Sandbar Storytelling Festival announces 2025 storytellers and schedule

The purpose of the festival is to present storytelling performances that celebrate and preserve the power and pleasure of our varied cultural traditions and human experiences and to promote the art of storytelling for all ages. Founding Artistic Director Taff Roberts reminds us that “through storytelling, we share our identities, and by active listening, we engage with people who are different than us.”

Again, the festival features a full slate of storytelling events by nationally and internationally known storytellers that are guaranteed to make you laugh, learn, and celebrate our shared humanity. Local food trucks are also featured.

The 2025 Storytellers

Bil Lepp – A returning headliner from Sandbar Storytelling Festival seasons 2022 and 2023, Lepp will continue to regale us with his unique antics, family-friendly tall tales, and stories that have earned the appreciation of listeners of all ages and from all walks of life. Though he is a five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars Contest, his stories often contain morsels of truth, which present universal themes in clever and witty ways. His amusing tales and insights into everyday life have delighted audiences across the country, from grade schools to corporate executives to Comedy Central’s Hudson stage.

Elizabeth Ellis – Designated an American Masterpiece Touring Artist by the NEA, Ellis grew up in the Appalachian Mountains hearing stories from her grandfather, a mountain minister. The “Divine Miss E” is a versatile and riveting teller of Appalachian and Texas tales and stories of heroic American women, though her personal stories are arguably her best. An award-winning author, she is a recipient of the John Henry Faulk Award from the Tejas Storytelling Association, and the National Storytelling Network ORACLE Circle of Excellence and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The Rev. Robert B. Jones, Sr. – A returning storyteller from season 2022, the Rev. Jones of Detroit, Mich., has been a professional musician and storyteller for more than 40 years. He has been a pastor for more than 20 years and has been a nationally recognized storyteller for more than 15. His speaking and musical skills educate, entertain, and inspire. At the heart of his message is the belief that our cultural diversity tells a story that we should celebrate, not just tolerate. Truly authentic and one of a kind, the Rev. Jones is a talented songwriter, storyteller, and has the ability to play multiple instruments, combined with the fact he is an award-winning educator and has encyclopedic knowledge of the history of African American folk music, including blues, spiritual, and slave songs.

Josh Goforth – Growing up in Madison County, N.C., Goforth was surrounded by the music and stories of his ancestors. He is a highly accomplished storyteller and acoustic musician playing close to 20 different instruments. He has performed in all 50 states, throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia and graced such stages as the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and The Grand Ole Opry. He was nominated for a Grammy for his 2009 release with David Holt, titled “Cutting Loose.” He currently is on faculty at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville and performs all over the world.

Don White – Bringing audiences to laughter and tears for 30 years, White has released nine CDs, three live DVDs, and a book, “Memoirs of a C Student.” His latest album is “Live from the Guthrie Center.” He has opened for Arlo Guthrie, Ritchie Havens, Louden Wainwright III, and Taj Mahal, shared a bill with David Bromberg, Janis Ian, and Lyle Lovett. He has been featured in storytelling festivals around the country. Since 2015, he has joined master storytellers Bil Lepp and Bill Harley in Father’s Daze, a hilarious three-man storytelling event about the triumphs and tribulations of fatherhood. He toured for nine years with folk songwriting legend Christine Lavin.

Dovie Thomason – Imagining herself as a river, fed by many streams: Lakota, Apache, and Scot Traveler ancestry, urban Chicago, rural Texas and international travels, the Internet and Indigenous elders, family teachings, kitchen table wisdom, and university classrooms — Thomason draws on those contrasts and cultures in her work. When she adds personal stories and untold histories, the result is a contemporary narrative of Indigenous history and identity in North America told with elegance, wit, and passion. She has been featured at the Kennedy Center, National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and festivals around the world.

Katie Knutson – In Knutson’s 27 years as a storyteller and 20 years as a teaching artist, she has delivered arts-integrated residencies, performances, and classes to well over 35,000 kids. She has contributed to three books on storytelling and wrote/curated the New Voices column in Storytelling Magazine. She leads storytelling and arts integration workshops for adults, mentors, new storytellers and teaching artists, is a Minnesota State DEVELOP Guest Trainer, and has worked as a teaching artist for several theatre companies. Knutson has received several highly competitive Arts in Education grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. She has also completed the ArtSage Arts in Aging Teaching Artist Training Program working with older adults across the aging spectrum.

Sandbar Storytelling Festival 2025 schedule:
Storytellers present different stories at each session throughout the festival, Oct. 7-13.

Tuesday, Oct. 7
5:30 p.m., “Pizza & Bil” featuring Bil Lepp at Blue Heron Coffeehouse, 162 W. 2nd St., Winona (Reserved ticket required; $50 general.)

Wednesday, Oct. 8
8 p.m., “Tales & Ales featuring Josh Goforth” at Two Fathoms Brewery, 65 E. Front St., Winona (free event, limited seating)

Thursday, Oct. 9
9 p.m., “Tales & Ales featuring Don White” at No Name Bar, 252 E. 3rd St., Winona (free event, limited seating)

Friday, Oct. 10
1 p.m., “Three Femme Fa-Tales” featuring Katie Knutson, Dovie Thomason, and Elizabeth Ellis at the Historic Masonic Theater of Winona, 251 Main St. (free event)
7 p.m., “TGIF: Tales for the End of the Week” featuring this year’s storytellers at Saint Mary’s University Page Theater, 700 Terrace Heights (Ticket or pass required; $25 general | $5 students.)

Saturday, Oct. 11
10 a.m., Bil Lepp and Josh Goforth at Saint Mary’s University Page Theater (Ticket or pass required; $10 general | $5 students.)
10 a.m., Storytelling featuring the Rev. Robert B. Jones, Sr. and the Winona’s Little Warriors Drumline at the Winona Public Library, 151 W. 5th St. (free event for families, suitable for children)
Noon, Lunch (boxed lunches available for purchase)
1 p.m., Elizabeth Ellis, Don White, Dovie Thomason, and the Rev. Robert B. Jones at Saint Mary’s University Page Theater, 700 Terrace Heights, Winona (Ticket or pass required; $20 general | $5 students.)
5 p.m., Dinner (food trucks by the tent)
7 p.m., “Tales Tall & True?” featuring this year’s storytellers at Saint Mary’s University Page Theater, 700 Terrace Heights, Winona (Ticket or pass required; $25 general | $5 students.)

Sunday, Oct. 12
10 a.m., Bil Lepp at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, located at Wesley United Methodist Church, 114 W. Broadway, Winona (free event)
2 p.m., Don White at the First Congregational Church of Winona, 161 W. Broadway, (free-will offering taken at the door)

Sunday, Oct. 12 – Monday, Oct. 13
Storytelling Intensive for intermediate and advanced storytellers at Alverna Center, 1175 W. Wabasha St., Winona (Application and registration fee required.)

Full-Day or Two-Day Passes
Saturday Full-Day Pass – Morning, afternoon, and night events are $50 general | $10 students*

Two-Day Festival Pass – Friday night and all-day Saturday events are $70 | $10 students*

*Student prices are for ages 11-18 and college students with a valid ID.

To learn more about this year’s storytellers, as well as the link to purchase festival tickets and passes, go to www.sandbarstorytellingfestival.org. For more information, email sandbarwinona@gmail.com or call 507-703-6001 or call 507-703-6001