Buffalo Commons Festival promises to leave us with more stories of our own

It's all about the story.

Telling stories, truth or fables, is the stock in trade everywhere from the multi-billion-dollar entertainment industry in Hollywood to the halls of Congress.

How we got where we are, where we should be going, why we should be sad or amused -- they're all questions to be answered with the words "once upon a time ..."

That's why McCook is so blessed to be home to the 12th annual Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival Friday and Saturday.

Repeat visitors can tell you a story of their own -- the Buffalo Commons festival is not to be forgotten.

This year's featured storytellers, Dovie Thomason, a famed author and recording artist as well as award-winning storyteller, and humorist Bil Lepp (That's one L each for the first and last name), a five-time champion of the West Virginia Liar's Contest, will weave tales to keep our attention for hours on end.

Adding musical stories of their own will be Finders & Youngberg, with bluegrass, country and folk delivered in a manner to touch deep emotional levels.

While most of the stories will be delivered second-hand, a new feature will allow visitors to view the actual scene of some of those tails, with the Power of the Bison Bus Tour, leaving 10 a.m. Friday and returning 3:30 that afternoon, visiting the scene of the last great buffalo hunt, Massacre canyon and points beyond.

Other Friday events include a Buffalo Hoe Down with Finders & Youngberg at 1 p.m. at the Fox Theatre in downtown McCook, and a story and song cabaret that evening at 7:30 p.m. at the theatre. The evening finishes up at 10 p.m. at the Bieroc Cafe with ghost stories at an open mic.

Saturday dawns at 9 a.m. with sports stories, the golden thread of family and community at 10 a.m. and Prairie Grass Blues, all at the High Plains Museum; and, also at 10 a.m., a spiritual tapestry at 10 a.m. at Memorial United Methodist Church.

"Our Place on the Prairie" begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bieroc Cafe, and, at Norris Park, a kids fest, story telling and music begins at 1:30 p.m.

Tall Tales and Prairie Country with all three headliners begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday to wrap up the weekend's events.

Let's take in as many of these events, many of them free, as we can. Once this year's edition of the Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival is over, we will have plenty more stories of our own to tell.