This script was written for a show about strong women in Jonesborough, and the director wanted a piece honoring Carolyn Moore. She contributed to the town in many ways, including her work supporting the library and the National Storytelling Festival, so there was no shortage of material. The challenge was finding a way to shape those details into a story rather than a list of worthy accomplishments wearing sensible shoes.
I based the script on research, including an interview one of our story collectors recorded before Carolyn died. Since I didn’t have documentation for one specific day or event, I decided to imagine the story as a walk through town, with different moments from her life unfolding along the way.
And who better to narrate that walk than the old county courthouse? With its clock tower rising above the trees, it has watched Jonesborough change for generations. In this script, the courthouse finally gets to speak for itself, which may have been risky. Buildings that old are bound to have opinions. Tim Herron played the role, and I can still hear his voice when I read the script. Tim’s versatile acting skilils made him a great choice for out-of-the-ordinary voice parts.
NARRATOR
I’m going to start the recorder now… are you ready? It’s March 24, 2024, and I’m here on Jonesborough’s Main Street in front of the old historic courthouse…
COURTHOUSE
(interrupts) You can call me Court if you like.
NARRATOR
Court? All right…
COURTHOUSE
(interrupts) Or Justin. An appropriate name for someone of my prestige, don’t you think?
NARRATOR
All right, Justin…
COURTHOUSE
(interrupts) Of course, I’ve always liked Solomon, King of the realm of Jonesborough. Or maybe Regina. (switches to high voice) A name that conveys my judicious nature while expressing a modicum of sex appeal.
NARRATOR
Sex appeal?!
COURTHOUSE
(switches back to regular voice) I may be old but I’m not the antique shop.
NARRATOR
All right…Regina…
COURTHOUSE
Oh, I know! I’ve got the perfect name. Much better than those.
NARRATOR
(sarcastic) I’m sure. What is it?
COURTHOUSE
Prudence. It implies finesse, intellect, and a touch of legal panache that’s beyond the comprehension of most ordinary buildings.
NARRATOR
I think I like Court a little better.
COURT
Certainly. Court is friendly and inviting, and I’ve always tried my best to be friendly and inviting. And equitable, impartial, dispassionate and fair-minded. Court is a great name, let’s use that. Just don’t confuse it with the other C word.
NARRATOR
The C word?
COURT
It’s not something one says in an orderly society.
NARRATOR
I’m afraid I don’t know what you….
COURT
(dramatic whisper) Contempt.
NARRATOR
OHHH! I’ll be careful.
COURT
Thank you.
NARRATOR
Don’t mention it. Perhaps we should move on. Thank you for reaching out to the McKinney Center and letting us know you have a story to share.
COURT
You’re welcome. I felt it was time for my opening statement. Would you like me to swear in?
NARRATOR
That’s not necessary.
COURT
I hope not too, but just in case, I want you to know that I have no intention of committing perjury. Are we in session then?
NARRATOR
Uh, yes. Is there a particular story you’d like to share first? Not necessarily about a court case. I’m interested in the people you’ve helped over the years. And this month we want to remember our strong women.
COURT
I remember just one such lady. Her name was Carolyn Moore, and she and her husband had three lovely daughters. They bought the Dosser house on Depot Street, the one some people used to call the Jess Patton house, on account of Miss Jess Patton, the music teacher who used to live there. I knew they would fit in wonderfully in Jonesborough.
NARRATOR
When was this?
COURT
Hmmm….about three in the afternoon?
NARRATOR
(chuckles) Yes, but what day?
COURT
Spring. It was definitely spring. The trees had new leaves on them.
NARRATOR
Can you be more specific?
COURT
What do you mean?
NARRATOR
You said spring, but do you know what year?
COURT
Oh. Ah, well… no.
NARRATOR
Why not?
COURT
Have you seen my clock tower? I can tell the time, but somehow the architects neglected to give me a calendar.
NARRATOR
A calendar?
COURT
What a mistake! You wouldn’t believe how many people have missed their court dates over the years because of it.
NARRATOR
Are you saying they didn’t show up on time because the architects didn’t design you with a calendar?
COURT
Of course not. They showed up on TIME, just not on the right DAY.
NARRATOR
Of course.
COURT
The problem is even worse now. When they designed the new county courthouse, they left out the calendar AND the clock tower. I hear there are more missed court dates over there than I ever used to have.
NARRATOR
I see. Let’s just go on with the story.
COURT
I used to like watching Carolyn walk around town. She not only wanted to be part of the community, she made the community a part of her. She always had time to stop and chat with people. Back then, Depot Street was a lot busier, with more traffic than it has now. So Carolyn would walk along the railroad tracks as a shortcut to downtown.
ETHEL ARROWOOD
Hello Ms Carolyn! How are you today?
CAROLYN
Ms Ethel! It’s good to see you out and about. I’m doing well, how are things at the Bethel Church?
ETHEL
It’s been busy. We’ve ‘bout outgrown our little building. Me and the Ladies Aid have been discussing fundraising to build a new one.
CAROLYN
That’s wonderful! You’ll have to let me know how I can help.
ETHEL
I will, I will. What we really need is a bigger piece of land. But it would double the cost, and I don’t know how we’d raise that much money.
CAROLYN
Is that so? You know, I think I might have an idea for a place where you could build a larger church without it costing you a dime.
NARRATOR
That was when Carolyn decided to give them part of her property, wasn’t it?
