TELL
ME A STORY!
Who
doesn't love a good story? Well Eden Valley has LOTS of them! Stories
of Ghosts and Lakes, Christmas and Monsters and many more. The programs
below can be performed as a regular memorized program or done as a Reader's
Theater program from our specially designed Big
Book. Non-profit organizations -- ask about our special pricing for
Big Book programs!
A
Lightning-fast Look At Lorain County: from 1822 - 2022 Lorain County
has had quite a history! From alligators in a fountain to giant bald eagle
nests to bicycle seats and chewing gum -- its history has been filled
with fun facts, trivial tidbits and surprising stories! Hear some of tales
in this fast-paced storytelling program. (Barbara Sommers from
the Lorain County Retired Teachers group described the performance on
September 19, 2024, "The program was entertaining and provided our
memebers with historical information about Lorain C. It was wonderful
from beginning to end.")
American
Spirits: This
storytelling program is based on EVE's
book by the same name. These stories were written by Eve's special
Ghost Writers: Estelle Rodis Brown, Carolyn Jack and Kelley Boyer Sagert.
Discover some unique spirits as you take a ride with Tempe Wick as she
tries to save her beloved horse from deserters from the Continental Army,
meet Frances Dallam who wants to make sure the Union Soldiers are taken
care of, visit Mall of America's spirited past and find out why Reindeer
Manor is haunted.
Around
America -- 50 States in 40 Minutes (or less!):
Take a quick
tour of the U.S. and discover some interesting tidbits and personalities
from each state in this storytelling program with PowerPoint.
Battle
Scars: Stories Of The Civil War:
Find out about the song that kept the war going -- on BOTH sides and has
sort of become its own war! Learn about the Great Escape at Libby Prison
and about the failed escape at the Johnsons Island Prison.
These are some of the stories in this storytelling program commemorating
this watershed event in American History. (See
a video of a performance
or read the story of Civil War Heroine, Mother
Bickerdyke)
Companion
book available.
The
Best Songs I Never Sang: A Storyteller's Concert: Too often we
never really HEAR the lyrics of songs that we know so well. With this
program you'll HEAR the stories in the songs and the music in the lyrics
while taking a look at life and love. Special
Romance Version also available -- hear love songs in a whole new way!
For information on purchasing a video of this program, click here.
Bringing Home Cleveland Mountain: Dr. John
Lang Cassels recalls his trip to the Upper Peninsula in 1846. This was
the beginning of the shipping of iron ore on the Great Lakes. (Available
as a storytelling program with or without PowerPoint.)
Classic Clevelanders and Cleveland
Faces and Places: discover Cleveland through some of her more
interesting people and places. Companion
book available. Hear the stories
of Mary Langston and her famous grandson, Cleveland writer Langston Hughes.
Dante
Lavelli: He Just Wanted To Play Ball!: Hear the story of this Cleveland
Browns Hall-Of-Famer whose career took him from Hudson Hudson High School
Explorers team where he was known as the "never-say-never quarterback"
to the NFL where he earned the nickname, Gluefingers. (Barb Piscopo,
Executive Director of the Lorain Historical Society e-mailed after the
presentation on May 14 "As always -- it was fabulous!" ) Read
more about him in Marc Bona's book, HIDDEN
HISTORY OF CLEVELAND SPORTS (Available
as a storytelling program with or without PowerPoint.)
Favorite
Great Lakes Stories: Sea
stories abound in this general program that will cover such items as the
discovery of Iron at the Straights of Saint Mary, the Leonid Meteor Shower,
and an assortment of ship's stories and lake legends.
From
A Crash To A Bang: Hear the stories of the Great Depression based
on oral histories. (Available
as a storytelling program with or without PowerPoint, also
available as a music/narration program.)
(Read an excerpt.)
Grandma
Gatewood: Ohio's Legendary Hiker: Meet Emma Gatewood
who was the first woman to solo thu-hike the Appalachian Trail -- and
she did it in 1955 when she was 67 years old and had already raised 11
children! Find out what
they're saying about this program. Find out what
they're saying about this program. Hear
an excerpt from our storytelling program about Emma.
Companion book available.This
program is also available as a one-act play called "Emma
Gatewood: Are You Out Of Your Bloomin' Mind?! (An Appalachian Tale)".
GREAT
Lakes Ladies: Meet some remarkable women of the Inland Seas including
Harriet Colfax and Abigail Becker. Companion
book available.
I Hear America
Singing: Historical Moments Marked With Music! Take a trip through
US history through song with this storytelling program with PowerPoint.
Madam
President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull: Ohioan Victoria Woodhull
was the first woman to speak before Congress, she had her sister were
the first women stockbrokers on Wall Street and she was the FIRST WOMAN
to run for President in 1872. Hear her remarkable story! (Available
as a storytelling program with or without PowerPoint.) Companion
Book Available
Meet
Margaret Bourke-White: photographer Margaret Bourke-White remembers
W.W. II. ((Available as a storytelling program with or without PowerPoint;
also available as a first-person character program)
Moving Right Along: Travel through time and
learn about the history of transportation. (Available as a storytelling
program with or without PowerPoint.)
My Favorite Monsters: You've heard of the
Loch Ness Monster - now hear about the Monsters of the Great Lakes! Companion
book available.
