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To begin 2019, Inside Appalachia is taking a look back at some favorite stories. Not our favorite stories, but those of the show’s friend Adam Harris. Harris is the Executive Producer for West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Mountain Stage with Larry Groce.
Pepperoni rolls have been called the unofficial food of West Virginia. They were invented here in the Mountain state. Legend has it they were originally made for coal miners to take underground in their dinner buckets – because the cured pepperoni didn’t spoil. Harris picked a trio of stories about pepperoni rolls, including an interview he did with his own mother about the first time he ever tried them himself. Before that story, though, Roxy Todd visits with a bakery that is credited with inventing the pepperoni roll and an author who wrote a book on the subject.
What’s your favorite way to eat pepperoni rolls? Or if you’ve moved away, what do you do to satisfy your pepperoni roll cravings? Tell us your story on twitter at InAppalachia.
Working with Mountain Stage, music is a big part of Harris’ life. And West Virginia and Fayette County native Charlie McCoy is one of his favorites. McCoy has worked in the Nashville music industry for more than five decades. As a studio musician, he was on nearly every album recorded in the music city in the 1960s and 70s. McCoy has also played in the band at the induction ceremonies for the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and was himself inducted in 2008. Jessica Lilly and Roxy Todd produced this story.
Tent revivals and the music they feature were once a common site in Appalachia, but they have been on the decrease in recent years. Photographer Roger May did a photo project called “Glory” a few years ago to document some of the remaining services. May and Jessica Lilly talked about the project. He is also the director of the crowdsourced photo project “Looking at Appalachia”.
Maple syrup is another growing industry in Appalachia, and one that Harris has personal experience with, as his father produced it. Harris selected two Inside Appalachia stories about the people who make syrup and how it has changed their lives.
Adam Harris was the guest host for this episode. Jessica Lilly is the host. Roxy Todd is our producer. Eric Douglas is our Associate Producer. Our executive producer is Jesse Wright and he also edited our show this week. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Molly Born is our web editor. You can find us online on Twitter @InAppalachia.
You can also send us an email to Inside Appalachia @ wvpublic dot org or address your letters to Inside Appalachia at West Virginia Public Broadcasting, 600 Capitol Street, Charleston, West Virginia 25301.
