I fell in love with the Water Valley Celtic Festival last year and can't wait to return.  I come to celebrate my family connections to this hamlet and bring to light the remarkable story of my great uncle and aunt Fred and Jo McKinnon who ran the general store at Water Valley for more than 40 years.
Fred was of Scottish heritage and Josephine was Icelandic and there's the connection.  She was the adopted sister of my grandmother Struna Sigurdsson.  As well as giving you some tales of local heroism, I will throw in some tales and verses from Uncle Fred and Aunt Jo's combined Celtic and Norse backgrounds.  Lots of fun.

I am president of TALES The Alberta League Encouraging Storytelling and active member of Storytellers of Canada.  See the websites at www.talesstorytelling.com and www.sc-cc.com
Storytelling and the Visual Arts have been at the centre of my life for 25 years and I have traveled across Alberta and Canada sharing my passion for stories.

Performances have included : being a featured storyteller for Kaleidoscope and International Literature conferences in Calgary,  the Edmonton Storytelling Festival, house concerts in Victoria, traveling across Alberta to perform at schools and libraries with the Young Alberta Book Society, circumnavigating the province of Newfoundland to perform again in schools and libraries, taking the stage beside Andy Jones, Elinor Benjamin and Dale Jarvis at the first St. John's NFLD Storytelling Festival in 2004, and performing at countless schools, story circles, street festivals, restaurants, concerts and cafes in Calgary.