STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
The paper flames on the portable campfire flickered in a slight evening breeze as Jana Arnold took the stage.
For the next 15 minutes she held the audience at Ketchum’s Forest Service Park spellbound as she shared a story from her memoir currently under construction.
Arnold, a veteran actress with Company of Fools and TV shows, provided plenty of physical embellishments as she told the story of witnessing a murder as she trod the bubbly asphalt of a small Texas town in search of a Coca Cola.
But, instead of S’mores or Beanie Weenies, those sitting around the “campfire” sipped wine and nibbled on stuffed lettuce wraps.
It was all part of the Community Library’s third annual Lit Walk. Held on the cusp of the Great American Eclipse, it brought children and adults out to listen to short stories told by local authors at Chapter One Bookstore while posing as literary characters in a photo booth.
“This is our way of celebrating what we do,” said Brad McClane, the library’s technology director. “It’s our way of giving back to the community.”
Diane Josephy Peavey told of a lightning strike that killed 51 ewes on the Flat Top Sheep Ranch, before reading her story of a wildfire that threatened her family’s ranch near Carey.
David Seidler, a Sun Valley playwright who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for “The King’s Speech,” read a captivating story he had written about an army of dragonflies and other bugs waging war against campers who dared enter a wilderness reserve closed to the public.
Company of Fools’ actor David Janeski told the haunting story of a cat who tussled with the devil.
And Beth Hardin read from her book “Beth of Fresh Air,” which recounts a sojourn in New Zealand paid for by 19 odd jobs, including cleaning gutters and cleaning up horse manure.
“I had adventures and I felt alive. I also remembered how much I enjoyed writing,” said Hardin, who works part-time at Chapter One Bookstore. “I’m now writing a book about making friends as an adult. It can be a challenge because people have all these things going on.”
Lisa Colesworthy and Jan Main were among those who spent the evening strolling from one attraction to another.
“I love that the library’s available for all,” said Main.
“And I love their Axis 360 app,” said Colesworthy. “I don’t even have to leave my home to download a book via that app.”