Ridgewood March 28, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Storyteller David Emerson brings ghost stories to life by John Koster Bringing ghost stories to life on a sunny day is a challenge, but last week, storyteller David Emerson rose to the challenge and turned himself into David MacCaffre, the Shannachie of Glenndunbun Ballybeg. Armed only with a shillelagh and a microphone, Emerson had his audience at the Ridgewood Library laughing and applauding as he told three Irish ghost stories with lovable characters at once Gaelic and familiar to everyone above a certain age. First there was Cursed Kate, who could not get a man because no man was good enough for her. Then there was Rory O’Connell, a sort of Irish Rip Van Winkle David Emerson who never had a story to tell -- and had to have a story happen to him so he could tell one for free drinks for the rest of his days. Last was Black Jack Sullivan who feared nothing human, but was scared stiff by sheep in ghost’s clothing. The wonder of it all was the way Emerson used his microphone as a special-effects device to conjure up thunderstorms, explosions, and Irish nights when the lighnting reveals mysterious dark figures and the rain falls in buckets. “Truth is a very rare and precious commodity, and only the Irish give it the proper respect by using it as seldom as possible,” he told his understanding audience. “In Ireland we call it blarney.” Emerson, a professional storyteller since the early 1980s, has fascinated audiences at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts, and at Morristown National Park and Old Barrack Museum in New Jersey. He has impersonated historical figures including George Washington and Davy Crockett, and invented two of his own: David MacCaffre, the Shannachie (storyteller) of Glenndunbun Ballbeg, and Captain Leland Emerson, a 19th century New England whaler. The New Jersey Council for the Humanities Horizons Speakers Bureau lists three of his presentations, including the Celtic Tales he presented in Ridgewood. He has also been filmed both as George Washington and as Continental Sergeant Smith of the Revolutionary War army. Emerson and his partner Stacy Roth work with a company called History on the Hoof that combines serious scholarship with lively narrative and acting skills to help youngsters and adults experience contact and conversation with people from the past. When he offered an encore, everyone stayed to relish Emerson’s gift of blarney. The Ridgewood YMCA will offer School Vacation Camp for children in kindergarten through grade five from April 2 through 5 and April 9 through 13 at its Oak Street facility. School Vacation Camp will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours available. The cost for camp is $60 per day YMCA offers School Vacation Camp for Ridgewood YMCA members and $80 per day for non-members. Children will participate in daily recreational and educational activities, including swimming, arts and crafts, and theme days. Contact Mike Rainere at (201) 444 5600, extension 339, or e-mail mrainere@ridgewoodymca.org.