Nature Tales:
Legends and tales of animals, flowers and other natural phenomena make
up this naturally entertaining program!
Next
Stop, Freedom! Take
a trip back in time and travel the Underground Railroad through Ohio and
across the Great Lakes to freedom in Canada. Companion
Study Guide available. See a video
of Next Stop, Freedom!
Ohio Ghost
Stories: find out why the
Victoria Theatre in Dayton is haunted, feel chills run up your spine at
the Franklin Castle, plus other haunting stories. Companion
book available. Read the story of the explosion of Cygnet,
Ohio or about Sandusky's
Cholera Cemetery.
Ordinary
People In Extraordinary Times: Stories From World War II:
Stories from this unforgettable time include the harrowing tale of Margaret
Bourke-White and 400 nurses who were torpedoed on their way to Africa,
the story of Rodger Young who became a hero through his selfless courage,
and the touching story of the soldier and the girl "back home"
who continue to write to each other to this very day.
(Available
as a storytelling program with or without PowerPoint.)
(Read an excerpt)
Over
The Falls And Other Stories Of The Great Lakes: This storytelling
program will take you on a trip through time. From the days when a great
ocean covered Ohio to the time the first explorers found at the Falls
in the 17th century. Find out what famous bridge-builder built the Niagara
Railway Suspension Bridge. And exactly WHO was Godfrey Frankenstein?
Please Welcome, Mr. & Mrs. America: Take
a look at the lives of some of the US Presidents and their wives from
Washington to Eisenhower. (Available
as a storytelling program with or without PowerPoint.) Companion
Book Available
Remarkable
Ohioans/Ohio Faces and Places: find out why Alta Weiss and Clarence
Darrow are Remarkable Ohioans and discover some of Ohio's more interesting
places. Companion book available.
Stories
From A Christmas Past: celebrate Cleveland's first Christmas tree,
join in the Kingsbury family reunion, and enjoy other tales from past
holidays. Companion book and Christmas
Card available.
A
Storm Like You've Never Seen Before: The Gale of 1913 was one of the
most devastating storms on the Great Lakes. Find out about the men and
the boats who survived (and those that didn't) in this special storytelling
program.
(Also available
as a PowerPoint presentation) Companion
book available.
Tales
Of The Western Reserve: take sides in Cleveland's Battle of the Bridges,
enjoy a humorous tall tale about Ohio roads, among other adventures. Companion
book available.
A Tour Of Cleveland Restaurants In 30 Minutes -- More Or Less!
Based on EVE Artistic Director Bette Lou Higgins' new book, "Lost
Restaurants of Downtown Cleveland", you'll travel back in time
to visit these lost eateries to sample the food and atmosphere of these
popular places during their heyday.
Under Construction:
Amazing Architectural Achievements: Americans built this country from
the ground up! Discover some of Colossal Constructions such as Grand Central
Station, The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, The Timerberline Lodge in Oregon,
and The Golden Gate Bridge.
(Available
as a storytelling program with or without PowerPoint.)
What's
Her Story? you can't ignore women like Osa Johnson who saved her
husband from a charging elephant or Victoria Woodhull who tried to bring
a soft touch to the White House. Read an article about Victoria
Woodhull.
Whose
Idea Was That?: Did you know that Ohio inventors have given us such
important items in our life like traffic signals, astronaught suits, saran
wrap and Life Savers Candy? Learn about these and other Ohio's inventors
in this storytelling program with PowerPoint. Companion
Study Guide available.
Yo,
Ho, Ho and A Bottle of Rum!:
Have you
ever wondered what was happening on the Inland Seas during Prohibition?
Now you can find out in a new program about rum running on the Lakes.
Hear the tales of boats and pirates and the rest of the characters who
were involved in helping to quench the thirst of Americans during those
dry days.
(Also
available as a PowerPoint presentation)
You
Can't Play Ball In A Skirt!: Alta Weiss put herself through medical
school playing professional baseball on a mens team
in the early 1900s! Companion book available.
This program is available as both a first-person character program and
a storytelling program. **EVE is looking for information about any
Ohio women who played baseball during WW II. Do
YOU have any information for us? Read an article about Alta and "The
Women From Ragersville" For more information about Baseball
history in the Cleveland Area, be sure to visit the Baseball
Heritage Museum. See pictures from our program at the Museum
on March 24, 2018.
You're
A Grand Old Flag: Stories Of The American Spirit: This program spotlights
patriotic people and places. Entertainers like George Cohan and Bob Hope
were recognized for their American Spirit with Congressional Medals. When
the Continental Congress needed someone to print their Declaration of
Independence, they found an unusual printer waiting for them in Baltimore.
Hear the story of what is arguably the most enduring symbol of the American
spirit. You'll find yourself humming "You're A Grand Old Flag"
all the way home! (Available
as a storytelling program with or without PowerPoint.)
All
storytelling programs are researched, scripted Reader's Theatre presentations.
"If
a nation loses its storytellers, it loses its childhood." -- Peter
Handke
"All
you really have in the end are your stories."
--
Michael
Westin in "Burn Notice", USA Network, 2010
"If
history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten."
--
Rudyard
Kipling
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The
Tea Kettle is the symbol of storytellers, because storytellers are
always said to be Spouting Off! |
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