The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival is a storytelling event held in Lehi, Utah. It takes place the weekend after Labor Day, at the end of summer. The festival attracts an attendance of about 26,000 people each year, making it one of the largest storytelling festivals in the United States. The event typically lasts three days and features professional storytellers from across the country. In addition to daytime performances on Friday and Saturday, there are usually themed evening performances, such as Look Who's Talking, Bedtime Stories, My Favorite Stories, and Laughin' Night.
In 1989, Karen Jackman Ashton, President of the Friends of the Orem Public Library, wanted to find new ways to get people involved in the Library. Ashton had been volunteering at the library for years, presenting Storytime for preschoolers and helping with other Children's Library programs. She attended the National Storytelling Festival in Tennessee and found thousands of adults crowding into tents, listening to dynamic performers relating tales of history, culture, folk, and family life.[1] The entire town of Jonesborough (population 3,000) had mobilized to accommodate the 10,000+ people who annually attend the three-day festival.
Ashton recognized in the storytelling festival the idea she was searching for and The Friends launched the first Timpanogos Storytelling Festival eight months later.[1] The Ashton family opened their home to the community, set up performance areas on their property, and persuaded neighbors to do the same.[2] Three Eastern storytellers of national fame and local talent including James Arrington, Marvin Payne, and Gaye Beeson performed for two days.
By the second year, the Friends had expanded the hours of the festival, planned an additional evening performance at the Scera Theater, borrowed another field for a fourth performance tent, and invited school groups to the Friday morning performances. Five national storytellers were on the program, and auditions had been held to determine the regional tellers. Acoustic musicians performed during the intermissions throughout the day, supplementing performances by storytellers on the fiddle, banjo, harmonica, and spoons.
Expansion and growth
The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival has grown each year.[1] Storytelling event organizers from around the nation attend the Timpanogos Festival for training.[citation needed]
In 1999, the National Storytelling Network honored Ashton with the Leadership Award[3] in recognition of her exemplary leadership and significant contributions to the community through storytelling. In the same year, the Utah Storytelling Guild (spawned by the festival and now supporting the Festival) received the National Storytelling Network Service Award. Janet Low, Festival Coordinator, was awarded the Service Award in 2000 and Debi Richan, Festival Vice-President, received this national award in 2004.
In 2005, the festival opened at the new Mt. Timpanogos Park in Provo Canyon.[4] Designed by the City of Orem for the annual festival, the park allows festival growth to continue with more and larger performance tents.
The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival has been supported with volunteer work and donations from individuals and community groups such as the American Legion, Kiwanis, Golden Kiwanis, youth groups, student clubs, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and the Utah Storytelling Guild.
In 2017 the festival moved locations to Thanksgiving Point's Ashton Gardens.[5] A virtual festival was held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 35th festival will take place on 5–7 September 2024.[6]
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