The Pike Piddlers Storytelling Festival will welcome a new voice to its 10th anniversary celebration this weekend.

Kim Weitkamp isn’t new to storytelling but this will be her first time at the Pike County festival.

Weitkamp is an award-winning storyteller, humorist, singer and songwriter who shares her original stories and songs at festivals all across the country.

She describes herself as the “redheaded child of exhausted parents.”

The sassy storyteller grew up enjoying the role of the middle child who was allowed to roam free in the heart of Amish Country. Her imagination was ripened by a life lived outdoors. Now she enjoys the role of being one of the most sought after storytellers in the country. Add into the mix that she is an award-winning singer/songwriter and the picture is complete.

The Pike Piddlers Storytelling committee is excited to have Kim Weitkamp as a teller at its 10th anniversary celebration.

Each year, members of the storytelling committee of the sponsoring Brundidge Historical Society attend several storytelling festivals in search of the best tellers to invite to the Pike Piddlers Storytelling Festival.

“We like to hear a storyteller several times and each time we’ve heard Kim Weitkamp we’ve liked her more,” said Mernette Bray, a member of the storytelling committee. “She’s a little Barbara McBride-Smith and a little Michael Reno Harrell. Both of them have been favorites at our festivals. She pulls you in with her stories and gets your toes tapping with her tunes.”

Bray said Weitkamp has the ability to paint pictures with words.

“Her stories can make you smile or even grin, chuckle or laugh out loud,” she said. “I heard her at the storytelling festival in Huntsville on Sunday morning – sacred storytelling time. It was a wonderful story about family and loss. We got to see another side of Kim Weitkamp. I like both sides of her.”

The Pike Piddlers Storytelling Festival will kick off at a sold-out We Piddle Around Theater on Friday night and continue with three storytelling concerts at the Trojan Center Theater, at 10 a.m. ($10) and 2 ($15) and 6:30 ($10) p.m. Tickets are very limited for the 2 p.m. concert. The 6 p.m. concert will include a tribute to Alabama’s Legendary Storyteller Kathryn Windham. For tickets call 334-685-5524 or 334-670-6302. Tickets are available at The Messenger.