“This is simply the best time of the year,” 82-year-old Al Meyer exclaimed as he anxiously awaited the start of the 18th annual Athens Storytelling Festival Thursday evening at Athens State University.

“This is the only time you can stand in a porta potty line and get a good story,” Meyer, who traveled more than two and a half hours from Montgomery to attend the beloved three-day event, told The News Courier. “I can’t tell you who won the World Series or the Super Bowl every year, but I can tell you plenty about this.”

For the next few minutes, Meyer — who said his memory has not been good since he suffered a stroke — enthusiastically recalled a number of his favorite stories from the impressive lineup of renowned storytellers in attendance at the Tellers Olio on Oct. 24.

Meyer mentioned that he first came to the Athens Storytelling Festival in 2012, noting that he has been to several national and local storytelling festivals over the years with his wife — who recently passed away.

Still, Meyer said he found great joy in sitting under the big tent in front of Sandridge Student Center — listening to the mesmerizing tales and melodic songs from the multi-talented storytellers.

“Storytelling is the mother of all the performing arts, and it’s always good to honor your mother,” Tim Lowry, longtime storyteller, said. “Before there was theater, there were storytellers. Before there was ballet, there were storytellers. Before there as orchestra, there were storytellers. Before there were great speeches, there were storytellers. We are the grassroots of the whole arts movement.”

Lowry displayed his fervent passion for the art in his explicitly woven tales throughout the three-day event that extended from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. until Saturday, Oct. 26. He headlined a group of storytellers that features fellow longtime storytellers: Robert Jones, Donald Davis, Michael Reno Harrell and Josh Goforth.

“This community has fully embraced this event each and every year,” Leah Oakley, president of the Athens Storytelling Festival board, said. “We have the banquet each year to try and thank them as much as we can. I got involved in storytelling a few years ago to keep the memory of those who have passed alive. You have to tell the stories, that’s the only way the family traditions get passed down to the younger generations.”

Oakley highlighted the importance of captivating the youth through the “magic” of storytelling, mentioning that even though the event officially started Thursday — they have seen thousands of local students flood the big white tent on free trips from several city and county schools since Tuesday, Oct 22.

“So far, we’ve had over 5,000 students come through the event,” Oakley said. “We could not have done these school days without the funding from the Limestone County Legislative Delegation, who made those trips free of charge. In the world in which we live, we need to get these students away from the screen to hear these powerful stories in person.”