The lure of the lore

Longfellow's poem was actually a story that painted a vivid picture of Paul Revere's midnight ride in Massachusetts. This summer, storytellers schooled in that art will do the same for Philadelphia's Colonial era in the city's newest historical program, "Once Upon a Nation."

"Once Upon a Nation," starting tomorrow and continuing through Sept. 5, is a celebration that features three tours: Hunt for Democracy, the Independence Tour and the Tippler's Tour. It also includes Colonial-themed audience-participation productions such as "1776 The Movie-Musical," performances like "Summer of Treason," and presentations by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson re-enactors. But the highlight of "Once Upon a Nation" will be the 13 storytelling benches positioned around the city's historic district.

At those sites, street-clothed storytellers will recount tales of William Penn's design plan for this city, William Still's reunion with his escaped-slave brother, and Ben Franklin's deathbed transfer of political papers to Thomas Jefferson. They'll relive the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence - from a young boy's perspective.

There are 75 stories in all, which will be told by graduates of that esteemed local institution, the Benstitute.

The Benstitute?

Yes. It's a three-week course that instructed approximately 50 students in the art of storytelling, Philadelphia and American history - and customer service.

Two-year effort

This program "takes all of the treasures already in the historic district, and presents a new way to navigate the historic district," said "Once Upon a Nation" spokesperson Cari Feiler Bender. It's a program that will give visitors "a whole new way to experience and enliven history."

"Once Upon a Nation" began to take shape two years ago, when executive director Amy Needle partnered with the Independence National Historical Park, the Fairmount Park Commission, the City of Philadelphia, state officials and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corp. to look for new ways to market the city's historic resources.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if all those lost stories... [came] to light from people who were trained, devoted and enthusiastic about telling them?" Meryl Levitz, co-creator of the Benstitute and GPTMC president and CEO, recalled thinking. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to balance all the high-tech of the world with a high-touch component, so that people could get, person-to-person, the kind of red, white and blue feeling they wanted when they came to Philadelphia."

The project was funded by a $5 million grant from the state, matched by contributions from GPTMC, PNC Bank, Lincoln Financial Group Foundation, the Daily News, Home Depot and others.

In finding a name for the program that would train storytellers, Levitz said she turned to Benjamin Franklin, whose "big 3-0-0" anniversary is next year. Hence, the Benstitute.

Storytellers were selected by audition. Though their backgrounds vary, they typically are lovers of history - and lovers of the spotlight. The Benstitute class of 2005 graduates includes teachers and college students. Many have theater backgrounds, some have worked for Historic Philadelphia Inc., a nonprofit that runs other tourism programs in the historic district. There is even one high school student.

"I'm looking forward to being out there as a storyteller," said Jabbar Wright, describing himself as a struggling actor eager to "see what kind of response I get, how I can develop a story, develop a character."

The students' curriculum ranged from history lessons taught by area college professors to workshops with actors and re-enactors, to courses on how to deal sensitively with homeless people.

During the second week, Rex Ellis, vice president of the Historic Area, Colonial Williamsburg, showed off his storytelling and acting prowess, wrapping up his presentation with an exercise in dissecting a historical document so that the teller could become immersed in the character, the time and the circumstances.

Ellis' more specific agenda was to convey the story of slaves and slavery in a sensitive, accurate manner. He advised the class to "never shy away from difficult topics."

After Ellis, Thomas Jefferson impersonator Bill Barker spoke on the art of historical interpretation. He is also from Williamsburg and will be in character at the Free Quaker Meeting House here four times this summer.

Organizers hope "Once Upon a Nation" will spread interest in Philadelphia beyond the 13 benches and the historic district. They also envision this program as a model for other cities.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful," Levitz wondered, "if in every state, there [were]... trained interpreters who would help bring history... in ways" that made it relevant to people today?

"We're gonna start with [Independence] Mall and move out," she said.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.