Welcome to the National Storytelling Festival
The National Storytelling Festival welcomes people of all abilities to enjoy a beautiful weekend of storytelling. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring that the Festival is accessible to patrons who have disabilities.
Parking
Parking spaces are available for people with limited mobility who carry valid disabled parking credentials on their vehicle. A fee may be charged for parking in private lots. If you are accompanying a wheelchair passenger, you may drop him or her off at the loading/unloading zone in front of the Visitors Center, located at 117 Boone Street.Once drop-offs are made, cars MUST then move to a parking space. If handicap parking lots are full,
a driver may drop off riders at the Visitors Center and travel to the Elementary School to ride the shuttle back to the Festival grounds. Please see map below for specially marked handicap spots and additional information. View the map.
Seating
Seats for the hearing impaired are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the front of each performance tent. Available seats may be claimed until 10 minutes before the programming begins. There are also reserved, accessible viewing areas made available to our patrons using wheelchairs or scooters located near the tent stages.
Service Animals
Pets are not allowed on the Festival grounds with the exception of service dogs trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Under the guidelines of the ADA, the work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals.
ASL Interpreters
Nationally certified interpreters from Chicago will be interpreting throughout the Festival weekend. For more information, call our offices at 800-952-8392, ext. 221 or 423-753-2171
Courtesy Carts
At various times throughout the weekend there will be specially marked courtesy carts to aid individuals with limited mobility. These carts will run a continuous route from the Visitors Center to Second Avenue with stops in front of the Courthouse and the Log Cabin, but they do not go to individual tents. Note: Courtesy Carts will not run past 8:00 p.m.
