FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Karen Beasley, Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association
PHONE: 256.350.3500 / 800.648.5381
EMAIL: karen@northalabama.org
Athens Storytelling Festival Returns with Master Storytellers and Captivating Tales
Decatur, Ala. (September 21, 2026) – Some of the nation’s most highly acclaimed storytellers, award-winning liars and world-class musicians will make their way to North Alabama at the end of October to celebrate the art of storytelling during a multi-day festival. Now in its twentieth year, the Athens Storytelling Festival returns to campus of Athens State University Oct. 22-24, 2026, bringing with it stories of life, legends, lies and excitement.
The Athens Storytelling Festival opens Thursday, October 22, 6:45 p.m. with Veterans Night and an evening of taletelling, laughter, and remembrance featuring festival headliners Donald Davis, Bil Lepp, Josh Goforth and Adam Booth, together on one stage for a single unforgettable Olio. Also slated to perform is Carol Cain, presenting her acclaimed performance "Rosie the Riveter." Veterans, along with one companion, attend free. Simply present a military ID at the Gift Shop to receive tickets.
The storytelling continues on Friday with three sessions from 9 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. and on Saturday with three sessions from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The complete schedule is available here.
Friday night’s lineup includes a walking tour of ghost stories beginning at 9:30 p.m. Athens State students will take guests on a walking tour of the beloved (and haunted) campus starting from the front porch of Sandridge Hall on the Athens State University Campus. Ticket cost is $10 general admission or is included at no charge with any other ticket purchase.
During his 25 year career as a United Methodist minister, Davis began to use stories more and more. He was also asked to begin performing at festivals and in other settings until he retired from the church to tell stories full time. The author of 18 books and more than 40 original recordings, he is the recipient of both the Circle of Excellence and the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Storytelling Network.
A storyteller, author and recording artist, Lepp’s works have received awards and recognition from The Parents’ Choice Foundation, The National Parenting Publications Assoc., and the Public Library Assoc. In 2011, Bil was awarded the National Storytelling Network’s Circle of Excellence Award. Lepp has been featured 15 times at the National Storytelling Festival, and performed at major storytelling festivals, at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and at corporate events and functions across the country.
Most famous for his fiddling, Goforth is a highly accomplished old-time, bluegrass, and swing musician, but is remarkably versatile, able to pick up any of a wide variety of instruments and make a solid contribution in almost any kind of band. He was active in his high school's music program, and with Goforth as drum major, the Madison High School Marching Band won first place in each of the thirty-three competitions it entered. Among the pieces in its repertoire was a composition that Goforth wrote, based on a sacred harp hymn.
A nationally touring artist, Booth’s professional telling appearances include premiere storytelling events across the United States, including the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the International Storytelling Center, the National Storytelling Festival, the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, the Appalachian Studies Association Conference, the National Storytelling Conference, the National Academy of Medicine, and as a Spoken Word Resident at the Banff Centre (Alberta, Canada). He is a member of the Recording Academy and his recordings have received multiple national honors, including a Parents’ Choice Gold Award.
Stories will be told under the big tent on the campus of Athens State University by Sandridge Student Center, located at 300 N. Beaty Street, five blocks from downtown Athens. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. In addition, food vendors, food trucks, local restaurants and an eclectic mix of shops offering a wide variety of antiques, gifts, gourmet foods, clothing and hardware will be open just a short walk from the festivities.
Ticket price for admission to all events are $95/adult and $49.50/student (13 years and older; must show ID). Admission is free for children ages two to 12 years old (no babies under two years old). Tickets for any combination of events or daily admission are also available and may be purchased here. All ticket holders must stop by the Gift Shop inside the Sandridge Hall Student Center to pick up their swatches which will allow them entrance to the tent during their ticketed times. The Ticket Office opens one hour prior to festival events.
For complete ticket pricing, a biography on each storyteller and a schedule of events, visit www.athensstorytellingfestival.com.
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About Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA)
The official destination marketing organization for Visit North Alabama, AMLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the $4.9 billion North Alabama travel industry within the 16 northernmost counties of the state. It is supported by 500-plus members consisting of attractions, festivals, accommodations, chambers of commerce, convention & visitors bureaus, communities, campgrounds, golf courses, restaurants, local retailers and vendors. Counties included within the AMLA region are Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan and Winston. Additional information on North Alabama destinations, accommodations and special events is available by calling 800.648.5381, by visiting www.NorthAlabama.org and by following us on social media @VisitNorthAL.
