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more than People of all ages thoroughly enjoy the old-fashioned craft of storytelling. The second annual Storytelling Festival will be held this summer, Sun­ day, July 21, in Spring Grove. Sunday, July 21, is the date that has been selected for the second annual Il­ linois Storytelling Festival of Spring Grove. Between the hours of 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., a slate of eight nationally known storytellers will be delighting audiences with their yarns. ,A special session has also been added this year that will feature strickly ghost stories between the hours of 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. under the stars. The Village of Spring Grove, Illinois will be sposoring the festival and it will be held in the open area behind St. Peter's Church in the village. The church can be reached by taking U.S. Route 12 to Spring Grove and then heading north on Blivin Street. What is a storytelling festival? In its simplest terms, it is exactly what it sounds like, a group of people telling stories for the entertainment and enjoy- ment of an audience. A storytelling festival is really much that, however. Storytell­ ing is really an artform that combines ac­ ting, folklore and more than a touch of humor, to create a feeling or mental pic­ ture for the listener. Most of the subject matter of the stories deals with the past, but almost any sub­ ject may be covered, and all of the stories are timeless. Some tellers accompany their stories with music from a variety of instruements, while others choose to end the story with a moral. The stories are, for the most part, very upbeat alnd salute the human spirit. The eight storytellers being featured this year include four from the State of Il­ linois. A local teller, Jim May, will again be appearing at the festival. May current­ ly resides in Woodstock and is employed as a counselor for the McHenry County College. May is originally from Spring Grove and he said he will be featuring original and,or true stories from that area. The other tellers from the state are Beth Horner and the team of Becky and Jeanie Armstrong, all from the Chicago are. Horner has been performing in Il­ linois and Missouri for the past 14 years with her repetoire of stories. The Arm­ strongs feature old time music on the banjo, fiddle and bag pipes, in addition to their stories. The other performers that will be featured include: Michael Cotter, a farmer from Minnesota, Who will be tell­ ing true life stories about farming in Min­ nesota; Chuck Larken, from Geofgia, who will be performing on the saw and banjo, in addition to his stories; Ed Stinenback, Philidelphia, who is describe as a classic funny man; and Marcia Telander, Colorado. Two main tents will be set up for the featured tellers, along with a children's teepee and a swapping area were anyone at the festival who wants to can tell a story. The intent is to make the festival a family event, with something for every age group. Last years festival drew a croud of over 2,000 people from Illinois, Wisconsin,- Missouri, Ohio, and all over the midwest. Co-organizers Jim and Bob May said they are expecting an even bigger crowd this year, weather permitting, since the festival is growing in notariety. Admission to the event will be $6 at the gate, $5 in advance. Children 16 and under will be admitted free when ac­ companied by an adult. The ghost story session is included in the daily admission, or tickets can be purchased for that sea- sion only, for $2. There will be food and beverages for sale at the site or people can bring a basket and have a picnic on the grass around the tents if they wish. Tickets are available in advance from co-sposorers McHenry County College and the College of Lake County, or from the David Adler Cultural Center, Liber- tyville. 'Hot' events scheduled for Crystal Lake Parks By Phil English Herald staff writer Grab your blanket, bike, basketball or boat soon, before the beach gets hot, because the Crystal Lake Park District is offering one of its biggest and most unusual seasons this summer. Along with the always popular sporting activities, such as the well attended triathlons and recreational sports and clinics, the park district is offering several new features that border a bit on the unusual. The triathlon, a park mainstay and already at the height of its popularity will be held June 15, and has been filled only two weeks following open registration. "It surprised me that it would fill up that quickly (700 people)," acting Park District Director Terry Clarke said. "The sport right now is growing for athletes who like a more creative competition. It's not a dull bike race." In fact, the race is so popular, the park district has scheduled and will hold three others. Along with co-host Illinois State Park and Recreation Association, the park district will hold its second triathlon, August 3. With over 700 par­ ticipants last year, the race was a bigger successthan anticipated. "We have good experiencee with the triathlons, and we also enjoy being the focal point in the state," Clarke said. "This puts Crystal Lake on the map. "We were the first city to hold a triathlon in the state," he added. "Now this will be our seventh year in June to have one. We were the biggest until the Chicago-Bud Light Triathlon." The third triathlon is an attempt to merge the growing popularity of the race with Crystal Lake's active youth popula­ tion. The Tenderfoot Triathlon, to be held July 13, is for ages 6-to-15. "We've seen all the adults out here, and the parents ask why there isn't one for the kids in Crystal Lake. Now there is," Clarke said. As well as the unusual races, the usuals, ongoing baseball, basketball and volleyball programs will take place. Bordering on the more unique is a June 22 Paper Boat Regatta. The race, model­ ed after a Southern Illinois University festival, will launch a competition bet­ ween area residents with hand con­ structed paper or cardboard boats. The trick is to float the boat as long as possi­ ble, not an easy task. At SIU, more than 20,000 students have participated in put­ ting together the competition, and mak­ ing it a huge success. Other youth highlights include a new day camp program. For grades one through six, a Young Explorers Day Camp will be otiered. For third to fifth graders, there will be a Rambling Top Campers program. These will run five daysaweek, from9a.m. to3:30p.m. To compliment the 9-3:30 hours even more, the park district will offer extend­ ed camp time for working parents. Children may be left off at camp as early as6:30a.m., and may stay after3:30p.m. The program is geared towards the work­ ing parent. Jane Newton will be the camp operator at the Vetran Acres Nature Center. Another unique program will be called Model Image. It is for girls ages 9-17, who will learn a four-wefek course on model­ ing. The points touched on will include posture and walking, for possible beauty pageant contestants, as well as the study of fashion trends and designs. The mainstays will be there as always. The T-Ball, Gator Alley Basketball, Safe­ ty Town, bus trips to Brookfield Zoo and Cubs' games, cheerleading camps, dance, gymnastics, golf and volleyball are all a part of the park district. For more adult-like activities, there will be Early Morning Rhythimc Exercis­ ing. The program will be held from 6-7 a.m on the beach. There will also be a fairly new program involving bus trips, or "One day aways." The first will De a St. Charles Belle Cruise, going down the Fox River and lunching at various stops, including Geneva, for shopping. Another trip to the Wisconisn State Fair is planned as well as a trip to Kenosha, to factory outlet stores. Ladies will be offered several canoe outings, for time to get away from the children, end the hectic week or just to get out with friends. The trip will go to the Hickory Grove Conservation Area for breakfast. It is billed as a short morning away from the busy schedule and each person will be back by noon. Other mainstays include; more exer­ cise evening programs; horsemanship classes, Crystal Lake Community Band, summer softball, Concert in the Park series, from June 18 to the end of July and moonlight bike hikes. For the whole family, there is swimm­ ing and tennis instructions. Tennk in­ volves all ages, for leagues, lessons and tournament play. Swimming is geared more toward the youth, involving a number of classes in life saving instruc­ tion and lifeguarding. "One Day Aways" will be offered for the whole, family. Canoeing and sailing, including lessons and trips to Hickory Nut Grove and Wilmot Wis. are included. For more information, call the park district at 459-0680.