Wimberley... where stories begin

StoryFest returned to Wimberley this year with a stellar theme, “Once Upon a Time… where stories began,” encouraging attendees to look to the stars where many myths found their origin.

The annual gala was held at Old Glory Ranch on Thursday, Jan. 12. The event was designed to feature what its organizers termed as “every form of story: visual, performing, culinary and literary.” Featured storytellers included professor and podcast host W.F. Strong, playwright Monica Mitchell, former librarian Maggie Goodman, Chickasaw storyteller and artist Amy Bluemel, author Mike Cox, mythologist John Bucher and musician Dirje Childs. The event also included a juried art show and silent auction.

For its culinary storytelling, StoryFest began with an outdoor cocktail hour, catered by Stefani Immel. Wine was provided by Jaclynn Rene Wines, and beer was provided by Middleton Brewing.

The gala, which largely centered around its presentation portion, brought guests inside to listen to each of the featured presenters explore how stories began through their respective mediums.

"The first thing we have to ask ourselves

is, ‘Why do we tell sto- ries in the first place?'" began Strong, creator of the NPR “Stories from Texas” podcast.

“From the dawn of recorded time, stories have captured our imagination; they’ve thrilled our senses; they’ve touched our hearts; they’ve stirred our blood,” Mitchell added.

The true centerpiece of the night was StoryFest’s exclusive, work- in- progress screening of the doc- umentary film "The Stars at Night.” Produced by Elizabeth From expert to manon- the-street interviews, the documentary took a global look at the importance of the stars and the increasing problem of light pollution in the modern world — which, in many cases, can lead to a lack of knowledge about the stars themselves. In this vein, the film also included a segment on a group of Texas State Univer- sity film students on a search through the Texas Hill Country to find an unobstructed view of the Milky Way.

Following the screening, viewers were asked to provide feedback on the draft and invited to mingle with Buckley and the other storytellers.

StoryFest ended with dessert under the stars. The star party was made complete with telescopes for views of the night sky above Wimberley, courtesy of the International Dark Sky Association.

The team behind Storyfest, led by Don Minnick and Jan Fitzhugh, said they hope to continue the storytelling yearround, making this the first of many events to be held in 2023. Their goal, according to their website, is to “make StoryFest a part of people’s lives and part of life in Wimberley.”

“This approach moves the needle in a significant way towards establishing Wimberley as ‘The Story Capital of Texas,’” the website adds.

For more information on StoryFest, or to stay up to date on its latest events, visit wimberleystoryfest. org.