The Brundidge Historical Society will present “June Buggin’ at the We Piddle Around Theater” featuring nationally acclaimed storyteller Barbara McBride-Smith in “Hello Ricky Nelson, Goodbye Heart.”

There will be two storytelling concerts, a ladies’ luncheon at noon on Thursday, June 10 and an evening concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 11. Tickets are $20 each and include the pre-show music, lunch/supper and the storytelling concert.

Tickets are on sale at Rue’s Antiques in downtown Brundidge from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday or by calling 334-735-3125 during store hours.

McBride-Smith takes theatergoers back to the 1950s as she remembers cherry Cokes, bobby socks, flattops and falling in love with teen idol, Ricky Nelson.

“‘Hello Ricky Nelson, Goodbye Heart,’ is a nostalgic look back at the life and times of a teenage idol and his influence on the Baby Boomer generation,” McBride-Smith said. “Even though Rock ’n Roll was considered scandalous in the mainstream in the 1950s, that ‘nice Nelson boy’ smuggled it into American living rooms and made it acceptable to parents. For teens like me, Ricky Nelson was a blue-eyed, sweet-voiced heartthrob who could have lived next door.”

Mernette Bray, a member of the BHS storytelling committee, said Barbara McBride-Smith is one of her favorite storytellers.

“I’ve heard her several times at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee and every time she has been fantastic,” Bray said. “But her Ricky Nelson story is my favorite. She’ll stop right in the middle of the story and sing one of his songs and you can’t help but sing along with her.”

Cathi Steed and Annette Bryan, also committee members, attended McBride-Smith’s storytelling concert at the Magnolia Storytelling Festival in Roswell, Ga.

“For the past couple of years, we’ve had one-woman plays at our June Buggin’ storytelling and they were outstanding,” Steed said. “Barbara McBride-Smith is high-energy and loads of fun. You’ll leave having had a good time and anxious for us to have her back.”

Bryan said “Hello Ricky Nelson” is a trip down memory lane for those who grew up in the 1950s and early 60s and an idyllic time for those who didn’t.

Storytelling has become almost as familiar to the We Piddle Around Theater in Brundidge as its folklife play, “Come Home, It’s Suppertime.”

“When we decided to expand what we do at the We Piddle Around Theater, storytelling was the natural choice,” Bray said.

“The mission of the Brundidge Historical Society is to preserve and promote the physical and cultural heritage of our community. What better way to do that than through the age-old art of storytelling. We invite everyone to join us for June Buggin’ with Barbara McBride-Smith.”