COLUMBIA -- The ability to tell a good story has inspired appreciation since the cavemen reenacted hunts for their fellow cavemen. Throughout man's existence, the storyteller has preserved the human experience.

Before the written or printed word was invented, storytellers passed down family traditions, legends and folklore, and historical events. Aesop's fables, Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights, Hans Christian Andersen's and the Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, and the legend of King Arthur, to name just a few, are all part of the great tradition of storytelling, as are the works of modern-day storytellers such as Will Rogers, Spaulding Gray, Lily Tomlin and Garrison Keillor.

Members of the South Carolina Storytelling Network will carry on this tradition at July Fest, an annual storytelling concert with workshops, on Saturday, July 25, at the South Carolina State Museum.

The South Carolina Storytelling Network will start off the day with a "meet and greet" at 10 a.m., followed at 10:30 a.m. by workshops that are open to the general public as well as Network members. These workshops will be beneficial to those interested in storytelling as a profession, sideline or hobby. Workshop topics include: Publishing Your Stories; Making and Using Story Props; and Dressing Up a Story for Telling.

At 1:30 p.m., Network members will present a storytelling concert at the Best Friend train on the third floor of the museum with fables, fairy tales, historical and personal stories guaranteed to entertain, relieve stress, tickle listeners' funny bones and maybe even tug at their heart strings. Stories with songs and puppets will delight children in the Stringer Discovery Center.

"These storytellers represent the best of their craft," said Meika Samuel, director of education and programs.

The stories and workshops are free with museum admission. For more information, call 803-898-4952 or e-mail publicprograms@scmuseum.org.

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