Sandbar Storytelling Festival Presents: Kim Weitkamp Storytelling Residency
Residency May 8-10
Sandbar Storytelling Festival
Thurs-Fri | May 8-9
Storytelling in Area Schools | Grades K/15
Saturday, May 10 | 10 am
Free Storytelling
Winona Public Library | 151 W 5th St
Saturday, May 10 | 7 pm
Storytelling Concert
$20 General Admission | $10 Students
Free for St. Mary’s Students
Page Theatre, St. Mary’s University
700 Terrace Heights
The Sandbar Storytelling Festival presents award-winning storyteller, author, singer-songwriter, and humorist Kim Weitkamp as she returns to Winona for a three-day residency May 8-10. Weitkamp was featured during the Sandbar Storytelling Festival in 2023 when she enthralled her audience with humorous and heartwarming stories from childhood and growing up in the south to marriage and menopause.
To kick off the Sandbar Storytelling Festival’s 2025 season, she will share stories in area schools with grades K/15.
On Saturday morning she presents a story session for families at the Winona Public Library at 10 am, and on Saturday night she concludes with a full concert of storytelling and music at 7 pm in the Page Theatre at Saint Mary’s University.
Tickets for Kim Weitkamp in Concert at the Page Theatre are $20 general admission, $10 for students, and free for Saint Mary’s students and employees. Purchase tickets: https://ssf25.eventive.org/schedule.
For questions, contact Kamryn Matta, festival manager, at 507-703-6001 or sandbarwinona@gmail.com.
Weitkamp grew up in Amish Country as the middle child of exhausted parents. Labeled by teachers as high-spirited, uncooperative and too talkative, she took those comments and channeled them into a lifetime of high-energy, heartfelt, and hilarious artistry. We are all better for it.
After using applied storytelling in her work with adjudicated and at-risk youth for 12 years, Weitkamp took a turn onto a different avenue of story and song which led her down the path of full time touring for the last 15 years where she gathered an armload of awards. She performs regularly at festivals and theaters around the country, has written a well-received folk operetta and has been a guest editor and contributor for various publications.
Her material gets regular airplay on Sirius XM as well as NPR Affiliate Stations. She has eight award-winning albums, has produced and/or designed 32 albums for other performers and has hosted a morning show for a DOVE Award winning radio network. She has been honored with leadership and speaking awards for her coaching/speaking work with internationally known companies like Purina, Leibherr, Grifols, and Edward Jones, as well as nationally recognized non-profits like, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, and Conflict Resolution Centers. She is ranked as one of the top 20 business coaches in the Columbus, Ohio, region by Influence Digest, teaching the power of story to help grow organizations and build teams.
There … Now you know all the hoopla. But at the heart of her work, Weitkamp says, “Story is at the foundation of all I do. Whether I am making an audience laugh, writing a new song, or presenting a keynote, story is the springboard for each and every step I take. I share and teach the art of storytelling with great intention. Why? Because I have witnessed, firsthand, its incredible power.”
The Sandbar Storytelling Festival is a member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.