Snow Doesn't Stop RAP Storyweavers

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The River and Prairie Storyweavers didn’t choose Clinton for their annual winter retreat because it was once the Baby Chick Capital of the World. But the mural on the side of White Flower Quilt Shop did make a good backdrop for a group photo of the flock.
The only problem: wading through the slush and snow to get to it.
For the second year in a row, the RAP storytellers, based in Kansas City, came to Clinton for their winter retreat, known as the Chicken Festival. And for the second year, they hit wintry weather. Last year, plummeting temperatures kept half a dozen members home on pipe-watch and to keep the home fires burning.
This year, four inches of snow fell on the day the retreat was supposed to start, canceling Friday’s storytelling session at the Clinton Senior Center, which was closed. The snow also closed local schools, preventing field trips to the Henry County Historical Museum by students to hear storytellers spin tall tales.
This year’s RAPS retreat drew about 40 story tellers, according to Linda Kunst.
The retreat organizers arrived in town on Thursday, and had the keys to the Delozier Building, part of the museum complex, so the retreat went ahead on Saturday and Sunday as planned. The Retreat moves to different towns every two years because the storytellers like to see different parts of the state. They also work with schools and libraries to encourage communities to develop resources for story-telling to prevent it from becoming a lost art. The retreat became the Chicken Festival the year someone noticed they had told stories about different types of animals, but none about chickens. Soon, rubber chickens, chicken-leg knee socks, chicken stress balls and chicken hats began showing up at the retreat, and the Chicken Dance was added to agenda.
A concert with music and storytelling, followed by a chicken soup supper, was held on Saturday afternoon at the museum, with donations benefiting the Dorman House restoration. Rich White, winner of the 2024 Missouri and 2024 Texas Liars’ contests, told a tall tale about his aunt starting a chicken ranch in Osceola, working Clinton’s hatcheries into the introduction. He also described the road trip he and his cousin made to Texas A & M to get Texas ‘leghorn’ chickens.
Storytellers of all ages, including Kate and Charlie Kerr, Shane and Asia Starr, Addie Yates, Pablo Baum, Larry Brown and Dale Frazier attended this year’s retreat, staying at local motels and eating at restaurants. The winter retreat provides an incentive for group members to get out of the house and gather with others to share stories, the way people have done for centuries.
RAP Storyweavers meet during the year at the Trailside Tourist Center in south Kansas City, 9901 Holmes, on the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m., and at Woodneath Library Center, 8900 NE Flintlock Rd., on the third Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. They also hold meetings on Zoom, as many of their members live in Kansas (the Prairie part of the name) as well as in other countries. For more information, go to riverandprairiestoryweavers.org.