For the 40th straight year, the Greene County Heritage Trust will launch the local Christmas Season by holding its annual dinner.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 6, at the General Morgan Inn, 111 N. Main St. The reception will begin at 5:15 p.m. and a seated dinner will start by 6:30 p.m.

This year's entertainment will be provided by international storyteller Jay O'Callahan, who has been creating and performing stories for nearly two decades.

A storyteller of international renown, he has performed at the Abbey Theatre for the Yeats International Festival in Dublin, Ireland, and the Glistening Water Festival in New Zealand.

Time Magazine has called him "a genius among storytellers."

He has told stories in England, Africa, The Hague, with the Boston Symphony and at Lincoln Center in New York City.

O'Callahan has also made appearances in Jonesborough during the International Storytelling Festival.

Tickets for the evening are $50 each and go on sale Monday, Oct. 15, at The General Morgan Inn or the Greeneville- Greene County Public Library. To purchase tickets call GMI at 787-1000 (credit cards are accepted) or the library at 638-9409. Tickets are also available from all members of the Heritage Trust.

Seating for the program is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to purchase tickets early.