STORY CIRCLES

The Friends of the Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway then organized events to share those stories and portraits with local communities. It held three narrative stages in Oella, Ellicott City and Elkridge in which some of the good talkers told their stories publicly in front of a local audience. It also organized a traveling exhibit of the Portraits of the Patapsco in various local and regional venues.

In 2000, with funding from the Maryland Commission for Celebration 2000, the Friends of the Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway, Inc. began story circles. We learned how to lead story circles to capture stories in a group setting from Roadside Theater. That Kentucky-based theater company is known nationally for its work in helping communities collect their own stories and creating performances to enact those stories. With their able assistance, the FPVHG trained a group of volunteers in how to collect stories and then we created community performances in which we told stories of our communities.

Story telling, once a part of every day life, is now considered an art form. The Friends hired members of Roadside Theater, a nationally recognized theater company, to train people to lead Story Circles and create local performances. Story Crcles were held in Elkridge, Dorsey, Catonsville and Daniels. Story Circles are an interesting and fun way to build community ties between new and older residents. Contact us for information on how to conduct Story Circles within your community.