. Davis spent 25 years as a United Methodist minister and began to use stories more and more in his sermons. People enjoyed his stories so much, they began asking him to perform at festivals and other events. When he retired from the church, he began telling stories full time. He is now the author of 18 books and more than 40 original recordings.
Davis was born in a Southern Appalachian mountain world rich in stories. While he heard many traditional stories about Jack and other heroic characters, he was most attracted to the stories of his own family and places of origin.  Davis began retelling the stories he heard and then adding his own new stories to them until he was repeatedly asked to "tell it again, on purpose."
Davis is the recipient of both the Circle of Excellence and the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Storytelling Network.

Law was very excited when he was able to book Davis for this year’s show. “I first heard him at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, and he told the funniest story I’ve ever heard,” Law said. “I specifically requested that he tell that story at our festival.”

Davis is masterfully adept at connecting with his audience and because of that, he is one of the most in-demand storytellers in America.

“I’ve been trying to book him since the beginning, but he’s hard to get. He is booked far in advance,” Law said. In order to book him for this year’s storytelling festival, Law booked Davis more than a year ago.

Weitkamp is an award-winning storyteller, author, singer-songwriter and humorist from Ohio. Her performances may include singing with a guitar, humor or something serious. They may be true or they may be tall.

“Most of my stories are about everyday life and humanity,” she said.

Weitkamp grew up in Amish Country as the middle child of exhausted parents. Labeled by teachers as high-spirited, uncooperative and too talkative, Kim took those comments and channeled them into a lifetime of high-energy, heartfelt and hilarious artistry, and the world is a better place because of it.

​She is an award-winning storyteller, with eight albums to her name, author, singer-songwriter and humorist. After using applied storytelling in her work with adjudicated and at-risk youth for 12 years, Kim took a turn onto a different avenue of story and song which led her down the path of full-time touring for the last 15 years, where she gathered an armload of awards.

Weitkamp has a deep library of stories to choose from, and she typically doesn’t plan her full set ahead of time.

“I typically have some stories prepared ahead of time, but once I get going I may decide to tell a different story to tell in the moment,” she said. “I wait to see what stories the other tellers have told, and the energy of audience and choose something to keep that energy going.”

Weitkamp is a highly sought after performer who, during peak storytelling season, is on the road for months at a time doing several performances a week.

Law was very excited when he learned Weitkamp had open dates on her tour schedule the same time as his storytelling festival. “Weitkamp is one of my top three favorite storytellers,” he said. “She does an amazing job telling stories, but one of her other talents is her ability to read the crowd and choose a story that fits the moment and the mood. Her stories always land 

perfectly.”

The Grand Circle Storytelling Festival is done in collaboration between the Page Unified School District and the Page Public Library and it includes an educational component. As part of the festival, the storytellers will meet with fifth graders from Desert View Intermediate.

“It’s a very important component of the storytelling festival,” Law said. “We started it with the first festival and I think the students got a lot out of it.”

Law said his goal is to build the Grand Circle Storytelling Festival into something the people of Page look forward to every year.

“Stories have a magical ability to bring people together in ways nothing else can,” Law said. “There’s just something cozy and magic about coming together in a shared space and hearing a good story together.”

The 3rd Annual Grand Circle Storytelling Festival is Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. in the Cultural Arts Building.