“Once upon a time” is a recognizable way to start a story. From childhood, most books read to us start with this idyllic line that weaves into a tale of likable (and unlikeable) characters who learn a lesson of resilience, all to live happily ever after.

If you’re lucky to have parents fluent in the art of changing voices for each character – booming voices belong to large, furry and maybe scary creatures while the meek voices coincide with a mouse or other small creatures – then you know and appreciate the talent involved in storytelling.

Keeping up with Downs

For 30 years, community members and leaders in the Osborne County town of Downs have nurtured the art of storytelling with its Kansas Storytelling Festival. Each spring, the town of 800 welcomes people in and out of the county for a two-day festival to showcase rich stories from talented performers across the nation.

In 2024, upwards of 300 additional people came into Downs’ Morgan Street to hear storytellers in several locations including Memorial Hall, the festival’s headquarters. The first day included several rounds of storytelling and the evening events included the Tall Tales Contest, where performers competed for the “Shovel.” Following a few other master storytellers was a featured ghost story section, where performer Anne Rutherford shared spooky stories in the dark of the night.

The first day also included an opportunity for area students to listen to the storytellers, which included topics like space, history and music. Brenda Gutierrez, a volunteer for the event who grew up in Downs and still has a family farm in the area, says it’s a great way to showcase arts to the students.

“We had approximately 80 students from area elementary schools come to Downs and they have the opportunity to experience storytelling,” Gutierrez says. “This helps them learn about and have an appreciation for storytelling and get exposed to the arts, which is something they maybe don’t often get in school.”

The second day was made up of even more great performances, an opportunity to venture into downtown Downs for lunch and a grand finale to wrap up the two days of wonderful tales.

The festival showcases people with distinct storytelling styles. There are no photos or slideshows involved – everything is inflection and cadence so audience members can use their imaginations to transfer words into mental pictures.

Nurturing the tradition of story-sharing

The Kansas Storytelling Festival is planned and organized by a group of volunteers who are passionate about keeping the art of storytelling alive. The event started in 1994 with community members and the Downs Art Council.

“I’m so thankful for the volunteers,” Gutierrez says. “All of them before, during and after the event are crucial to making this event happen successfully. Our local FFA helps set up our chairs, so we donate to their chapter each year. It’s being supportive of each other that makes small towns survive.

Gutierrez has volunteered for several years and has seen the small-town endeavor have its share of struggles, especially in a small community, but they’ve opened the doors to volunteers who don’t necessarily live in Downs but have talents beneficial to the program.

“It’s a volunteer position, and with the ebbs and flows of those who might be interested in helping, we are open to volunteers who are from outside of Downs,” she says. “Several of our committee members are from out of town but have a real passion for the event and to help it thrive for years to come.”

Tall tales and the truth

Bil Lepp, who is from West Virginia, was a noted performer during the weekend. Lepp is a distinguished liar – and that’s not libel. It’s an accomplishment in the storytelling industry.

He is a five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest, an event that encourages lies, but not of the malicious sort; ones that are like the fictional stories we were read as kids – like "Paul Bunyan” or "Jack Tales."

“I grew up in a family where the truth was fluid,” Lepp says. “You could say anything you wanted, and it was up to the listener to decide if it was true. It wasn’t malicious, it was just the environment I grew up in.”

Lepp’s journey in storytelling started when he competed in the Liars Contest, then was invited to the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn. Storytelling has been Lepp’s full-time job since 2003. He’s performed at the Kansas Storytelling Festival several times and appreciates the uniqueness of Downs.

“One of the neatest things about the Downs festival is it’s just out here in the middle of nowhere,” Lepp says. “Most storytelling festivals are in small towns, but this one, the people who run it are just so dedicated to making it work – and it has for 30 years now. They work hard to bring in fantastic storytellers to a place where they wouldn’t normally go.”

Guttierez is proud of the performers who are brought in, but also loves to see new and returning faces at the event.

“I love getting to visit with people who came from somewhere else and the familiar faces of the people from Downs who come to keep our small town thriving,” Gutierrez says. “The passion of our young people and this community creates a really magnetic atmosphere that brings people back throughout the years.”

Lepp is a character in his own right. Humorous stories about his upbringing in West Virginia tie in characters like Skeeter, “mastermind of mayhem” and Charolais Fester, “the prettiest girl in town even if she was named for a breed of cows.” The smalltown antics resonate with many audience members, recognizing the humor of kids, religion and everyone knowing everyone.

“I grew up in a tiny town called Halfdollar, West Virginia,” Lepp says during one of his stories. “You probably think, ‘Oh, I come from a little tiny town in Kansas’, but we had two streets. One was called Main Street and the other one was called Nah, that ain’t Main Street.”

While Halfdollar, W. Va., is a fictional town, you would likely have to Google the fact if you first heard Lepp describe the town and the stories from it. He truly has the gift of fib, and his advice for others who also have a knack for telling tall tales is to start developing something that resonates, has bits of truth and is something you are confident sharing.

“You have to have a place to share your story,” Lepp says. “That can be the tricky part. But the Liars contest is a great place to start. You have to show up with a good story – it doesn’t have to be funny, either. People tell all kinds of different stories, but you have to believe in what you’re saying. Confidence is important too. If you aren’t confident, it’ll show.”

In 2025, the Kansas Storytelling Festival will open its 31st chapter. If you can make it to Downs the last full weekend in April, you’ll feel the wholesome atmosphere as liars of the best kind share their “Once upon a times”.  

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