Smile Across America: At Big South Fork, a field of stories opens to the community

Editorial illustration: A community gathering for stories, music and hands-on making in a Tennessee woodland setting.

On Saturday, September 19, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area will make room for a full day of stories, music, crafts and neighborly conversation. The park’s Haunting in the Hills Storytelling Festival returns to Bandy Creek Field with free programs designed to welcome listeners of every age.

The festival’s heart is its storytellers. Visitors can hear live performances from artists whose work carries the rhythms, humor and memory of Appalachian storytelling. Music joins the program, and hands-on craft classes give people a chance to make something alongside the listening.

A tradition that reaches beyond the field

The gathering begins before festival day. In the days leading up to it, professional storytellers visit local schools, giving students a chance to experience a live story and connect with the tradition in person. That small circle of listeners becomes part of a wider regional celebration when families, friends and visitors meet at Bandy Creek.

For Smile Across America, that is the lovely part of this stop in Tennessee: a public place becomes a shared room for imagination. A voice, a song, a craft table and an attentive audience can all help a local tradition travel forward.

Planning a day of listening

The National Park Service lists the festival at Bandy Creek Field on September 19 and describes it as free and open to the public. The program includes storytellers, live music and craft activities in the outdoor setting of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Visitors can check the park’s festival page for featured storytellers and current event details before heading out.

Big South Fork’s festival offers a warm reminder that a good story gains energy when people hear it together. This September, Bandy Creek Field is set to be one more American gathering place where voices, music and shared attention make a day feel memorable.

Source: National Park Service — Haunting in the Hills Storytelling Festival.