upcoming events


If you'd like to be on Dolores' e-mail list for a reminder about upcoming
story performances, send your e-mail address to doloreshydock@gmail.com

Items below in gold are open to the public.

MARCH 2023

 

Thursday, March 23Going the Extra Mile: The story behind an extraordinary journey. 10:30 - noon. Friends of the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest monthly meeting. SOLD OUT. 

Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland made headlines as they raced, solo, in opposite directions around the world in 1889. Though they never met in person, their stories overlap in a fascinating series of coincidences that had them racing against time, injustice, and each other. This is the little-known backstory of their life journeys before and after that famous trip. 


Tuesday, March 28: Starch in Their Petticoats ~ True stories of strong women who settled the West. 2 - 3 p.m., Sheffield Public Library, Sheffield, AL. Free. Sponsored by the library and the Alabama Humanities Alliance.

They were tough, resourceful, and ready for anything! This presentation shares the true stories of women of guts and gusto who settled the American West. They were pioneers, homesteaders, pistol-packin' card sharks, entertainers, and "upstairs girls," but they all played a part in putting the shine in the Golden West of the 1800s. Photographs, diary excerpts, letters, and newspaper articles of the day help bring their stories to life.



APRIL 2023

Wednesday, April 5: Footprint on the Sky ~ Voices from Chandler Mountain. 10:45 a.m. Auburn United Methodist Church, 137 South Gay Street, Auburn, AL. Part of The Harvesters monthly luncheon. All are welcome to attend. The program is free; there is a small charge for the lunch. Call the church at 334-826-8800 to make a lunch reservation.

Bonnets, bow-tie quilts, tomato stakes, the recipe for Scripture Cake, and an old-timey cure for hiccups – they’re all part of this funny and touching portrait of an Alabama mountain community in the 1970's. Actress and storyteller Dolores Hydock brings the spirit and voices of special mountain friends to life in this story of strong women, Southern hospitality, and the generous spirit of a close-knit community.



Friday, April 21: Short Stack ~ Stories to celebrate National Library Week
7 - 8:30 p.m., Homewood Public Library. Tickets are $25, available online at homewoodpubliclibrary.org/hydock.

Non-fiction, travel, technology, the children's department...each section of the library holds its own kind of story. Join storyteller Dolores Hydock for a story ramble through the Dewey Decimal system with this collection of stories from classic lit, biography, and other treasures from the library stacks.


Thursday, April 27: Footprint on the Sky ~ Voices from Chandler Mountain. 5 - 6 p.m., Moody Civic Center, Room 1, 200 Civic Center Drive, Moody, AL. Free. Sponsored by the Doris stanley Memorial Library and the Alabama Humanities Alliance. 

Bonnets, bow-tie quilts, tomato stakes, the recipe for Scripture Cake, and an old-timey cure for hiccups – they’re all part of this funny and touching portrait of an Alabama mountain community in the 1970's. Actress and storyteller Dolores Hydock brings the spirit and voices of special mountain friends to life in this story of strong women, Southern hospitality, and the generous spirit of a close-knit community.




MAY 2023

Sunday, May 7: Momorabilia ~ Stories about mothers and the ties that bind. 2 - 3:30 p.m., Hoover Public Library Theatre, 200 Municipal Drive, Hoover, AL. Tickets are $25 and are available online at http://events.hooverlibrary.org/event/7972218.

Swishy red dresses, Jungle Gardenia perfume, home cooking, holidays, and mother's intuition -- it's all part of a mother's story. A collection of funny, affectionate stories about mothers, children, and the peculiar ties that bind them together -- and a celebration of the woman whose story will always be linked to your own: mom.

Wednesday, May 10: Castles and Cathedrals ~ A story of ragtime dancers, social revolutionaries, and the magic of public libraries.  12:30 - 1:15, Red Ridge UMC, 8091 County Road 34, Dadeville, AL. Free. Sponsored by the Friends of the Dadeville Public Library and the Alabama Humanities Alliance.

Vernon and Irene Castle were ballroom dancers of the Vaudeville era. Their story has unexpected detours into the glittery world of fame and fortune, and the battlefields of World War I. But the real hero of this intriguing tale is the public library system whose resources make their story come to life.


May 18 - 20: Shoals Storytelling Festival,
Florence, AL. Tickets and details at shoalsstorytelling.com.


Sunday, May 21: Fools For Love ~ Royal Scandal in Regency England. 11 a.m. - noon, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals, 1332 North Pine Street, Florence, AL. Part of the 11 a.m. service; all are welcome to attend. Free; sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Alliance

Come enjoy true, tender and sometimes shocking stories of Cupid's mischief as we peek under the covers of two royal scandals -- one from 200 years ago, one from more than 2000 years ago. These stories are part royal shocker, part True Romance, and part fun facts from history. There's no telling what will happen when Cupid's arrows fly!


