In 2023, a small group of Clifton-Fine community members heard about the OurStoryBridge program in an NCPR interview Jery Huntley, from Keene, NY. We thought the OurStoryBridge model would be a great way to get an oral storytelling project started in our area, but we needed a sponsor and funding to get the project started. 

 

We are also quilters, and that’s when the idea came to us that we could start a pilot version of the project managed through our quilt group, Common Thread Quilts (CTQ). After all, our theme for Quilt Fest 2023, inspired by a lovely Clifton-Fine community made quilt, was Stitched Stories: Quilts that Speak. What better way to celebrate the places depicted in the quilt than by collecting stories about them.

 

Thus, the Two Towns Story Project made its debut at Quilt Fest 2023 as a pilot project sponsored by CTQ. It was the first phase of  a broad based multi-year oral storytelling project that collects and organizes audio stories and related photographs about the Clifton-Fine area. The program promotes the rich social and cultural history of the area, strengthens a sense of shared community among area residents, and connects the next  generation to the place they call home. 

​

In the spring of 2025, the Two Towns Story Project was relaunched as a permanent on-going community out reach program sponsored by the Wanakena Historical Association.