ABOVE: Harkers Island native James Allen Rose, who is also well known for making model boats, has a 

 unique style of storytelling. 



Storytelling is personalized." 



For Ocracoke storyteller Donald Davis — who has performed all 

 over the world, including the Smithsonian Institution — storytelling is 

 a "way of giving and living life." 



"He invites each listener to come along, to pull deep inside for 

 one's own stories, to personally share and cocreate the common 

 experiences that celebrate the creative spirit," Davis recounts on his 

 Web site. 



In a few small communities, residents also spin yarns at 

 restaurants and other hangouts. 



Each morning, a group of men gather at a round table and tell 

 tales at the Heritage House in Windsor. 



"Most of the time the men tell stories about farming, fishing and 

 hunting, and how things were a long time ago," says Rachel Pierce, 

 the restaurant's co-owner. "Some come as early in the morning as 

 5:30. They have been friends forever, and all are retired and natives of 

 Bertie County." 



Liars Club 



In the tiny community of Powellsville near Ahoskie, members 

 of the Scrub Club — which is made up of about 20 retired men — 



swap tales every 

 weekday at a closed 

 gasoline station on 

 N.C. 42. 



"Everybody 

 tries to top some- 

 body else," says 

 Buck Carter, the 

 club's treasurer. 

 "You tell the biggest 

 lie you can think of. 

 Others are supposed 

 to tell a lie bigger 

 than yours so people 

 will believe it." 



One of Carter's 

 favorite lies is about 

 a squirrel that he saw 

 while hunting. 



"The squirrel 

 was pushing bark 

 back into the water," 

 he says. "When the 

 squirrel got to the 

 water, it jumped in, 

 pushed its tail up, 

 and the wind blew it 

 across the water. 



Then it jumped up the tree on the other side." 



After Carter told the tale, another man topped the story. 



To keep the group from disbanding, members have to follow a 

 few rules. "We don't allow anyone who works," says Carter. "It is a 

 bad influence. We don't talk politics or religions. We don't want to 

 have a falling out." 



Although storytelling offers local folks a quaint form of entertain- 

 ment and an interesting pastime, it also links them to their past, 

 according to Jack Thigpen, North Carolina Sea Grant extension 

 director and coastal and tourism specialist. 



"These stories also give a glimpse into a region's culture and 

 history," says Thigpen. "Often important moral values and shared 

 virtues are interwoven with humor." 



What makes a good storyteller? 



Whether spinning fish tales or historical vignettes, a good 

 storyteller believes in what he is doing and enjoys it, says John Golden 

 of Wilmington. 



"Beyond that, the sky is the limit," he says. "I am continually 

 developing different ways of telling a story — from sitting in a chair 

 for a classical tale to a living history performance of folklore and 

 legends." 



10 HIGH SEASON 2003 



