From Flaming Bicycles to a Chicken Man- Decompress This Weekend With Some Non-Political Tall Tales

The election is over. So this week, we thought it was only fitting to share a few stories, tall tales, and flat out lies— without the political pressure.

After all, here in Appalachia we have a rich cultural tradition of storytelling.

In this episode, we listen to three storytellers from the West Virginia Storyteller’s Guild, all of whom have competed and won prizes across the country.

The Thong

To kick things off, how about a story about a thong?

Suzi Whaples hails from Dunbar, West Virginia. She told this next story at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

Firebike

This next story is about first loves, and flaming bicycles. It’s told by Bil Lepp, a storyteller from Charleston, West Virginia who was called “a side-splittingly funny man” by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife.

Roll-a-Rama

From bicycles to roller-skates, here’s another tall tale about childhood- and that feeling like you’re on top of the world. Here’s award winning West Virginia storyteller Adam Booth telling, “Roller Rama”.

Live Events and Storytelling Festivals:

• December 13th: West Virginia Storytellers Guild performs in Shepherdstown, West Virginia as part of a series of events called Speak: Shepherdstown Story Series

• October 6-8, 2017:  International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee

• May 27, 2017: Liar’s Contest at the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston, West Virginia.

We had help producing Inside Appalachia this week from the West Virginia Storyteller’s Guild and stroytellers Suzi Whaples, Bil Lepp and Adam Booth. Music in today’s show was provided by Dinosaur Burps ,Bill and Becky Kimmons, Andy Agnew Jr., and Ben Townsend.

Our producer is Roxy Todd. Our editor this week is Glynis Board. Our audio mixer is Zander Aloi.

We’d love to hear from you. You can e-mail us at feedback@wvpublic.org. Find us on Twitter @InAppalachia or @JessicaYLilly.