The congregation of the Christ Reformed United Church of Christ donated the historic building to the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF), which produces and develops new plays for worldwide audiences.
On this week’s episode, we begin our journey through Appalachia in the meadows and woods of West Virginia to catch the buzz on beekeeping.
We’ll also revisit our interview with Pocahontas County, West Virginia native Trevor Hammons. The young banjo player decided to carry on his family’s traditions of storytelling, wild lore and old-time music.
Then, we’ll check in with Kentucky artist Lacy Hale, who designed her iconic “No Hate In My Holler” screenprint five years ago. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message.
You can hear that and more in our latest tour Inside Appalachia.
We begin among the trees — in stands of black locust and tulip poplars — with a report from our Folkways reporter Margaret Leef, who checks in with a community of West Virginia beekeepers.
Music Comes Naturally To Son Of Hammons Legends
Trevor Hammons, a member of the famed Hammons family of Pocahontas County, West Virginia.
The Hammons Family of Pocahontas County, West Virginia are known around the world for their distinctive old-time music that reflects the early Appalachian frontier of the Mountain State. Nine members of the Hammons family — Edden, Pete, Maggie, Sherman, Burl, Lee, Currence, Mintie and Dona — were inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame in 2020.
We’re listening back to our story from 2020, when we first met 22-year-old Trevor Hammons, who is helping to ensure his family’s musical legacy lives on.
No Hate In My Holler
Lacy Hale
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Courtesy
“No Hate In My Holler,” a screenprint by Lacy Hale.
Artist Lacy Hale’s mural, honoring Nancy Mullins Shores, a beloved local midwife in Pound, Virginia.
In Eastern Kentucky, artist Lacy Hale has been painting murals and dabbling in other art forms for years. In 2017, her screenprint “No Hate In My Holler” — designed in response to a Nazi rally — went viral.
That image still resonates with Appalachians and can be found all over social media. Our host Mason Adams spoke with Hale about her work for this week’s episode.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week is by Long Point String Band, Ona, Chris Stapleton and the Hammons Family. Bill Lynch is our producer. Alex Runyon is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.
On this West Virginia Morning, taxidermy fascinates a lot of people, but the actual work of preserving and mounting dead animals makes some uncomfortable, but not Amy Ritchie in Yadkin County, North Carolina. Folkways Reporter Margaret McLeod Leef visited Ritchie’s workshop and brought us this story.
On this West Virginia Morning, students from poor families are more likely to be suspended from school for bad behavior, and data from West Virginia reflects this national trend. We share an excerpt from our latest episode of Us & Them, where host Trey Kay talks with a Yale University researcher about tailored school discipline strategies.
On this West Virginia Morning, the Hope Scholarship program allows West Virginia students to apply state money toward private and parochial school tuition. And state officials say the program is growing.
In schools across the nation, when students of color misbehave, they are disciplined at twice the rate of white students. That means Black and brown students are more likely to face suspension or expulsion. West Virginia lawmakers worry students are not facing the right consequences for their misbehavior. A new state law is designed to make schools safer. In this episode, Us & Them host Trey Kay looks at new approaches to school discipline.