HISTORY | Telling tales

Enjoy the spoken word and song during Illinois Historic Preservation Agency’s Once Upon A Prairie storytelling program at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site, Aug. 17. Internationally acclaimed storyteller, author, historian and naturalist, Brian “Fox” Ellis will share Civil War stories in Representative Hall, where Abraham Lincoln once worked. Ellis will recite poems by Walt Whitman and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, interspersing his rich knowledge of the war with folk songs by Stephen Foster and stories by Civil War soldier and reporter Ambrose Bierce. Open daily through Labor Day, the Old State Capitol will stay open until 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 17 for this special program. Once Upon a Prairie Storytelling Festival is sponsored by Staab Funeral Home.