Sunday, March 29, 2009

Uncalled For Tour Performance at ETSU

Rocky and I had lots of laughs last night at the Uncalled-For Tour at ETSU's Culp Center in spite of the ordeal of getting there with our breathless selves. Without the help of good friends, Paul and Diana Conco, I'm not sure we'd have made it.

As it was, we left by the back exit so we could get to the car easily and therefore did not have a chance to talk with our teller friends Kim Weitkamp or Bil Lepp or to meet Andy Offut Irwin, the three Uncalled For Tour performers. Kim called us after the performance so we got to chat a bit at least.

Besides us and the Conco's I saw a few other BCS members there, Carole Ann and Mike Miller, and Leon and Pam Overbay. Our Tellabration guests Rudi and Arlene Angelmaier were there and also our ex-member, Linda "Tiger" Francis.  

Coincidentally, March 28 is Bil Lepp's birthday so much ado was made complete with birthday hats and the traditional song. The M.C,, David Claunch who is also the clown Dilly-Dally, presented Bil with presents of a red nose, huge spectacles, a giant-sized comb and other things my senior brain doesn't remember.

The storytelling program was worth every dollar it cost. I don't think there was more than 10 seconds without a laugh. Well, maybe when Kim was describing her first catfish "noodling" trip and the audience sat in rapt attention.  The program opened with a song and closed with a song, and in the middle, Kim sang a touching song about her father that followed her story about selling potholders. 

Bil lived up to his reputation as a tall tale raconteur with two tall tales, a rather rambling (but hilarious) one about deflating Easter bunny baloons and the second about a congregation holding a rodeo in a newly built church building.

Andy, whom I had never heard before, also entertained the audience comparing the chicken business of Georgia with the subway business of Manhatten. He is a favorite teller of the Conco's and they got their wishes granted when his second story was about his Aunt Margarite.

The tellers concluded with an improvisational story based on five words suggested by the audience and finalized the program with a summary of that story in song with Andy on the guitar, he and Kim providing the vocal, and Bil performing a very funny interpretive dance.

I was laughing too hard to take too many pictures, but here are three. Take your time and enjoy.  Mimi

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