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.


SEPTEMBER 2023
Wednesday, September 27: Putting Down New Roots ~ Through Ellis Island to the New World. Noon - 1 p.m., Annie L. Awbrey Public Library, 736 College Street, Roanoke, Alabama. Free. Sponsored by the library and the Alabama Humanities Alliance.
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, September 28: Footprint on the Sky ~ A story of Southern hospitality. Prentiss County Development Association annual banquet, Booneville, MS. 6 - 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available at 662-728-3505.
OCTOBER 2023
Thursday, October 12: Footprint on the Sky ~ Voices from Chandler Mountain. 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., Jasper Public Library, Jasper, AL. Free. Sponsored by the library and the Alabama Humanities Alliance.
Bonnets, bow-tie quilts, tomato stakes, an old-timey cure for hiccups -- they're all part of this funny and affectionate portrait of an Alabama mountain community in the 1970s. The spirit and voices of special mountain friends come to life in this story of strong women and Southern hospitality.
Thursday, October 19: Stories and casual lunch. Stories start at 10:30 a.m., lunch to follow. Muscle Shoals Public Library, 1918 Avalon Avenue, Muscle Shoals, AL. Registration and other info TBA.
Tuesday, October 24: A Sweet Strangeness Thrills My Heart ~ The Journals of Sallie Independence Foster, 1861 - 1887. 7 - 8:30 p.m., Oxford Performing Arts Center, 100 Choccolocco Street, Oxford, AL. Tickets $15, available after October 1st at oxfordpac.org.
Sallie Independence Foster was 12 years old and living in Florence, Alabama in 1861 when the War Between the States began. She was keeping a diary at the time, and kept on keeping a diary for 26 years. In this dramatic performance, storyteller Dolores Hydock and music historian Bobby Horton interweave Sallie’s diary entries with camp songs, popular tunes of the times, and original melodies to tell a funny, touching, and uniquely personal true story of a world of innocence turned upside-down.
Sponsored by the Oxford Arts Council.
Thursday, October 26: Shelf Life ~ A ramble through the Dewey Decimal System. 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest, 1221 Montgomery Highway, Vestavia Hills, AL. A fund-raiser for the library Friends. Tickets are $20, available at the library front desk. No tickets will be sold at the door.
A story journey through the library stacks, accompanied by Melvil Dewey and Andrew Carnegie, two brilliant, ambitious men whose vision — and names — are forever connected with the modern public library. We’ll pull a few stories off the library shelves, too!
NOVEMBER 2023
Wednesday, November 1: Pilgrimage to Sacred Places. Noon - 1 p.m., B. B. Comer Memorial Library, 314 N. Broadway Avenue, Sylacauga, AL. Part of the library's Adult Lecture Series. For info, call the library at 256-249-0961.
Certain places hold special meaning for us, and sometimes, we need to see them one more time — or for the first time — before they disappear. A food festival in Georgia, the registry hall at Ellis Island, a now-shuttered high school, and a quiet hillside are some of the destinations that, in these stories, lead to deeper journeys.
Friday, November 3: Soldiers in Greasepaint ~ USO Camp Show Performers of WWII. 1 - 2 p.m., Magnolia Trace Retirement Community, Huntsville, AL. Free. Sponsored by 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.
Monday, November 6: Shelf Life ~ A story ramble through the Dewey Decimal System. 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., North Shelby County Library, 5521 Cahaba Valley Road. Free. Sponsored by the library and the Alabama Humanities Alliance.
A story journey through the library stacks, accompanied by Melvil Dewey and Andrew Carnegie, two brilliant, ambitious men whose vision — and names — are forever connected with the modern public library. We’ll pull a
few stories off the library shelf, too!
Tuesday, November 7: St. Mary's on the Highlands Church Women's Luncheon.
Tuesday, November 14: Panorama Study Club luncheon.
Thursday, November 16: Clearbranch Church luncheon.
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.
Monday, December 4: Starch in Their Petticoats ~ True stories of strong women who settled the West. 10 - 11 a.m., Mt Pisgah Baptist Church Seniors, 100 Cemetery Road, Cropwell, AL. Free; sponsored by the church and the Alabama Humanities Alliance.
They were tough, resourceful, and ready for anything! These are 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.
Tuesday, December 5: Christmas Stories. 2 - 3 p.m., Anniston Public Library. Free.
Thursday, December 7: Christmas Stories. 6 - 7 p.m. Boaz Public Library, 404 Thomas Avenue, Boaz, AL. Free.
Saturday, December 9: Home for the Holidays with the Alabama Symphone SuperPOPS Orchestra. Ticket info and details at https://alabamasymphony.org/event/holidays2023
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. Tickets are $30, available online at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36023/production/1174580
Sunday, December 17: Christmas Stories. 10 - 10:45 a.m. Highland Hall of Independent Presbyterian Church, 3100 Highland Avenue, Birmingham. Free. All are welcome to attend.
Sunday, December 17: Christmas Stories, 2 - 3 p.m., Albert L. Scott Library, 100 9th Street, NW, Alabaster, AL. Free.
JANUARY 2024
Thursday, January 11: 11 a.m. - noon. Chambers County Public Library.
Thursday, January 18: Pedaling Hard on the Cycle of Life. 11 a.m. - noon. Church of the Ascension, Vestavia Hills, AL.
Sunday, January 28: Part of the annual Soup and Stories for the Soul luncheon, raising money for the church food ministry. 12:15 - 2 p.m., Vestavia Hills Methodist Church, 2061 Kentucky Avenue, Vestavia Hills, AL. Reservations and ticket info TBA.
Tuesday, January 30: 11 a.m. - noon; Gulf Shores Public Library, Gulf Shores, AL. More info TBA.
Tuesday, January 30: Starch in Their Petticoats ~ True stories of strong women who settled the West. 3 - 4 p.m., Westminster Village, 500 Spanish Fort Boulevard, Spanish Fort, AL. Free; sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Alliance.
They were tough, resourceful, and ready for anything! These are 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.
FEBRUARY 2024
Sunday, February 25: A Sweet Strangeness Thrills My Heart ~ The Journals of Sallie Independence Foster, 1861 - 1887. 2:30 - 4 p.m., Birmingham Botanical Gardens Lecture Hall. With the music of Bobby Horton. Ticket info TBA.
Sallie Independence Foster was 12 years old and living in Florence, Alabama in 1861 when the War Between the States began. She was keeping a diary at the time, and kept on keeping a diary for 26 years. In this dramatic performance, storyteller Dolores Hydock and music historian Bobby Horton interweave Sallie’s diary entries with camp songs, popular tunes of the times, and original melodies to tell a funny, touching, and uniquely personal true story of a world of innocence turned upside-down.