Check It Out:

What are your favorite local places for shopping, pampering or entertaining? Vote now in this year's Best Of Holiday Shopping readers' choice poll.

Art of storytelling in Botetourt County entertains students

More than 1,000 area students gathered at Camp Bethel to hear professionals spin yarns and keep them laughing.

JOEL HAWKSLEY | The Roanoke Times

Above: Noemi Curel (left), 9, and Thea Daucher, 8, laugh as Donald Davis tells a story Friday during a special performance for area students at Camp Bethel in Fincastle. Top: Davis punctuates his humorous story with facial expressions, making the youngsters laugh even louder.

JOEL HAWKSLEY | The Roanoke Times

Students raise their hands as Donald Davis tells a story during Friday’s gathering for area students at Camp Bethel.

JOEL HAWKSLEY | The Roanoke Times

Students raise their hands as Donald Davis tells a story during Friday’s gathering for area students at Camp Bethel.

JOEL HAWKSLEY | The Roanoke Times

Professional storyteller Geraldine Buckley performs during Friday’s event for area students at Camp Bethel in Fincastle.

Turn captions on

1 of 4

View Larger Map

Annie McCallum | 981-3227

Saturday, April 20, 2013

FINCASTLE — Hundreds of elementary school students roared with laughter.

Storyteller Donald Davis was telling them about a bit of mischief he was involved in as a youngster: the time he cut his little brother’s hair.

“He looked like a 5-year-old Benjamin Franklin,” Davis said of his brother after the haircut.

But his high jinks cost him. Davis explained his parents exacted a brutal punishment: letting his younger brother then cut his hair.

“My head looked like a chicken that a truck ran over,” he said much to the delight of students, who appeared to hang on his every word.

When they weren’t leaning forward, eyes wide and mouths agape, students were giggling in their chairs, tapping their feet waiting for the next joke.

More than 1,000 students traveled to Camp Bethel in Botetourt County on Friday to get a taste of storytelling in advance of this weekend’s Sounds of the Mountains Festival. The 10th annual storytelling festival is held at the camp and draws tale tellers from all over, including Davis, who was a hit with students.

“It’s hilarious how he gets in trouble,” 9-year-old Maria Nguyen said.

The third-grader at Burlington Elementary School in Roanoke County said Davis had a lot of funny stories.

The best part, though, students said, was when Davis finally found a pair of scissors and went to work cutting his brother’s hair while his mother was out of sight. Davis had explained his family always remarked his brother was a beautiful baby, and had beautiful curly hair, while he was more of an ugly duckling.

“He was cracking me up,” said Chris Anderson, 9, also a student at Burlington.

Said Megan Baxley, also a 9-year-old at the school: “I liked the storyteller because it reminded me of my family … I liked when the man cut his brother’s hair.”

Plenty of students also confessed to a bit of troublemaking when at the end of his tale Davis asked if anyone had ever cut their hair or a sibling’s or just done something they hope their mom doesn’t find out about.

Having that shared experience with the story and with one another is at the crux of storytelling, said Davis and storyteller Geraldine Buckley, who also performed for students.

“People have had the same experience,” Buckley said. “There’s a huge yearning for people to connect.”

Davis, who is essentially a one-man show while standing on stage spinning his story, said storytelling provides students a chance to use their imagination.

“They don’t get many chances to do that,” he said.

The storytelling will continue at 10 a.m. today. Davis and Buckley said it’s a great way to spend the weekend.

“You leave your problems behind,” Buckley said. “It’s like mental cinema.”

Saturday, September 14, 2013