Mail to Camp Bethel, 328 Bethel Road, Fincastle, VA 24090.
Donald Davis
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Considered the dean of American storytellers, Donald 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." During his twenty-five year career as a United Methodist Minister, Davis began to use stories more and more. He was also asked to begin performing at festivals and in other settings until he retired from the church to tell stories full time. Donald shares his stories at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough every year. The author of eighteen books and 40+ original recordings, Davis is the recipient of multiple awards. Donald is a regular at our Sounds of the Mountains Festival, and we will NOT take false credit for introducing him to Trish. I repeat, we will NOT take credit.
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Adam Booth
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Adam Booth is the recipient of the 2022 Governor’s Arts Award for Folk Arts in West Virginia. His original storytelling blends traditional mountain folklore, music, and an awareness of contemporary Appalachia. A focus on craft propels his handling of story. Career highlights include Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Teller-In-Residence at the International Storytelling Center (three times), the National Storytelling Festival, Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, the National Academy of Medicine, and Spoken Word Resident at the Banff Centre (Alberta). He is a member of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) and his recordings have received a Parents’ Choice Gold Award, two Parents’ Choice Silver Honors, and five Storytelling World Awards and Honors. He is a four-time champion of the West Virginia Liars' Contest. Hmmm... or DID he???
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Beth Horner
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With a comic sensibility and warm, energetic style, Beth Horner possesses a repertoire of stories that has been called “heartfelt, articulate and truthful.” Her stories are renowned for their high comedy and stunning drama: from her hysterical childhood farmyard escapades to eerie folktales of her native Missouri, from a side-splitting bawdy spoof on romance novels to a courageous tale drawn from her great-great grandfather’s Civil War diary, and from the humorously inspiring story of a song that motivated change in a city’s sewage policy to her comedic tour-de-force tale told with nothing but the buzzing cadences of a kazoo. An acclaimed performer for over 28 years, Beth Horner takes her listeners on journeys of adventure, warmth, wonder, haunting eeriness and raucous laughter.
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Kim Weitkamp
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Kim 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. We are better for it. She is an award winning storyteller, 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.
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Joe Collins
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Joe Collins fell in love with the mountain dulcimer back in 1978. After competing in a number of competitions and winning several regional competitions over a ten-year period, he won the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship in 2007 in Winfield, KS. Over the past twenty years, he has played festivals from California to the east coast, from Florida to Vermont, and a lot of places in between. Joe combines mountain dulcimer wizardry with solid vocals, inspired by artists like Simon & Garfunkle, Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, and Kris Kristofferson. But as he grows older and pudgier, he realizes that perhaps the most profound influence on his musical bent was the old Burle Ives records he listened to over and over again as a kid. His performances are sprinkled with a lot of humor and some excellent mountain dulcimer playing - sure to bring a smile to audiences of all ages. Joe is professor emeritus of religion at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC. Now that he is retired, he has more time for dulcimer, writing music, and traveling to work with clubs and in festivals.
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Thank you for your gift! Donate on line here, or mail a check payable to "Camp Bethel SOTM Festival", 328 Bethel Road, Fincastle, VA 24090.
