DCC Storytellling Festival - Workshops

The DCC Storytelling Festival is happening from Thursday, October 1 through Saturday, October 3. On Friday, we will have a series of workshops for different ages and interests. Pick one, or three! Registration is free, but highly encouraged.

Morning Workshops, 10-11:30am

Imagination, Words and You led by Lisa Harris

Do you have stories you want to tell--ones from your life, ones you haven't lived but wished you had, other ones waiting to be remembered? Are their poems lurking around corners or flying around you like flocks like birds? This workshop will provide you prompts, images, and objects and a place to write from the connection of your heart, your mind, and your spirit. You choose the genre-- poetry, fiction, personal narrative. This workshop will give you space and inspiration. We will write in timed blocks. We will have reserved time at the end of the writing time to share a part of what each of you have written. You may also choose not to share. We will not critique the work. We will be your first listeners. After a person reads, we will thank the writer.

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Press Release: Dryden Center for Community Center Completes Purchase of United Methodist Church Building

On February 11, 2026, the Dryden Center for Community completed the purchase of the United Methodist Church building located in the center of the Village of Dryden. This is a major step toward opening the building for public events, community meals, music and creative arts lessons, and multigenerational events. “After months of community conversations and amazing support from so many individuals and families, we are ready to get to work on making this the community center that Dryden needs”, said Stephanie Ortolano, the Executive Director of the Dryden Center for Community.

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Reflections on 2025 and Dreams for 2026

As 2025 wraps up tonight, I am reflecting on all the amazing things that have happened this year. When the sad news came to our community that the Dryden United Methodist Church was going to be closing its doors, a group of people were convened by Tom Sinclair to see if a community center would be possible in this space. Sitting around that table were some of the most dedicated and committed people in Dryden, who wanted to make this happen. We weren't exactly sure what it would look like when we got started, but we knew that we were going to be part of something transformative for our whole community.

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October Update

It has been a few weeks since the last update and I have been waiting on news from our lawyer on a closing date. Unfortunately, we don't have one yet. So many people are excited about seeing the Center, teaching classes, holding events, and just using our electricity for the Dryden Holiday Celebration on Saturday, December 6th. Hopefully we will be in the building by then, but we are just in a holding pattern for the moment.

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Purchasing the building

A community center in Dryden has been a dream for many, many years. While there have been some efforts to create an accessible community space, such as the Dryden Community Cafe, finding the right space has always been an issue. In the spring of 2025, the community learned that the Dryden United Methodist Church would be closing its doors as a house of worship. A dwindling congregation and wider societal trends made it financially unfeasible for them to continue in the tradition that has kept this building and its programs a vital part of the Dryden community for almost 200 years. This sad turn of events has been able to be turned into an opportunity for the wider community.

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It's really happening!

Have you ever wondered why there isn't already a community center in Dryden? Have you attended a pancake breakfast at the Varna Community Association or a party at the Brooktondale Community Center and thought to yourself, why don't we have this in Dryden? As a parent, have you considered enrolling your child in music lessons only to be frustrated by how far you have to drive to find an instructor? Have you ever tried to sign up for a program at the library but were told that the space was full? Have you attended a performance at the high school and wished that there were more opportunities to see live theater in Dryden?

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