Annual fundraiser StoryFest has always been held in honor of the late Syracuse educator Ted Grace, a former SU professor, literacy advocate and avid storyteller.
For its fourth incarnation this year on May 19, the event will also honor Mark Wright, program director of the Cultural Resources Center, who passed away unexpectedly in November.
Four local storytellers will headline StoryFest IV beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday May 19 at Corcoran High School. Bruce Coville, Jacquelyn Grace-Rasheed and family, Vanessa Johnson and Dave Knittel will be featured storytellers at this year’s event to promote reading and literacy. Organized by the Corcoran Alumni Association and Syracuse University School of Education, StoryFest is held in the Ted Grace Reading Grove near Corcoran High School, Grace’s alma mater.
“This annual event honors the memory of our late cherished colleague, Ted Grace, and serves as a reminder of his rich legacy of grounding literacy work in our community’s many stories,” said Kathy Hinchman, professor of reading and language arts in the School of Education.
A group of local residents in 2006 cleaned up and refurbished the Furnace Brook area with money raised for the project, creating the Ted Grace Reading Grove and launching the first StoryFest.
StoryFest has become one of the primary fundraisers for the Reading Grove, and has helped raise money to build an outdoor amphitheater and install a brick platform.
Hinchman said Wright’s vision and support were central to community’s ability to create the Reading Grove and present StoryFest.
“His absence is deeply felt by all those who’ve been involved in these two projects, as well as those who are involved in the arts in Central New York,” she says.
Admission to StoryFest IV costs $10 for adults, $5 for K-12 students and free for children under age 5.
