Friends of the Jimmy Neil Smith Park
Tucked away in downtown Jonesborough behind the International Storytelling Center, you’ll find Jimmy Neil Smith Park, a tranquil wooded green space that’s open to the community.
The park is named for ISC’s founder, Jimmy Neil Smith, who established the National Storytelling Festival in 1973. His vision helped revitalize historic Jonesborough and led to a revival of storytelling across the United States.
The three-acre park recently underwent an extensive relandscaping and rejuvenation campaign. The park now features a Little Free Library that contains books for visitors to take home and enjoy. The paved walking trail includes a special path, Storybook Trail, that promotes childhood literacy, family bonding, and gentle exercise. Semi-permanent placards that line the trail tell a story from a children’s book. The placards will be changed several times a year to feature new text and illustrations. Funding for the Storybook Trail was provided by local Jonesborough residents, Harold and Nancy Dishner.
The Friends of Jimmy Neil Smith Park campaign will provide support for the upkeep of the park and fund new placards for the Storybook Trail.
The current presentation of
Everyone Has a Story to Tell
was made possible by
Resident Book Authors and Illustrator
Dr. Rebecca Isbell, Author
Marilyn Buchanan, Author
William B. Bledsoe, Illustrator
Friends of the Jimmy Neil Smith Park
Terry and Sandy Countermine
Harold and Dr. Nancy Dishner
Lynda Harris
Dr. William and Virginia Kennedy
The International Storytelling Center
Town of Jonesborough
Levels of Giving
