Elyria Arts Council presents program about Underground Railroad in Elyria

The art of storytelling is keeping an audience engaged. What better way to do that during Black History Month then telling stories about the Underground Railroad in Lorain County. That's why the Elyria Arts Council is teaming up with Eden Valley Enterprises for a presentation of the local theater company's "Next Stop, Freedom!" program. The free event is 6:30 p.m. Monday at the 336 Broad St. venue in Elyria. Reservations are required. "These are stories that have been gathered by extensive research about the involvement of Lorain County and Elyria in the Underground Railroad," Elyria Arts Council Founder Clint Rohrbacher said. "This evening of storytelling has been a production of Eden Valley Enterprises. It was originally commissioned by the Great Lakes Historical Society, which wanted to draw attention to the role of the Great Lakes in the Underground Railroad. They researched captains, boats and other individuals responsible for getting people across the Great Lakes for the last leg of the trip." Leading "Next Stop, Freedom!" will be Eden Valley Enterprises Artistic Director Bette Lou Higgins, who will go into detail about abolitionist captains and crews transporting slaves across Lake Erie with slave hunters hot on their trail. "This version of the program is being geared to spotlight Lorain County's connection to the Underground Railroad, including a story about Monteith Hall (now the Elyria Woman's Club)," Higgins said. Added Rohrbacher, "This is significant because a lot of people in this area tend to think of the Underground Railroad as going through specific areas, such as Oberlin. But the Underground Railroad was much more extensive and involved. This is trying to bring attention to all of the men and women who participated in this flight to freedom." Specializing in historical programming, Eden Valley Enterprises — which produced more than 40 original programs over the last four decades — won a local Emmy Award for its documentary "Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story." The film documented Ohioan Emma Gatewood, who at the age of 67 after raising 11 children and surviving domestic abuse, was the first woman to solo hike the 2,050‐mile Appalachian Trail. Regarding "Next Stop, Freedom!," Rohrbacher said it makes sense for Elyria Arts Council and Eden Valley Enterprises to co-sponsor the event considering both groups share a mission of inclusion, education and cultural diversity. "We're just hoping for an evening of fellowship and enlightenment," Rohrbacher said. Higgins added, "Stories are pictures made with words instead of paint, pencils, chalk and cameras. You can't hang them on the wall and look at them. You can view the images of a good story come to life in your mind's eye as you listen to them in the Elyria Arts Council Gallery. The perfect place to merge the visual arts with the verbal arts." Contact John Benson at ndiffrence@att.net.