The story is in the telling

WALTERBORO — If you've ever listened to somebody tell a good story, you know the art is in the telling. The raising of an eyebrow. A subtle smile. The sweep of a hand.

That's what a good spinner of yarns knows how to do, to bring you into the story, make you part of the journey, and surprise you at the end.

Although it's often a lost art in some parts of the modern world, storytelling is alive and well in this rural swath of the Palmetto State that runs down a southwestern slope from the Edisto to the Savannah rivers, all interconnected by the slow-moving Salkehatchie River.

And this weekend here in Colleton County, this old art form regains a foothold as a five-county collective known as Salkehatchie Stew comes to town.

Beginning Friday afternoon and continuing through Saturday evening, this town will be abuzz with a Bold Face Liars Contest, Mystery Strolls, choirs and artisans.

There also will be storytellers in the streets, spinning tales of trains and possums and native people who gave these rivers their names and made us what we are today.

Economic engine

"Salkehatchie Stew is all about using arts as an economic engine for tourism in this area," said Frances Fleming Chavous, an Allendale native and the project's director.

"We bring artists together from the counties of Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton and Hampton to showcase the talent we have, increase local pride in our history and introduce new people to the area."

The concept of producing these kinds of visual and performing arts comes from other successful events such as the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn., and Swamp Gravy in Colquitt, Ga.

Come this weekend, the downtown area of Walterboro will be transformed into a moveable stage when storytellers begin weaving their stories from under shady trees, in parking lots, as well as inside local churches and restaurants.

This weekend it's all about the Colleton Collection.

Next weekend it's the Barnwell Boil.

Full schedules are available at salkehatchiestew.com.

Five ingredients

"This multi-county concept is like making up a stew," Chavous said. "We use the five counties as five ingredients to come up with something richer than soup that maintains its individual identities."

Some counties, for instance, focus on storytelling, while others feature artists from the local area.

It's all about marketing this part of the state to visitors and residents who have not yet discovered the moss-covered beauty of small-town South Carolina.

"We don't use any outside vendors," Chavous said. "And we use as many local storytellers as we can find."

During these tough economic times, Chavous said, people are looking for things they can do nearby instead of taking expensive trips.

"We invite people to drive 50 miles and see what's going on out here," she said.

"And we encourage people who grew up in this area to come back home."

The brainchild of the Leadership Institute at USC-Salkehatchie, this is the first annual Salkehatchie Stew, Chavous said, so each county is learning from the other about what works and what doesn't.

She expects the events to grow in future years as more and more people find this to be a unique outlet of artistic expression.

It is, after all, not just the story, but the telling that makes it all come alive.

Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or 937-5598. To read previous columns, go to postandcourier.com/burger/.