Mountain Stage officially kicks off our 40th Broadcast Season this week with our 39th anniversary celebration featuring Bela Fleck My Bluegrass Heart, The Brother Brothers, Alice Howe with Freebo, The Bing Brother feat. Jake Krack, and a special appearance from West Virginia’s Poet Laureate Marc Harshman.
Home » PA's Own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, W.Va.'s Frosty the Snowman, and KY's Calls From Home
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PA's Own Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, W.Va.'s Frosty the Snowman, and KY's Calls From Home
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We’ll hear some of the Christmas messages that were broadcasted into high security prisons this week on the Calls from Home radio program. The holidays often bring back memories of years past, and this is especially hard for those with a family member or loved one who’s passed away. And we’ll hear about a former marine in West Virginia who’s now helping people pull themselves out of poverty. You’ll find these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
This scraggly 50-foot Christmas tree in downtown Reading, Pa., became a symbol for a town hit by tough economic times to rally behind. Credit: Ben Allen/ WITF
It Just Needed A Little Love: An Ugly Spruce Ties A Town Together
Reading, Pa., is one of the poorest cities in the country. So when a shabby-looking, 50-foot Christmas tree went up in the middle of the city’s downtown around Thanksgiving, many saw it as a metaphor for the city’s troubles. Ben Allen of WITF has this very special story.
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Jack Rollins
West Virginian Responsible for Classic Christmas Song, Frosty the Snowman
The man behind the lyrics of Frosty the Snowman, Peter Cottontail, and Smokey the Bear is none other than West Virginian, Jack Rollins.
We Explore the Story Behind Itmann, W.Va.
Often on our show we hear tales about how a town supposedly got its name, only to then find out the history books prove the legend to be simply a tall tale. Today, we’ll put our host Jessica Lilly’s hometown to the test: Itmann, West Virginia. We’ll find out if the story she believed as a child about Itmann is true.
Two Children Teach Their Father to Remember His Favorite Thing About Winter
What’s the Best Thing About Winter? The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier says, “The first snow of the year brings a special sound out of my two daughters. It’s a little like the sound they make when they get something unexpected a surprise scoop of ice cream, or a new bike. But snow on the ground, after a year without, induces a different sort of sound. You hear breath filling their lungs, and a long pause while it stays there.”
Hip Hop From the Hilltop, Calls From Home
Not all families are home for the holidays. There are soldiers and sailors who are deployed all over the world during the season. And then there are families with loved ones in prison. Family members can’t always visit – while inmates can’t always get time on a phone line on Christmas eve or Christmas day. This can be especially true for families of inmates in high security prisons. And many of these prisons in rural Appalachia, like the Red Onion State Prison in southwestern VA, aren’t accessible by public transportation.
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But families of inmates in seven prisons in central Appalachia are able to connect to their loved ones through a radio show, called Hip Hop from the Hilltops, Calls from Home.WMMT broadcasts the show from the Appalshop studio in Whitesburg, KY on Monday nights from 7-10. The producer takes music requests for the first couple of hours, and from 9-10, families leave recorded messages for their loved ones in prison. Calls From Home is broadcasted live from the WMMT station in Whitesburg KY every Monday night 9-10:00 pm.
Credit Jean Snedegar
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Jake Harriman
Ex-Marine Now On A Very Different Mission
Jake Harriman is a Preston County farm boy who grew up to become a leader in the fight against one of the world’s biggest problems: extreme poverty. Harriman is one of three leaders in science and business profiled in the upcoming documentary Inspiring West Virginians, airing Dec. 29 at 8 PM on West Virginia Public Radio.
Will Climate Change Threaten Appalachian Ski Slopes?
Snowcapped mountains in parts of Appalachia create beautiful scenes and a playground for skiers. Ski resorts are opening across the region like Snowshoe, and Winterplace in West Virginia, Ober Gatlinburg in Tennessee, Big Boulder and White Tail in Pennsylvania and more. But according to a report by The Allegheny Front‘s Julie Grant, Climate Change could seriously threaten Appalachian ski resorts.
Book Review: Set In Appalachia, This Rewarding Story Collection Is ‘Rich And Strange’
Ron Rash is a poet, novelist and short story writer whose signature subject is life in Appalachia, past and present. A large collection of the short stories, called Something Rich and Strange, set in Appalachia, has just come out. Book critic Maureen Corrigan contributed this review for a recent episode of NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
Music in today’s show was provided by Andy Agnew Jr., Jake Schepps, The Sweetback Sisters, the Glennville State Bluegrass Band, and the Black Twig Pickers.
Want more? Never miss a show and take Inside Appalachia with you andsubscribe to the podcast. Clickhere to for more information.
On this West Virginia Morning, more than a decade ago, Huntington made headlines as the “fattest city in the nation.” We listen to an excerpt from our latest episode of Us & Them with host Trey Kay Kay, where we look at continuing efforts to teach healthy habits in West Virginia.
According to recent health rankings, West Virginia tops the charts for the rates of obesity and diabetes. More than a decade ago, Huntington, West Virginia made headlines as "the nation’s fattest city." Since then, some things have changed.
On this West Virginia Morning, news about book bans have been in the spotlight lately, but books are also being banned in prisons without much public attention. The Marshall Project, a nonprofit newsroom focused on the criminal justice system, published a searchable database of the books banned in 18 state prison systems. News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Andrew Calderon about the project and what it means in West Virginia prisons.
On this West Virginia Morning, Civil War historians are recognizing a unique local celebration that happened during the conflict in the wilds of southern West Virginia, when 20 Jewish Union soldiers came together during the conflict for a Passover feast known as a Seder.