Grant will help StoryTown Radio Show in more ways than one

The StoryTown Radio Show will receive additional support for its technical team and musical programming after being selected for an Arts for All grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. The grant will help StoryTown fund the technical crew behind its monthly productions at the McKinney Center, as well as musicians from across the region who appear as special guests on the show. Director Anne G'Fellers-Mason said the organization applied for the grant but had not previously sought funding through the particular Arts for All program."It will help fund the tech team for the StoryTown Radio Show and the musical guests we bring on the show," G'Fellers-Mason said. "It also helps keep the ticket price for the show low for our audiences."The funding comes as StoryTown continues its mission of bringing the history and stories of Northeast Tennessee to audiences through a unique combination of scripted storytelling, live music and the old-time radio format.The StoryTown Radio Show has presented regional stories on stage for almost two decades, with 2027 marking the 16th year of the program. The monthly performances feature scripted stories and special musical guests at the McKinney Center in Jonesborough.In addition to its live performances, StoryTown makes its programming available to audiences around the world through its podcast, allowing the stories presented on the McKinney Center stage to reach far beyond Northeast Tennessee.G'Fellers-Mason said preserving those stories is an important part of the organization's mission."The StoryTown Radio Show shares the stories of Northeast Tennessee with the whole world through our podcast," she said. "It's important to preserve our stories, our history, and share them with future generations."While StoryTown receives support from the Town of Jonesborough, G'Fellers-Mason said grants provide another avenue for the organization to expand its programming and support artists in the region."Although we do get support from the Town of Jonesborough, grants help us to grow our programming and help us support other local artists," she said.The Tennessee Arts Commission provides funding and support for arts organizations and programs throughout the state. G'Fellers-Mason said arts funding has been challenging to secure recently, making the commission's support particularly meaningful.She also encouraged Tennesseans who want to support arts funding statewide to purchase a Tennesseans for the Arts specialty license plate. According to G'Fellers-Mason, proceeds from the specialty plate represent the largest source of funding for the Tennessee Arts Commission.StoryTown expressed its appreciation to the Tennessee Arts Commission for the grant and for its efforts to advocate for and promote the arts throughout Tennessee.The new funding will help StoryTown continue bringing regional musicians and stories to the McKinney Center while making those performances accessible to local audiences and sharing the history of Northeast Tennessee with listeners around the world.