Take a seat with Friends of the Smokies on the front porch steps, stretch out in the grass, or prop up in the shade, and join acclaimed national storyteller Michael Reno Harrell for an afternoon of Smoky mountain stories at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Harrell will bring his Southern humor and warmth to the front porch of the visitor center at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 30. The show promises hearty laughs and happy sighs for all ages, and is free and open to the public.
Friends of the Smokies presents storyteller Michael Reno Harrell, who brings his Appalachian grit and wit to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center for a free performance on Saturday, June 30. (Photo by David Cortner)
Harrell’s stories have been described as “Appalachian grit and wit,” but his awareness is much broader than the bounds of his boyhood home in Southern Appalachia. Having toured throughout the United States, the British Isles and much of Europe, the stories he creates reflect an insight into people’s experiences that catch the ear like an old friend’s voice. David Holt, musician and four-time Grammy winner, praises Harrell as “one of those natural born Southern musicians and storytellers who is filled with wit, charm and surprises….Michael will draw you in and entertain you, all the while making you feel right at home.”
Harrell has served as a Featured Teller at the National Storytelling Festival and Teller In Residence at the International Storytelling Center, and has performed at major music events like MerleFest and the Walnut Valley Festival. Also an accomplished songwriter, Harrell’s recordings top the Americana Music Association charts year after year, and continue to garner awards in Country and Folk circles, as well.
Harrell is donating his performance to benefit Friends of the Smokies, a non-profit organization that supports conservation, education, historic preservation and other priorities benefiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
– Friends of the Smokies
