National Storytelling Festival 2008

Every year I go to the National Storytelling Festival that is held the first weekend in October. They hold it in a small town in East Tennessee. I'm not sure how the locals feel about it, with the added traffic, shut down streets etc. It's funny how if I go out of town I will put up with added annoyances like more traffic. But when I'm home I will not even venture out if there is a football game that is about to start because I know the traffic is going to be awful. I guess it all comes down to what is important to you.















Jonesborough is a really charming historic town, and the Festival literally takes over all of downtown. They set up tents for the event all throughout downtown. I would say downtown is about a 4 block radius. They decorate the town with a great festive fall feel. They have flower mum pots, corn stalks, hay bails, and pumpkins that really add to the atmosphere.





















They have a lot of shops on Main Street that are a lot of fun to visit. This year's new store on Main Street was Earth & Sky Confections. They are a chocolate shop that has really unusual chocolate flavors like rosemary carmel, cayenne pepper. They were all really good even the dark chocolate which is not generally my favorite. The fun part of their chocolate is that they have designs on the top of each piece that look like they have been printed right onto the chocolate. I wish they would show how they created them, that would have been fun to watch. The good news is they do ship! So you can have them at your next party for a little added flare.




Jonesborough has a lot of history. It is the oldest town in Tennessee and has been a part of 3 different states (Tennessee, North Carlina, and Franklin) Many of it's original buildings are still in the downtown area. The building above is said to have an entrance into the Underground railroad and is haunted. The picture on the below is a billboard on the side of a building. When the building that was connected right next to it was torn down, this painted billboard was discovered in perfect condition.





In all I would say this year's trip to Jonesborough was a good one. Although the plane ride seems to get longer each year! The weather was perfect, therefore my hair was perfect! Those who know what humidity can do to hair, can feel for me!