Ball returns for his 15th consecutive performance in the city's Evenings of Cultural Arts series on Jan. 14, and some fans have been at every one of his performances.

Sunnyvale's Nancy Garman says Ball can "mesmerize" an audience, and he does so without special effects, lighting or elaborate sets.

"He does it all with his words and his harp," she says.

Ball is a modern-day bard who plays in an ancient style.

His Celtic harp is similar to the instruments played by minstrels centuries ago and strung with brass strings instead of nylon strings used by musicians today. He plays the instrument in the same manner as his ancestors, too. He plucks the strings with his fingernails, as opposed to the pads of his fingertips, to bring out clear bell-like tones.

In Saturday's performance called "Celtic Harp and Story," Ball says the stories he will tell will be a combination of traditional folk stories from Ireland in the first act, and the second act will be one story by Ursula Le Guin, a prolific, Berkeley-born writer best known for fantasy fiction books.

Ball received the Circle of Excellence Award from the National Storytelling Association in 2002 for his talent in telling tales.

"He is such a good storyteller and such a good musician, and he's able to blend the two seamlessly," Garman says.

Ball was born and raised in California and lives in Sebastopol with his family. Before settling there he spent time in Ireland. It was there he discovered the lore, language and his love of Irish folktales.

"I just love the tradition and stories and the Irish way with words and literature," he says.

Ball has co-written some of his performances, but most of them are old stories, some dating as far back as the 13th century. The story about Turlough O'Carolan is one Ball co-wrote with Peter Glazer. O'Carolan is considered the last bard of Ireland and one whose work of poetry and music lives on today.

"[O'Carolan] lived in a fascinating and difficult time, yet he wrote very beautiful music. He had a marvelous life and he uplifted the people. I wanted to write a show about him," Ball says.

The O'Carolan performance is one Garman and Seiler remember fondly. They say that Ball encourages his audience to stick around after the show to chat with him.

"He has a very pleasant, kind of unassuming manner on stage. He kind of draws you in," Garman says.

His relaxed manner both on and off stage is one of the most appealing aspects about Ball, says Sunnyvale's Mary Chapman.

"I'll never forget when he announced that he and his wife were expecting their first child.

"We all felt like we were part of it," she says. "It's like you step out of your life and into Patrick Ball's."

One thing his Sunnyvale audience may not know about the life of Patrick Ball is that he is a certified river-rafting guide in Idaho.

Some years ago, following a performance near Modesto, a man who owned a river rafting company approached and asked Ball to perform camp-side during river tours. Ball agreed, wrapping his harp in tarp, placing it at the bow of the boat during the daylight river rides. At night, he would perform.

Two summers passed, and he grew weary of sitting idly on the boat and told the owner that he would no longer perform unless he would also be trained to guide the boat down the river.

For eight or nine years, he rowed by day and performed by night.

No rowing will be necessary to reach the Sunnyvale Theatre.

The show begins at 8 p.m. on Jan. 14. Tickets are available at the Sunnyvale Theatre Box Office on the day of the show. The theater is located at the Community Center at 550 E. Remington Drive. General admission is $25. Students and seniors are $20.