One of America’s pioneering filmmakers had nothing to do with Hollywood but nevertheless left his mark on the emerging industry. Oscar Micheaux was a homesteader, who then turned his attention to making movies in the early 1900s. He was a Black man who made movies for Black audiences at a time when they weren’t allowed into mainstream, white-only theaters. And for several pivotal years in the 1920s, he operated out of Roanoke, Virginia.
No matter what meteorologists might say, two famous, furry, weather predictors in West Virginia have differing forecasts for the next six weeks.
About 40 people in Athens cheered as they learned Concord Charlie’s prediction of an early Spring. The group gathered on Groundhog Day at Concord University for the annual light-hearted breakfast.
The tradition was started back in 1978 by the late Professor R.T. “Tom” Hill. It’s meant to celebrate a bit of Appalachian heritage and highlight the Geography program.
Jessica Lilly
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WVPB
About 40 people gathered for the annual Concord University Groundhog Day breakfast in 2022.
The breakfast doesn’t just honor a groundhog, it also honors a person. Princeton Rescue Squad CEO Stacey Hicks was named as the 2022 Grand Groundhog Watcher. Hicks gave thanks to Concord, remembering his mother, who raised seven children on her own, while working as a cook at the college.
“Driving over this morning, I thought about the days that she drove over here to raise us by herself,” Hicks said as he fought back tears. “Without Concord, I probably wouldn’t be here because this place fed me when I was a child.”
Hicks received a standing ovation at the end of his speech.
Hicks serves on several boards in the region and is the Transportation Director for Southern West Virginia Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, a service he himself was in need of as a child.
French Creek Freddie, with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources predicted six more weeks of winter, after seeing his shadow Wednesday morning. Freddie makes his home at the West Virginia Wildlife Center in Upshur County.
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WVPB will be screening excerpts of Ken Burns’ recent PBS documentary series "The American Revolution" this week at Marshall. Us & Them host Trey Kay will moderate the event, and he spoke recently with WVPB News Director Eric Douglas about why revisiting the nation’s founding story matters today. Also, a bill to temporarily delay moving a child to homeschooling during an active case of abuse or neglect hit a snag in the Senate on Monday.
One of America’s pioneering filmmakers had nothing to do with Hollywood but nevertheless left his mark on the emerging industry. Oscar Micheaux was a homesteader, who then turned his attention to making movies in the early 1900s. He was a Black man who made movies for Black audiences at a time when they weren’t allowed into mainstream, white-only theaters. And for several pivotal years in the 1920s, he operated out of Roanoke, Virginia.
This week, in the 1920s, Oscar Micheaux was an entrepreneur filmmaker in western Virginia. He became a world-renowned director and producer. Also, Kentucky’s poet laureate lives down the road from what has been called the country’s most lethal cryptid. Attempts to spot it have led to deaths. And, we talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who’s passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece.
We listen to an excerpt from the latest Inside Appalachia and learn about the influence and contributions of Oscar Micheaux, an African American filmmaker who lived in Virginia in the 1920s and shattered stereotypes.
