Corn Island Storytelling

06/12/2026

What a Lineup! What a Weekend!

8 Storytellers
8 Poets
2 Live Bands
Kentucky Homefront Reunion
WWII Memories & Memorabilia
Hosted by Them Calloways and Col Bob Thompson

For two unforgettable days, we’ll gather to celebrate the people, memories, music, and stories that connect us all.

From laughter to tears, from front porch tales to wartime memories, the 2026 Corn Island Storytelling Festival brings together some of the finest storytellers, poets, musicians, and living history presenters.

August 28-29, 2026
Oldham Gardens at 3rd Turn Brewing
$20 carload

Because the best stories aren’t made up…They’re lived.

Real People • Real Stories

06/05/2026

What Makes a Festival Memorable?

The most successful storytelling festivals create opportunities to:

1. Listen
2. Learn
3. Laugh
4. Remember
5. Connect

For the 2026 Corn Island Storytelling Festival, we are bringing all of these ingredients to you:

* Kentucky Homefront Reunion
* Storytellers
* Musicians
* Poets
* The Back Porch meet-and-greet area
* WWII memories
* Artisans Village
* Family-friendly atmosphere
* Local history and heritage

What a community gathering!! Where stories are the reason everyone came, but the connections are what they take home.

Gratefully sponsored by the Rotary Club of Prospect-Goshen

05/20/2026

The TWO-DAY Corn Island Storytelling Festival returns Aug. 28–29 at Third Turn Brewing Oldham Gardens in Crestwood, Kentucky. Enjoy an unforgettable weekend of storytellers, musicians, poets, history, laughter, family fun, food, and “Real People • Real Stories” under the summer sky. 🚗 $20 per carload.

05/17/2026

TERRY CHAMBERS. APPEARING AT THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL: Sample the creativity. Follow our storytellers. Discover where they appear next.

River tales are calling once again… as local Storyteller Terry Chambers appears as Capt. Mary Millicent Miller this Monday in Charlestown IN (open to the public) and Thursday at Whitehall in St Mathews (PRIVATE), sharing the story of the first woman in America to earn a steamboat master’s license and the remarkable river world that shaped Kentucky history.

And while you’re marking your calendars, don’t forget to stop by the Goshen Branch Library in June for a special stroll down memory lane featuring the legendary Rose Island. If you love old Louisville memories, river stories, dance halls, summer vacations, and vanished landmarks, this one’s for you.

History isn’t gone…Sometimes it’s just waiting for somebody to tell the story again.

05/16/2026

COL BOB THOMPSON APPEARING AT THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL: Sample the creativity. Follow our storytellers. Discover where they appear next.

Sometimes being in the right place at the right time, pays off, and the right place to be for upcoming River stories, bourbon wisdom, family memories and a little Kentucky Homefront porch philosophy are all headed down the Ohio River May 28 as author and storyteller Bob Thompson takes the stage for the next Olfhsm Co History Center River Tales Over Cocktails cruise aboard the CQ Princess at Captains quarters Restaurant.

“Stitched Together” promises an evening stitched with humor, heart and the kind of stories that linger long after the boat docks. Call 502-222-0826 or see Eventbrite for tickets
limited seating and they will go fast!!

05/16/2026

So what's your take on how important STORYTELLING is??

Why does storytelling still matter in a world where AI keeps getting smarter? In Episode 232, Joe Lazer explains how the future of work is shifting and why storytelling stands out as the skill that strengthens leadership, persuasion, empathy, and collaboration. As automation expands, human connectio...

05/08/2026

BEHIND THE CURTAIN
The Corn Island Storytelling Festival committee is hard at work preparing for an unforgettable weekend August 28 & 29 at 3rd Turn Brewing Oldham Gardens in Crestwood, Kentucky.

are rolling up their sleeves and getting this year’s festival underway building an experience filled with laughter, memories, music, history, and heart.:

REAL PEOPLE • REAL STORIES
Storytellers
Musicians
Poets
Vendor Village
World War II historian
KY Homefront Reunion

STAY TUNED AND SHARE THE NEWS
More details coming soon… and trust us… you won’t be disappointed.



