Episode 358: Encore “From Stage to Stage”- Keeping Oral Traditions Alive (Pt. 1)

This podcast is an encore of the original podcast from March 5th, 2021.

Well, hello everybody and welcome to episode 126 of our Sounds Atlantic podcast.

You know, the oral tradition of passing along stories from generation to generation is most certainly alive and well in Atlantic Canada.

Just attend any of the folk festivals in the region, such as the Trails, Tales, and Tombs Festival, Standfest, the Newfoundland Labrador Folk Festival, or the Festival of Small Halls in Prince Edward Island, and you'll find that to be so.

every year i never miss what's going on in the old traditions tent back of the main stage at the newfoundland labrador folk festival in betterment park it's a rich history and totally family friendly entertainment to be sure and one thing is for certain it's the quickest path to experiencing what the local people and their culture are all about and that alone is worth the price of admission which today is free and that's no small deal in this time of the black pandemic in particular the recitation has long been a staple form of entertainment and amusement in newfoundland and labrador culture Whether to deliver a story in a memorable fashion, delight listeners in a kitchen party, pass the time in a fishing stage, or to say your piece at a community concert, Newfoundland and Labradorians have always been very adept at using the spoken word as entertainment.

whether being sentimental for days gone by, making light of everyday occurrences, paying tribute to those who've gone before, or by simply making us laugh ourselves silly.

Storytellers continue to keep this rich tradition alive and well.

I can think of no folks who do this better.

than the ones we're about to meet at their respective homes in and around St. John's.

I can tell you that for more than two decades I've attended the Newfoundland Labrador Folk Festival every summer.

It's my chance to attend the Oral Traditions Tent, and that's back at the main stage.

That faces Military Road, right next to the old Newfoundland Labrador Legislature Building that morphed into the Provincial Archives in downtown St. John's until it moved up into the rooms.

Boy, I'll tell you, it's a beautiful, beautiful part of town, and it's a fabulous festival to attend.

I'm your host, Ron Moores, and I'm delighted to introduce you today to a slice of oral tradition brought to you by a group who call themselves From Stage to Stage.

So do stay right where you're to, and I'll be right back where you're at in a fingery snap.