The Witch Hunt
National Capital Area Council

Leader takes a seated position in front of the audience and asks them to follow along, repeating after him and making motions as she does.

Would you like to go on a witch-hunt? Okay? Let's go! Watch me and do all the things I do and repeat after me all the things I say. Here we go!

We're going on a witch-hunt. Everyone tip toe. (tip toe fingers across hand) Shhh! (Finger across mouth) I see a house, a haunted house. We can't go under it. We can't go around it. We can't go over it. I guess we'll have to go in it. (Pretends to open a creaking door, making a loud noise) Shhhh! (finger across mouth) I see the stairs, great long stairs. We can't go around them. We can't go under them. We can't go over them. I guess we'll have to climb the. (Pretend to climb the stairs. Shade eyes and look around. Continue tip toeing) Shhh. (finger across mouth I see a cobweb, a great big cobweb. We can't go around it. We can't go under it. We can't go over it. I guess we'll have to go through it. (Wave hands to get through cobweb, make gestures and face as if disgusted.) Shhh! (finger across mouth) I see a room, a great big room. We can't go around it. We can't go under it. We can't go over it. I guess we'll have to go through it. (Open creaking door. Feel in front of you as in the dark.) It sure is dark in here. I feel something. (Go through the motion of feeling.) It's big! It has a crooked nose! It has a pointed hat! I think it's a witch! It IS a witch! Let's get out of here fast! (Slap knees quickly for running) Open the door, (creaking sound), through the cobweb (wave hands), down the stairs (slap knees) out of the house (continue slapping knees), I beat you home. Now you've been on a witch-hunt.

The Big Wheel
York Adams Council

Divide audience into four groups to respond to the following words in the story:

Big Wheel: "Spin, spin"

Canoe: "Paddle, paddle"

Airplane: "Zooooom"

Car: "Rattle, rattle, rattle"

Man has invented different things that go and provide him with transportation down through the years. The Indian made his Canoe, which took him from place to place and served its purpose well. Men like Henry Ford invented the Car, which today is the most popular type of transportation. There were men like the Wright brothers, who pioneered the invention of the Airplane. And there is a group of people, called the Big Wheels, who really don't go anyplace or do anything, but they like to feel important.

This story is about one of those Big Wheels who just sat and spun his wheels and felt so important while he was doing nothing at all. Everyone around him was working on new and better types of Canoes, designing new and more efficient Cars, and designing and testing newer and faster Airplanes. But our Big Wheel just sat around feeling important, not doing anything to help anybody, while everyone else was doing the work.

Somehow, he always seemed to get by and fool people into thinking that he was important because everyone around him was making progress. The Big Wheel depended on their brains and energy to make him look good. Finally, one day, something happened that changed things overnight for the Big Wheel.

Everyone who had been working on Canoes, and Cars, and the Airplanes decided it was time to teach the Big Wheel a lesson. They were tired of him doing nothing except acting important. So they all became very busy and didn't pay any attention to him. When something came up, the Big Wheel found he couldn't rely on the others to answer questions and make him look important. Finally the Big Wheel realized he could not accomplish anything without help from the others. He realized he was making no contribution to the world at all. He was just sitting there spinning his wheel, while the others accomplished a lot on Canoes, and Cars, and the Airplanes. Big Wheel felt very bad.

It was a hard lesson when Big Wheel finally realized something he should have known all along-if you're going to get anyplace in this world, you can't expect other people to do all the work for you. But it was a good lesson, too. Because when the Big Wheel, really look deep down within himself, he realized that, like the Canoe makers, and the Car workers, and the Airplane people, he too had special talents that he could use to contribute to the world.

Arachne The Spinner
York Adams Council

Arachne (pronounced a-RAK-nee?): "I'm the Best!"

Athena: "A goddess"

Tapestry: "Is it real?"

Shuttle: "Shoosh, shoosh"

Everyone: "Aaaah" (The entire audience does this)

Tonight's theme is "Our Gifts and Talents." Every one of us is blessed with special gifts and talents. But we also have to make sure we don't think ourselves so much better than others because we are blessed with certain talents. Tonight's story explains why.

Long ago, there was a weaver who had a great skill. Her name was Arachne. Arachne made Tapestries that were so lovely, people paid a fortune for then. Everyone came from miles around just to watch Arachne weave. Her fingers would make the Shuttle fly over the cloth. Arachne's friends said the gods had given her an amazing talent. Arachne replied, "There is nothing the gods can teach me about weaving. I can weave better than the gods and goddesses!"

Her friend turned pale with fright. "You better not let the goddess Athena hear you say that!"

"I don't care who hears me. I'm the best there is!" replied Arachne.

An old lady was sitting behind Arachne, examining the Tapestries. "So you think you weave better than the goddess Athena?" she asked.

"Athena wouldn't stand a chance against me," said Arachne.

All of the sudden the old lady's hair began to float like smoke and turned to golden light. Her robe turned white and she grew taller and taller. The old lady turned into the goddess Athena. "A contest between you and me!"

Arachne's friends bowed down to Athena, but Arachne just threaded another Shuttle and agreed to the contest. "Now we'll see who is the best weaver in the world," she said.

To and fro the shuttles went, fast as could be. Athena wove a picture of Mount Olympus and all the gods and goddesses. All the animals were in her Tapestry and Everyone wanted to touch them. They seemed so real. Arachne made fun of the gods in her tapestry. She made them look like ordinary people. But her butterfly looked as though it would fly away and the grain waved in the breeze. When Arachne wove a lion, Everyone shrieked and ran away in fright. Indeed, Arachne's Tapestry was lovelier than nature itself.

Athena laid down her Shuttle and looked at Arachne's Tapestry. "You are a better weaver, said Athena. "Your skill is unmatched. Even I don't have your magic."

Arachne was very smug. "Didn't I tell you so?"

"But your pride is even greater than your skill," said Athena, "and your irreverence cannot be forgiven. No one makes fun of the gods." With that, Athena turned Arachne into a spider. "Now you will weave your Tapestries forever, said Athena. "But no matter how beautiful they are, people will shudder at them and destroy them!"

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