Tuesday, May 23: Soldiers in Greasepaint ~ USO Camp Show Entertainers of WWII. 2 - 3 p.m., Ozark - Dale County Public Library, 296 North Union Avenue, Ozark, AL. Free; sponsored by the library and the Alabama Humanities Alliance. 

It was bigger than Bob Hope! From Utah Beach to the Philippines, USO Camp Shows during WWII were part of a diverse, hilarious, moving, and inspiring story of voluntarism and service. This program shares stories, pictures, and video excerpts of some of the 7000 famous and not-so-famous USO Camp Show performers who brought music, laughs, and a touch of the familiar to US service personnel far from home during World War II.




JUNE 2023

Monday, June 12: Putting Down New Roots ~ Through Ellis Island to a New World. North Shelby Public Library,  5521 Cahaba Valley Road, Hoover, AL. Free. Sponsored by the library and the Alabama Humanities Alliance. Time TBA.

Ellis Island was the entryway into the United States for millions of people -- and their stories -- at the turn of the 20th Century. Storyteller Dolores Hydock brings this snapshot of history to life through funny, tender stories that turn immigration data into a moving, human-scale story of what it was like to bravely "put down new roots" in a new world.



Thursday, June 22: It's the Little Things ~ Five small objects that connect us to the Dutch Golden Age. 11 a.m. to noon, Mt. Laurel Public Library, 111 Olmstead Street, Mt. Laurel, AL. (Program is in church hall across the street from the library.)

You could hold them all in the palm of your hand: five little things from 400 years ago that helped shape the world we live in today. Think we invented wearable technology and the selfie in the 21st century? Think again! Those things -- and many other things we think we invented were part of life hundreds of years ago. Photographs, maps, paintings, and historical records help take the audience on a journey from the Arctic Sea to Singapore through the story of five tiny things that changed history in a big way. 



Tuesday, June 27: Oh, Henry! The life and writing of William Sydney Porter. 
2 - 3 p.m., Anniston Public Library, 108 East 10th Street, Anniston, AL. Free. Sponsored by the library and the Alabama Humanities Alliance.

"O. Henry" is one of the most famous pseudonyms in American literature. It belonged to William Sydney Porter, who is often called "the master of the American short story." In this program, Will Porter's personal story is interwoven with updated tellings of some of the literary gems written by one of the most popular writers of his day.


AUGUST 2023

Tuesday - Saturday, August 15 - 19: Teller-in-Residence, International Storytelling Center, Jonesborough, TN.  Hour-long story concerts every afternoon from 2 - 3 p.m. Tickets and info at www.storytellingcenter.net/storytelling-live-main/



SEPTEMBER 2023

Thursday, September 7: Every Picture Tells a Story ~ The storytelling of Norman Rockwell. 7 - 8 p.m., First Thursday Lecture Series, UAB Honors House, 1190 10th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL. Free; all are welcome to attend.

Norman Rockwell didn't just paint pictures; every picture told a story. This presentation shares surprising stories from Rockwell's life and career, and describes the creative process that Rockwell used to craft his one-image stories.

Tuesday, September 19: 2 - 3 p.m., Anniston Public Library. Topic TBA.



NOVEMBER 2023

Wednesday, November 1: Noon - 1 p.m., B. B. Comer Memorial Library, 314 N. Broadway Avenue, Sylacauga, AL.  Part of the library's Adult Lecture Series. Topic TBA. For info, call the library at 256-249-0961.



DECEMBER 2023

Friday, December 1: Jingle All the Way ~ Stories, songs, and sing-alongs, with Dolores Hydock and Bobby Horton. 7 - 8:30 p.m., Homewood Public Library, 1721 Oxmoor Road, Homewood, AL. Ticket info TBA.


Saturday, December 2: Christmas Stories. 10 a.m. - noon. Clarion Inn, 4900 Hatch Blvd., Sheffield, AL. Christmas stories follow a lovely brunch. Ticket info TBA. Sponsored by the Sheffield Public Library. For info, call the library at 256-386-5633.

Tuesday, December 5: Christmas Stories. 2 - 3 p.m., Anniston Public Library. Free.


Sunday, December 10: Jingle All the Way ~ Stories, songs, and sing-alongs, with Dolores Hydock and Bobby Horton. 4 - 5:30 p.m., Shelby County Arts Council Theatre, Columbiana, AL. Ticket info TBA.