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05/06/2026

It doesn't get much better than THIS!! STORYTELLING with our PRIMO Corn Island and Kentucky Homefront STORYTELLER — Col. BOB THOMPSON.

RIVER TALES OVER COCKTAILS CRUISE SETS SAIL MAY 28 WITH KENTUCKY STORYTELLER BOB THOMPSON

Ohio River Cocktail Cruise Features Stories from “Stitched Together: Stories of a Kentucky Life”

PROSPECT, KY — The Oldham County History Center’s beloved River Tales Over Cocktails series returns to the Ohio River on Thursday, May 28, 2026, with a special evening aboard the CQ Princess yacht. The program, “Stitched Together,” features Kentucky author and storyteller Bob Thompson, who will share tales drawn from his acclaimed University Press of Kentucky book, Stitched Together: Stories of a Kentucky Life. The cruise departs at 5:00 PM from Captain’s Quarters Riverside Grille in Prospect.

Thompson’s Stitched Together is a collection of personal and family narratives rooted in western Kentucky life. Drawing on his mother’s seven decades of diaries, handwritten notes, and recipe cards, as well as memories from his childhood spent on the porch of his grandmother’s country store, Thompson weaves community, humor, and deep Kentuckiana into stories that feel both intimate and universal. His granny’s philosophy of quilting — that it’s not the size of the stitches but the spaces between them — runs through the heart of the book and his storytelling.

The three-hour cruise on the Ohio River will feature Thompson’s storytelling alongside heavy appetizers, a cash bar, and the scenic beauty of the river at dusk. The River Tales Over Cocktails series is part of the Oldham County History Center’s programming exploring the Ohio River’s central role in American history.

Tickets are $87.21 per person (after taxes and fees) and are available through Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984979065820?aff=oddtdtcreator . This event is selling quickly and tickets are limited. The cruise departs from Captain’s Quarters Riverside Grille, located at 5700 Captains Quarters Rd., Prospect, KY.

WHAT:
River Tales Over Cocktails: “Stitched Together” with Bob Thompson

WHEN:
Thursday, May 28, 2026 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

WHERE:
Captain’s Quarters Riverside Grille, 5700 Captains Quarters Rd., Prospect, KY (aboard the CQ Princess yacht)

TICKETS:
$87.21 per person | Available at eventbrite.com/o/oldham-county-history-center-77027291943

NOTE:
Heavy appetizers included. Cash bar available. Tickets are limited — this event is going fast.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Oldham County History Center
106 N. Second Ave., La Grange, KY 40031
(502) 222-0826 | [email protected] | oldhamkyhistory.com

05/04/2026

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”
Albert Einstein

While not a formal scientific claim, the quote captures Albert Einstein’s enduring belief in the power of imagination, storytelling, creativity, and the way we learn as children.

SO SET THE DATES to once again capture that same spark of curiosity and wonder at the CORN ISLAND STORYTELLING FESTIVAL, August 28 & 29 at 3rd Turn Brewing Oldham Gardens in Crestwood KY

Come for the stories… stay for the people… leave with a few new thoughts rattling around in the attic.

Real people. Real stories. One unforgettable weekend.

05/02/2026

There’s something about a front porch, a good story, and a summer evening that just feels right.

Step into that moment with us at the KY Homefront Reunion at the Corn Island Storytelling Festival

August 29 5 PM – 9 PM
Third Turn Brewing – Oldham Gardens in Crestwood Ky

Featuring your long-time favorites: Col. Bob Thompson, Bill Clark, and the Route 15 Band, this night brings together music, memories, and the kind of storytelling that sticks with you long after the sun goes down.

Pull up a chair and stay awhile. You just might hear a story that sounds a little like your own.

$20 per carload — bring your people, fill the seats, and come on in.