A long-standing tradition continues in Harvard

It is a widely acknowledged fact of life that as people grow older, they lose sight of the simple pleasures of childhood.

This weekend, the Massachusetts Cultural Council joins forces with the New England Foundation for the Arts and Yellow Moon Press to present the 18th annual Three Apples Storytelling Festival. Held throughout the Town Common of Harvard Square, the event is an opportunity to briefly forget about our hectic, over-scheduled lives and take a moment to relax.

"Life is so unremittingly grim," said storyteller and festival performer Catherine Conant of the importance of storytelling. Her use of humor in her stories demonstrates how, in her opinion, "humor enables you to breathe."

Through its variety of storytellers and special events, the festival offers attendees a variety of ways to escape the pressures of everyday life. The largest festival of its kind in New England, it features over 30 different performers ranging from nationally-acclaimed veterans to regional storytellers. This wide range of artists allows the festival to target audiences of all ages and interests and achieve its universal appeal.

"The festival represents an official tradition, in a time where there is woefully little tradition and ritual," Conant said. The experience is "utterly relaxing" for the audience because attendees "don't have to do anything _ they just have to be. All that is expected of them is to listen," she explains.

And there is much for them to listen to over the course of the festival's three-day run. The program opens with the special presentation on Friday night entitled "Family Ghost Stories: From Under the Bed." The event features performers Jackson Gillman and Pat Mendoza. Gillman, otherwise known as the "Stand-Up Chameleon," adds a comedic element to the festival's lineup. His style of storytelling involves more than standing before an audience and recounting a fantastical tale. His performances are a combination of mime, dance, music and sign language.

Mendoza has been performing since 1976 and has traveled around the world. His stories, which include Native American tales and ghost stories from around the country, are greatly influenced by his experiences abroad.

Saturday night will host Odd Bodkin's special program "For Adults Only." Otherwise known as the Master Talesman, Bodkin is known not only for his storytelling but his work as a children's author. An award-winning performer who has been a member of the storytelling community for over 19 years, Bodkin's unique brand of storytelling incorporates over 100 character voices, 12-string guitars, Celtic harps, pipes, and a piano, among a variety of other exotic instruments.

Another special feature unique to the festival is the LANES Showcase. This presentation features storytellers from the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling.

Other recognizable names from the storytelling community include Charlotte Blake Alston, Jeanne Donato, and Jim LaChapelle. A nationally acclaimed storyteller, Alston brings historic flavor to the event with her stories recounting the traditions of African and African-American culture. She models her role after Griot, the keeper of traditions and stories in African villages. Donato's performance incorporates balloon-making with traditional storytelling.

The key ingredient to LaChapelle's work is simplicity. In addition to original stories, he also presents European folk and fairytales and other traditional stories from around the world.

But there's more to Three Apples than storytelling. The program also includes special workshops, luncheons, dinners and concert events that add relaxing and entertaining interludes to the storytelling performances. In addition to the festival's ticketed events, several free events will be presented on the Harvard Town Common throughout the course of all three days. Aptly named the Swapping Grounds, the area will give veterans and novices a chance to tell their own stories in an informal setting. Festival performers such as Donato and Jerry and Nancy Bell will participate periodically.

No matter what your interests or personal tastes, the Three Apples Storytelling Festival is bound to have something that appeals to everyone. At $8 a ticket, you'll be hard-pressed to find another event this weekend that is both inexpensive and emotionally gratifying. It is a long-standing tradition that offers festival-goers a much-needed reprieve from our normally non-stop lives.