COURT
That’s right. And the congregation built the new Bethel Christian Church there a few years later. She was generous like that. Always willing to give, especially her time. I remember another time, when she met up with Doc Byrd out in front of Lavenders Market.
CAROLYN
Hello, Doc! Is that a new hat?
DOC
It is, and let me tell you, it’s getting harder and harder to find straw hats these days. What are you up to this morning?
CAROLYN
Just muddling around, trying to dig up some old dirt.
DOC
Working in the garden?
CAROLYN
No, I was just looking for some information about the old cemetery for a storyteller friend. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a place people could go to that’s just for storytelling? A place with books and tapes and all kinds of helpful information about being a storyteller, as well as local history they could use for their stories.
DOC
Can’t they just go to the library?
CAROLYN
I’m sure, but now that’s another thing that needs fixed. We need a real building for the library. There isn’t enough room for it in the Chester Inn.
DOC
I’ll bet you can find some help from the Schubert’s Club. They’ve supported the library for longer than I’ve been around.
CAROLYN
Oh I’m sure they would. It’s something I think I’ll bring up after elections.
DOC
You planning on calling everybody again this year to tell them who to vote for?
CAROLYN
I do not tell people who to vote for. And they call me. I just tell them what I know about the people who are running for office. It comes from being an active member of the Democratic Party for so long. People have a right to know everything that’s important about the people on the ballot.
DOC
I agree. And as a peace offering, how about I buy you a coffee and a piece of pie?
NARRATOR
Wasn’t Carolyn a member of the Democratic National Committee?
COURT
Indeed she was! She was enthusiastic about letting people know about current events and how they could help change the world. And she was very encouraging about women getting out to vote. But her civic responsibilities extended beyond politics. She was a member of the Schubert Club and a Friend of the Library.
NARRATOR
Oh really?
COURT
Yep. You know, some campaigners are just a bag of hot wind. But not Carolyn. She was an honest civic leader and a strong woman in our town. By the way, did you know that I housed the library for awhile? This was before it was moved to the Chester Inn. It was right here in the Grand Jury Room.
NARRATOR
No, I didn’t know. I’ll have to come back another time to get that story!
COURT
I’d like that, but let me finish this one about Carolyn Moore. Another way she helped the community was by taking in storytellers that came for the annual festival. She loved hearing their stories, and if she didn’t have enough room at her home, she’d go knocking on people’s doors to find places for them to stay.
NARRATOR
I almost forgot that you witnessed the first Storytelling Festival right here!
COURT
I did. But it was after the second one when I overheard a conversation between Carolyn and two of the storytellers who were there at the beginning of it all. This was at her house. It was a bitter cold day that fall.
CAROLYN
Now don’t mind the parachute on the ceiling. The bed’s right comfortable enough you can get a good night’s sleep.
WOMAN
Thank you so much for letting us stay with you. It was fun to be part of the Jonesoborough Storytelling Festival, but now I’m exhausted!
MAN
Me too. I think it was all that walking around that did me in. I never did a telling in the basement of a church before. Nor in front of a log cabin!
WOMAN
It was a good idea to get the audiences inside for the storytelling events, but aren’t you and the other organizers a bit concerned about what the people are saying?
CAROLYN
I don’t know what you mean.
MAN
Doc McConnell said someone told him we were having a secret storytelling festival, and they might have problems getting sponsors for next year. I know it might’ve seemed that way because of having to hold the storytelling sessions in the basement of the Presbyterian church and some of the other remote locations around town, but we weren’t trying to make it an underground festival!
CAROLYN
An underground festival! Well that’s not so bad. I’ve always wanted to be part of a secret society. Don’t you worry. Jimmy Neil has never had a problem getting sponsors, and you know he’ll invite you back next year. You two settle in, and I’ll go get you some hot chocolate.
NARRATOR
That sounds like real Southern hospitality!
COURT
Indeed it was. Carolyn was rather old-fashioned in that way. She had very good manners and was the kind of person who preferred hearing other peoples’ stories more than telling them her own. But I think she would’ve liked knowing that her story is in a radio program.
NARRATOR
And we are honored to tell stories about her on the Storytown Radio Show.
COURT
Is that what you’re calling it now? I liked the name ‘Yarn Exchange’ better.
NARRATOR
On account of you witnessing all of the yarns that have been told here over the years?
COURT
Well, there’s that. But I’ll bet you didn’t know I was the one who came up with that name.
NARRATOR
(disbeliving) Oh, really?
COURT
That’s right. A young lady named Jules Corriere was walking past my steps one day, talking with Jimmy Neil about the possibility of a radio show, and I whispered it into her ear. (dramatic) “Call it…the Yarn Exchange”
NARRATOR
Uh huh. Are you sure about that? Or are we still talking about some of that hot wind?
COURT
You have to admit it was a catchy name. And you did want me to talk about strong women.
NARRATOR
I did, at that. But didn’t you say you had no intention of committing perjury?
COURT
True, however, everyone in Jonesborough knows there’s a difference between spinning a yarn and telling a falsehood.
NARRATOR
Okay, I’ll give you that.
COURT
I’ve got many more stories, too. I’ve been around here a long time. And I’ve always wanted to be immortalized in a radio show. I hope your audience enjoys my story.
NARRATOR
I think the jury is still out on that, but we appreciate your sharing it with us.
