The Storytelling Festival of Carolina (SFOC), Friday, April 24Sunday, April 26, was born in Laurinburg, in 2007, and this year, as in years past, the festival will feature fabulous tales of America's nationally acclaimed storytellers.

This year Grammy award winning Bill Harley, funnyman Bil Lepp, Brazillian mine Antonio Rocha, and traditional teller Lyn Ford will be the headliners. Fantastic regional tellers, and talented youthful tellers, were selected from across the Southeast. The children's play place and a sharing stage are all part of the general festival admission.

"If you think a storyteller is a person who gets up in front of a group and reads a book to everyone, or that storytelling is just for kids, you do not know what you are missing," says a spokesman. "Great storytelling features people who are experienced in presenting themselves to audiences; they practice their stories until they are just flawless; they know how to capture the interest of audiences; and they love sharing a good story their own or a traditional story that they make their own."

The Storytelling Festival of Carolina provides audiences with great storytellers experienced, accomplished and captivating. The storytellers have been featured at the granddaddy of all storytelling festivals -- the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn.

And this year the Storytelling Festival of Carolina has added Friday as another day visitors can enjoy the best in storytelling.

The four featured storytellers will weave their tales Friday, April 24, at the John Blue House at 9 a.m. and/or noon. The cost for that event is $6.

Six storytellers will be at the Storytelling Arts Center of the Southeast from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday night. Tickets are $5 for anyone without a weekend registration.

Saturday and Sunday the Storytelling Festival of Carolina will welcome people from all over the country to the grounds of the John Blue House. Tents are set up with state-of-the-art sound systems. Storytelling sessions begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. Storytelling workshops will take place at the Museum of Scotland County.

And Saturday evening, jazz and storytelling will be featured at the annual Meet the Tellers Wine Tasting Gala at the Cypress Bend Vineyards in Wagram. On Sunday, the storytelling sessions begin at 10:30 a.m. with faith stories and a prayer by local clergy.

For more information or to register, go to www.storyarts.info or call 910-291-0929.