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Rehoboth Beach Museum storytelling to begin March 21

March 12, 2019

Local storyteller and author Ed Okonowicz will launch a new storytelling program at the Rehoboth Beach Museum at 2 p.m., Thursday, March 21.

Throughout the spring, the museum will feature prominent storytellers as well as open-mic type events where the public will be invited to share stories on a specific theme.

At the March 21 event, Okonowicz will present Storytelling from Brandywine to the Bay. He will weave in tales of history, humor, romance and mystery, all set in familiar sites between the headwaters of the Brandywine River and the banks of the Delaware Bay. The audience will learn about the region’s rich history through yarns, folk tales, and historical and contemporary pieces.

To initiate the new program, Okonowicz will also discuss the art of telling a good story, and how to build to a suspenseful, well-constructed tale that will hold an audience’s attention.

In April, the museum will begin a monthly program called What’s Your Story. Members of the public will be invited to come in and tell their own stories on a specific theme. Museum Director Nancy Alexander said, “Before television, radio and social media, a common form of entertainment was storytelling. Storytellers are the custodians of early history. A storyteller tells from memory rather than reading from a book. It is this tradition that we hope to re-create at the Rehoboth Museum.”

Okonowicz is experienced in the art of creating stories to entertain and inform. A Delaware native, he presents storytelling programs throughout the Mid-Atlantic region at conventions, libraries, private and public events, and schools and colleges. He retired from the University of Delaware, where he taught as an editor, and for many years he taught courses in folklore, storytelling, talk radio and feature writing. This program is funded by the Delaware Humanities Forum.

Space may be limited, so reservations are required. To ensure a space, call 302-227-7310. The program is free for members; a $5 donation is suggested for nonmembers. The museum is at 511 Rehoboth Ave. There is free parking and the museum is handicapped accessible. For more information, go to www.rehobothbeachmuseum.org.

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