On this West Virginia Morning, a festival highlights the grassroots movement to reclaim the Black roots of folk and country music, and a new tourism trail highlights the brewers and distillers of southern West Virginia.
A morel sliced lengthwise will resemble a gutted fish. Note its characteristic hollow stem, a final safety check on whether you have a true morel, and the reason for its nickname of “dry land fish.” Also note that unclean morels can house ants as well as snails. Courtesy Adam Boring.
Every spring, morel hunters head to the woods in search of mushrooms that look like little wrinkled Christmas trees. Some folks freeze them for later. And even add them to their holiday menus.
Folkways reporter Wendy Welch spoke with foragers and chefs in Virginia about how to safely harvest and prepare these beloved fungi.
Raising Flood Relief With A River Song
Four months after Haddox appeared on stage at the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance festival in Black Mountain, North Carolina, Hurricane Helene tore through the conference location, where recovery efforts are ongoing. Courtesy Chris Haddox.
In 2016, torrential rains resulted in one of the deadliest floods in West Virginia. It inspired songwriter Chris Haddox, called “O, This River.”
Since Hurricane Helene, Haddox has been using that song to raise money for people in North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.
Folkways reporter Connie Bailey Kitts spoke with him about the story behind the song.
Smashing Pumpkins For Science!
The crowd looks on at a package with a parachute falls to the ground at the 35th Annual WVU Pumpkin Drop Oct. 25, 2024. Photo Chris Schulz.
Mason: Just because Halloween is over, doesn’t mean pumpkin season is done. At West Virginia University, the big orange gourds are part of an annual challenge that takes a lot of guts –pumpkin guts.
WVPB’s Chris Schulz had more.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Christian Lopez, The Appalachian Road Show, Tim Bing, Caleb Caudle, Chris Haddox and John Inghram.
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. We had help this week from folkways editor Nicole Musgrave.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
On this West Virginia Morning, a festival highlights the grassroots movement to reclaim the Black roots of folk and country music, and a new tourism trail highlights the brewers and distillers of southern West Virginia.
On this West Virginia Morning, the state Supreme Court declined to rule in an opioid settlement lawsuit and schools assess effects of cuts to local food purchasing program.
On this West Virginia Morning, working to safely dispose of trash as West Virginia’s black bear population bounces back and former head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration discusses impact of recent cuts.
This week, we’re talking about traditional ballads - how they tell stories and connect us to the past. These old tunes can mean so much. They can tap into difficult emotions and give feelings space to be heard. Some songs may even be too uncomfortable to sing.