Who’s the best “liar”? As measured by the ability to tell a tall tale, Chriss Tarantino of Roanoke County and Leisa Thompson of Salem are among the very best. They received Second Place and Third Place, respectively, at Southwest Virginia’s first Liars Contest on Nov 16.
Both traveled to Floyd, Virginia, to compete in a field of seven contestants before a live audience at the June Bug Center, a nonprofit performing arts venue. Tarantino, a newcomer to storytelling, took home a $50 cash prize for his story about “a gourmet Mexican adventure.” Thompson received $25 for spinning a yarn about a childhood vacation, learning chores at her “Aunt Ethel’s” farm. A three judge panel gave both an ornamental golden shovel—rewarding “digging deep” for a delightfully deceptive story.
“This was my first venture into storytelling,” Tarantino said. “I attended some storytelling events and decided it would really be fun to give it a whirl!”
Thompson said, “The event was amazing and coming in third place was just so special to me. Everyone did such an amazing job telling our stories.”
“The public response was terrific!” said Clint Atwater, founder of Storytelling Connections, LLC, and Let Me Tell Ya! events, which produced the contest. “Folks filled the theater. Many drove for more than an hour to attend. We plan to have a Liars Contest every year.”
The competition’s top award went to Paul Armstrong of Chatham, with a $100 prize and the golden shovel.
Atwater said he’s grateful to the Liars Contest sponsors: Blue Ridge Story Space, The June Bug Center, Shenandoah Storytelling Guild and the Virginia Storytelling Alliance. The contest donated entry fee proceeds to the June Bug Center.
