Thursday, Jun. 04, 2009

Once upon a time: Storyteller will tell horseradish tales at Collinsville fest

Ron Adams has his work cut out for him.

The professional storyteller has promised to include horseradish in at least one of his stories at the International Horseradish Festival in Collinsville this weekend.

"It's not going to be easy," said Adams, 68, of Collinsville, a retired teacher. "But I'll do it."

Former student Wendi Valenti has faith.

In 1994, she was a senior anxious to graduate when Adams kept her spellbound with his stories in sixth-hour mythology class at Collinsville High School.

"He would close the door and take you away to another world," said Valenti, now executive director of Collinsville Chamber of Commerce. "It was better than television."

Collinsville has long claimed to be the Horseradish Capital of the World, but officials had no solid statistics. The Census of Agriculture lumped horseradish with other vegetables.

Last winter, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's new census showed 1,800 acres of horseradish under cultivation in Illinois, about half the nation's total. Most are in the Collinsville region.

"It's official," Valenti said. "We no longer have to say we're the 'self-proclaimed' Horseradish Capital of the World."

Hours for this year's International Horseradish Festival are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Woodland Park in Collinsville. Admission is free.

As usual, activities will include live music, dance performances, root competitions, horseradish recipe and bloody Mary contests, a Little Miss pageant, washer tournament, craft village, fishing derby, food, drinks and plenty of fresh horseradish.

The classic-car show will be replaced this year with an expanded children's area, including a YMCA bounce house and climbing wall.

"We have a new vendor who's going to have shrimp so we can serve our cocktail sauce (with horseradish)," Valenti said.

This is the first year for Adams, who taught mythology at Collinsville High School for nearly 30 years before retiring in 1999.

He filled his classroom with paintings, statues, mummies, coffins and other objects related to ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Scandinavia.

Students covered one wall with a mosaic of gold candy wrappers and portraits of mythical characters.

"It was beautiful, and it lasted a long time," Adams said.

Adams has been involved with storytelling organizations since the 1980s. He carved his own niche by specializing in myths and horror, ghost and literary stories geared for adults.

"The vast majority of storytellers tell to little kids," he said.

Adams has performed at the Gateway Arch, Old St. Louis Courthouse and Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway Depot in St. Charles, Mo. He once spent nine hours on Homer's "Iliad" at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Each year at Halloween time, Adams tells ghost stories around a campfire behind the historic Blum House in Collinsville.

"(Storytelling) is an oral tradition, and it's a wonderful teaching tool," he said. "You're being entertained while you're learning."

Adams writes some of his own ghost stories with longtime friend Wally Hopkins of Maryville.

Adams will appear at 1 p.m. Saturday at the International Horseradish Festival. He will tell dog stories such as "Big Red," Jack stories such as "The Master Thief" and comic stories such as "The King Who had to be Obeyed."

"These are family stories," he said. "They're fit for people for people of all ages."

Parking at Woodland Park is limited. Madison County Transit will provide free shuttle service to and from Dorris Intermediate School from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, visit the Web site at www.horseradishfestival.com or call Collinsville Chamber of Commerce at 344-2884.

International Horseradish Festival schedule

Saturday

11 a.m. Opening ceremony.

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Music by Lucky Dan and Naked Mike.

11:30 a.m. Fishing derby awards presentation.

Noon Root-sacking contest.

12:30 p.m. Root derby.

1 p.m. Washer tournament.

1 p.m. Ron Adams storytelling.

2:30 p.m. McArther's Tae Kwon Do.

3 p.m. Bloody Mary contest.

3 to 6 p.m. Root golf.

3 to 6 p.m. Root toss.

3 to 6 p.m. Music by the Quarter Draw Band.

4 p.m. Root-sacking contest.

7 to 10 p.m. Music by Catfish and the Big Boss Blues Band.

Sunday

11 a.m. Amateur recipe contest.

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Music by The Backstreet Cruisers.

Noon Heavenly Rhythm Dance Studio performance.

1 to 4 p.m. Root golf.

1 to 4 p.m. Root toss.

1:30 p.m. Root-sacking contest.

2 p.m. Little Miss pageant.

3 p.m. Sherry's School of Dance performance.

3 to 6 p.m. Music by Rx Blues Band.

4 p.m. Root-sacking contest.