Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 4, 1994 TAG: 9408040037
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
There isn't a worn pair of overalls on his back, a shotgun by the door, or a moonshine still in the basement.
But with a guitar in his hands and a collection of regional folk tales in his mind, White is as much a part of Appalachia as the mountains he loves.
"The only image of Appalachia and its people that can sustain is the image that Appalachians themselves create," White said, quoting the Appalachian novelist Jim Wayne Miller. "That is what I'm doing - promoting our history and way of life. I don't want people to believe the Beverly Hillbillies and Deliverance."
White, a self-employed Appalachian storyteller, will bring a guitar and a selection of folk tales to Claytor Lake Saturday for Storyfest '94, a six-hour show he organized as a "celebration of Appalachian songs and storytelling."
The show, which will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Howe House in the Claytor Lake state park, will feature bands, storytellers, concession booths, and opportunities for cruises by New River Cruise Company.
"It's a fun way to preserve the culture and to share it with people of the area as well as visitors to the area," White said. "If you come to my show I guarantee you're going to lose five pounds giggling and I'll lose 10 pounds sweating."
White is energetic and thin, with an easy-going demeanor and an abundance of nervous enthusiasm that helps to feed his creative endeavors.
He keeps a guitar in every room, along with a large collection of comic books and role-playing games to keep him busy when he is not entertaining audiences.
Effective time-killers, maybe. But they are no substitute for performing.
"I've always been a ham and a performer," he said. "Nothing makes me happier than seeing something like a kid smile."
White has been practicing the art of storytelling since grade school, when he entertained over 30,000 people in six states as a part of Pulaski County's Appalachian storytelling troupe, Appalkids.
Since then, his love of the region and its culture has grown along with his passion for telling stories, and White has spent his post-high school years performing with as many shows as possible in hopes of turning his hobby into a profession.
While studying theater and social sciences at Radford University, White both produced and performed in a number of university-sponsored shows. He also worked in other performances outside the university.
"If I didn't perform, I had a hand in it somehow," he said.
But like any starving artist, White suffered to pursue his dream.
A self-proclaimed eccentric, he found the adjustment to college a difficult one, leaving Radford University after two years.
White has struggled to pay the bills while simultaneously trying to build his storytelling business. He has walked miles to work at odd jobs and has even been forced to live out of his car at times.
It's worth it, he said, to pursue his dream.
"If I stay poor and hungry it's OK if I can keep making people happy," he said. "I've always had a dream of living in the Smoky Mountains and doing my storytelling professionally and writing in my spare time. If I can make a good living, that's great, but I'd hate to be so popular I'd have to turn people down."
Admission to Storyfest '94 is free. For more information, call 980-2287. For ticket prices and other information for cruises on the New River, call the New River Cruise Co. at (800) 419-0378.
by CNB