Greetings Members and Happy New Year!

Christy Wright is the incoming president of the Story People of Clallam County board of directors. Christy has been active on the board for some time, and has been in charge of fund raising for the Forest Storytelling Festival.

As 2014 unfolds we start anew with resolutions and high hopes for good things to come. We have newly elected officers myself included but I want to take a moment and acknowledge the outgoing officers who worked so hard for our organization. Dean Hodgson aka James the Obscure did a fine job as president serving 2 terms. Lila Petroff as treasurer, Ted Ripley as secretary, Elsa Johnson as newsletter editor and Richard Seaman before that. Thank you all for your hard work and a job well done. You have laid a solid foundation that I hope we can continue to build on. I wish also to thank the many volunteers who worked on our Festival and other events. IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A SUCCESSFUL EVENT!

I look forward to working with our new executive board: Erran Sharpe as Vice President; Pat Ferris as secretary; and Joy Beaver as treasurer. And with our other board members: Alice Susong (programs); Bob Nuffer (membership); Cherie Trebon (festival); Richard Seaman (publicity); Ted Ripley (at large);

We plan to continue this year with our 3rd annual Liars contest in June as it has proven to be a popular event and we hope to see it grow! Last year we held a Celtic Concert of music and story around St. Patties day. That also proved to be great fun and we hope to continue that as an annual event.

This year we will participate in some already organized events such as earth day. Our mission is to increase our presence on the peninsula and share stories with broader groups of people. There are stories for everybody!

I must also thank Dennis Duncan, Pat Patzman, and Alice Susong for their years of devotion in telling to the school children, and to Elsa Johnson and James the Obscure for telling at Park View Villa. This is a great contribution to the community.

Make your New Years Resolution to tell a story! Come to the monthly story swap now on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 700pm in the Raymond Carver Room of the Port Angeles Public Library. There is an open mike session after the featured teller and refreshments, There are many other places you can tell so bring your ideas and volunteer beyond the library!

Christy Wright