2026

By Walt Belcher Arguably, nothing symbolizes Florida more than the alligator. This legendary descendent from the age of dinosaurs can be found in lakes, rivers and swamps throughout the state. And, of course, Albert E. Gator and Alberta Gator are the mascots and symbols of the University of Florida. Go Gators! It’s fitting that “Old […]

From Sue O’Halloran: Over the years, our storytelling community has shown extraordinary generosity whenever one of our own has faced a health crisis, financial hardship, or personal loss. Time and again, storytellers have organized fundraisers and offered support with remarkable compassion. At the same time, we’ve all recognized that caring for one another in times

The annual Florida Storytelling Festival will begin an exciting new chapter in 2027 when the major concerts will be held in the historic Mount Dora Music Hall in the Community Building. The historic Lakeside Inn will also continue to be a part of the festival with numerous events such as workshops, porch telling, ghost stories,

By Walt Belcher It was the spring of 2018 when I discovered this thing called “storytelling” and soon I joined the Florida Storytelling Association. While cleaning up my computer recently, I found this Facebook post that I made years ago: Just got back from an amazing weekend in Mount Dora at the Florida Storytelling Festival.

By Walt Belcher and Jim Kissane Water. We all have stories about water. As Florida residents we are surrounded by it. We enjoy it, from the multitude of springs to a coastline that wraps most of the state. When there are prolonged droughts, we worry. When sea levels start rising, we worry. And many of