Candy Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

This week, we go a-wassailing in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s kind of like Christmas caroling, with a kick.

We also visit Kentucky’s Minnie Adkins. She’s had a long career as a folk artist, which began with a pocket knife.

And, family recipes bring generations together. But what happens when you’ve got grandma’s potato candy recipe, and it doesn’t have exact measurements?

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Here We Go A-Wassailing
A Visit With A Matriarch Of Folk Art
Reverse Engineering Grandma’s Candy
Story Wars

Here We Go A-Wassailing

Wassailers gather on a porch in the Montford neighborhood of Asheville, North Carolina in December 2022. It was customary in England and Wales for wassailers to be offered food and drink in exchange for singing.

*Credit: Rebecca Williams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

It’s the time of year when merrymakers roam the streets to sing and bring good cheer. In Asheville, North Carolina, one group of friends has taken up the English tradition of wassailing to connect to their roots.

Folkways Reporter Rebecca Williams has this story.

A Visit With A Matriarch Of Folk Art

Whittler Minnie Adkins.

*Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Minnie Adkins has elevated whittling to an art. In fact, some people have even described the 89-year-old Kentucky woodcarver as “the matriarch of Appalachian Folk Art.” But Adkins? She says she’s just a whittler.

Randy Yohe sat down with Adkins to talk with her about her craft.

Reverse Engineering Grandma’s Candy

Brenda Sandoval testing the consistency of the potato mixture.

*Credit: Capri Cafaro/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Treasured family recipes get passed down, but not all of these old recipes used standard measurements. So how do you know you’re getting the mix right, especially if you’ve never tried it?

For Brenda Sandoval in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, an old family recipe involved some trial and error – and an assist from a cousin. Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro has more.

Story Wars

Over the holidays, lots of people break out the party games. West Virginia native Harrison Reishman has developed a card game he’s hoping becomes a favorite at your next get-together. It’s called Story Wars, where players try to come up with the wildest, craziest story. Bill Lynch has more.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by The Sycomores, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, the Cappella Bell Choir and Bob Thompson. Special thanks to Roxy Todd for recording Jim Bartlett playing the pipe organ with an assortment of goats.

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.

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Family recipes are a way to connect generations, but what happens when you’ve got grandma’s recipe, and it doesn’t have exact measurements?

We also talk with Ohio poet laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour about Appalachia, poems — and getting published.

And we revisit a story about an attraction at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man who put it there.

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

A West Virginia Woman Reverse-Engineers Grandma’s Potato Candy
Ohio’s Poet Laureate Celebrates Appalachia
When To Consider Assisted Living For Your Parents
There’s A Bus On A Rock In A River

A West Virginia Woman Reverse-Engineers Grandma’s Potato Candy

Old family recipes are shared and passed down through Appalachia. Sometimes, they come on fingerprint smudged, handwritten note cards stuffed in wooden boxes. Others show up in loose-leaf cookbooks. These family heirlooms can be a way to connect with the past. But not all of those hand-me-down recipes use exact measurements. So how do you know you’re getting it right?

For Brenda Sandoval in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, it involved some trial and error — and an assist from a cousin. Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro has the story.

Brenda Sandoval rolling potato candy. *Credit: Capri Cafaro/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Ohio’s Poet Laureate Celebrates Appalachia

Kari Gunter-Seymour is Ohio’s third poet laureate since the state created the position in 2016.

She’s an earnest cheerleader for Appalachian Ohio, which, as she points out, represents about a third of the state.

Gunter-Seymour is the author of several poetry collections. She’s the editor of “I Thought I heard a Cardinal Sing,” which showcases Appalachian writers in Ohio, as well as eight volumes of “Women Speak,” an anthology series featuring the work of women writers and artists from across Appalachia.

Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Gunter-Seymour about poetry, getting published, and the Appalachian part of Ohio.

When To Consider Assisted Living For Your Parents

One of the hardest parts of caring for aging parents is deciding when they need professional care. Whether that’s in-home services, assisted living, or something else. Families have to consider what’s best for their loved ones – and how to pay for it.

WVPB’s Eric Douglas spoke with Chris Braley, the owner of an assisted living and memory care facility in West Virginia.

There’s A Bus On A Rock In A River

If you listen to the popular podcast Death, Sex & Money, you know Anna Sale. Back in 2005, Anna was a reporter for West Virginia Public Broadcasting. She got curious about an old bus that sits on a rock at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers, just past the town of Gauley Bridge. It’s not far from one of West Virginia’s best known roadside attractions, The Mystery Hole.

In 2005, Anna traveled by boat with former WVPB Video Producer Russ Barbour to meet the man behind the mystery. With warm weather and summer travel not that far away, we brought this story back.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by…Kaia Kater, Jeff Ellis, Erik Vincent, Eck Robertson, Chris Knight and Tyler Childers.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.

You can send us an email at InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @InAppalachia and on Facebook here.

And you can sign up for our Inside Appalachia Newsletter here!