Iconic musician, songwriter and producer Nick Lowe returned to Mountain Stage in 2019 flanked by surf-rock legends Los Straitjackets. Host Larry Groce also welcomed Patty Griffin, Craig Finn & Uptown Controllers and Shook Twins to the stage.
Before coal or timber, the fur trade was one of Appalachia’s first industries.
Fur trapping flourished for centuries, made fortunes and led to wars and was still lucrative into the last few generations.
Now, most West Virginia fur trappers struggle to earn a living, but some have adapted or found new careers using their particular skills. Folkways Reporter Lauren Griffin brought us the story.
Blue Ribbon-Winning Fair Food
There’s nothing quite like the county fair, where you can pet a goat or get motion sick on the tilt-a-whirl.
A staple of county and state fairs are the annual craft competitions, where the hopeful vie for the coveted blue ribbon.
Few people have been as successful as Russell County, Virginia resident Linda Skeens, who has won hundreds of ribbons, become a social media sensation and released a cookbook featuring some of her winning recipes.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with her about winning contests and collecting recipes.
Cruising With Vintage Vehicles
For over 50 years, in Roanoke, Virginia, on any given Friday night, you can see modified cars and trucks with neon lights, spinning rims and streamlined spoilers strutting from north to south and back again. And often — you’ll see old timey antique cars out there among them.
Host Mason Adams reported this story in 2020, about a family of mechanics who have spent years developing the skills to get those vintage cars just right.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline Saga Continues
We’ve reported on the Mountain Valley Pipeline for years. Completion of the pipeline has been held up because a federal court keeps throwing out its permits. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled to allow work to resume again. But some energy analysts question whether the pipeline is even needed.
WVPB’s Curtis Tate spoke with Suzanne Mattei of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
Extended Family Pitching In To Care For Dementia Patients
Spouses or adult children typically care for people with dementia, but more and more extended family members are taking on that role. CareEx is a project at the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech that studies extended family caregivers in central Appalachia.
WVPB’s Eric Douglas spoke with project coordinator Brandy McCann about their work.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sturgill Simpson, Ron Mullennex, Mary Hott and Noam Pikelny.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
On this West Virginia Morning, solar is expanding in West Virginia, thanks to shifts in federal and state policies. Curtis Tate spoke recently with Dan Conant, founder and CEO of Solar Holler, about solar growth in the Mountain State. Also, in this show, a patient at Sharpe Hospital has filed a lawsuit against the facility, its CEO and state health officials. Emily Rice has more.
On this West Virginia Morning, we dive into the preservation of historic Black churches across the Mountain State and the nation. Plus, in the latest installment of our series “Now What? A Series on Parenting,” we’ll hear about efforts to train new child care professionals.
The woman behind the popular TikTok account “Appalachian Forager” makes jam from wild pawpaws … and jewelry from coyote teeth. We also talk with the hosts of a new podcast that looks at coal dust exposure beyond the mines, affecting people far downstream from Appalachia. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
On this West Virginia Week, lawmakers returned to the capitol for interim committee meetings and a special session of the West Virginia Legislature. We’ll talk about some of the policy decisions lawmakers made.