Whidbey Island Center for the Arts will host its fourth annual WOW! Stories event next month.
WOW! is a celebration of remarkable Whidbey Island women modeled after the famed TED conference, according to a recent press release.  
During the event, women share their stories and discuss their life’s passions. This year, the event will span two days and include two distinct shows. The shows will take place from 7-10 p.m. Friday, March 13 and from 11-2 p.m. Sunday, March 14 respectively. 
There are limited tickets still available for each show, according to the release.
“We keep selling out each year before we even get the posters up, so we’re trying something new in 2015. We’ve split it into two shows to allow more people to come to the event,” said Lynn Willeford, one of the event founders and a speaker coach for participants, according to the release.
Also new this year is the fact that several local businesses have elected to give discounts on the weekend of the event to attendees. 
Presenters vary in age as they do in expertise and interests. Among this year’s group of speakers are artists, adventurers, professors, inventors, entrepreneurs, singers, musicians, students, a farmer, a restauranteur, a physical anthropologist, a storyteller, an ecologically conscious funeral director, a poet, a theologian, a bodyworker and a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent.
Friday will feature talks and performances by Sharon Betcher, Sharon Daloz Parks, Kathy Fox, Lucinda Herring, Annie Jesperson, Joanne Keefe, Deborah Koff-Chopin, Haley McConnaughey, Rainey, Shannon Stalpaert and Debora Valis. 
Saturday’s event will feature Judith Adams, Sarah Boin, The Carolina Parrots, Julie Gersten, Marion Henny, Jill Johnson, Jenn Jurriaans, Hannah McConnaughey, Mary K. Sanford, Jean Shaw, Aleah Stacey and jazz musicians from South Whidbey High School.
Tickets cost $25 for each show and are available for purchase through the WICA box office at 360-221-8268 or wicaonline.org. Tickets include light fare and a reception Friday evening and a locally-made box lunch on Saturday. Snacks and refreshments courtesy of Whidbey Island Nourishes will also be available for purchase.