This week on Inside Appalachia, step shows are a tradition at many historically Black universities, including schools in Appalachia. We hear about one that’s part of West Virginia State University’s annual homecoming celebration. And, abandoned industrial sites have long been a magnet for people to explore and turn into not-at-all-legal hangout spots, but some come with hidden dangers. We learn about the danger at Fairmont Brine, a site in West Virginia that processed liquid used in hydraulic fracking.
Step shows are a tradition at many historically Black universities, including schools in Appalachia. We hear about one that’s part of West Virginia State University’s annual homecoming celebration.
Abandoned industrial sites have long been a magnet for people to explore and turn into not-at-all-legal hangout spots, but some come with hidden dangers. We learn about the danger at Fairmont Brine, a site in West Virginia that processed liquid used in hydraulic fracking.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
Members of Delta Sigma Theta at WVSU’s homecoming. The sorority was part of the annual step show at the university.
Photo Credit: WVSU’s Alpha Delta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Fraternities and sororities at West Virginia State University (WVSU), one of the state’s two historically Black universities, introduced step dancing at the school decades ago. They made it part of the school’s annual homecoming celebration.
Folkways Reporter Traci Phillips has been attending step shows since she was a kid. Last fall, she brought along her 11-year-old daughter Jayli. They brought us the story.
Teaching Soul Food
Xavier Oglesby cuts onions for a macaroni salad he is cooking inside Manna House Ministries’ kitchen. A pot of boiling water is behind him, cooking the pasta for the dish.
Photo Credit: Vanessa Peña/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The Appalachian table is complex and varied. Along with biscuits and gravy, it includes things like collard greens, extra cheesy mac and cheese and fried chicken feet — soul food.
Soul food is associated with southern Black communities, but it’s also traditional to Appalachia, too.
Folkways Fellow Vanessa Peña visited with Xavier Oglesby, a master artist in soul food cooking from Beckley, West Virginia.
Radioactive And Dangerous
Fairmont Brine has fallen into disrepair since it was abandoned.
Photo Credit: Justin Nobel
Starting in the late 2000s, parts of Appalachia saw a natural gas boom from hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. But, some of that faded and in some places, the oil and gas industry has left behind dangerous industrial sites — like Fairmont Brine in Marion County, West Virginia.
Left alone, the abandoned site became a popular hangout spot for unsuspecting young folks.
Mason Adams spoke with Nobel about his investigation.
Sugar Syrup Season In Central Appalachia
Valerie Lowry offers samples to visitors at the Highland County Maple Syrup Festival.
Photo Credit: Clara Haizlett/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Highland County, Virginia and its neighbors in West Virginia are some of the southernmost places in the U.S. to make maple syrup.
Generations of people in these communities have turned tapping trees for syrup into a longstanding tradition — but modern producers are experimenting with new syrups while adapting to changing demands, and a changing climate.
Folkways Reporter Clara Haizlett brought us the story.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jeff Ellis, Tyler Childers, Amethyst Kiah, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood and Frank George.
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.
On this West Virginia Morning, HIV/AIDS is on the rise in Monongalia County as a group of WVU medical students learned recently on a Zoom call with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Emily Rice has more.
On this West Virginia Morning, HIV/AIDS is on the rise in Monongalia County as a group of WVU medical students learned recently on a Zoom call with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Emily Rice has more.
Also, in this show, soul food is associated with Black communities in the south, but it’s also traditional to Appalachia. Folkways Fellow Vanessa Peña talked with Xavier Oglesby, a master artist in soul food cooking from Beckley.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Caroline MacGregor produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
From creamy macaroni and cheese to fried chicken feet, soul food has brought happiness to families and individuals throughout the world. Soul food is typically associated with states in the deep South, but the cooking style is traditional in the Appalachian region, too.
This story originally aired in the Nov. 12, 2023 episode of Inside Appalachia.
From creamy macaroni and cheese to fried chicken feet, soul food has brought happiness to families and individuals throughout the world. Soul food is typically associated with states in the deep South, but the cooking style is traditional in the Appalachian region, too.
It’s a warm spring afternoon at Manna House Ministries, a Second Baptist Church in Beckley, West Virginia. Xavier Oglesby is singing his favorite hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” as he prepares a macaroni salad in the church’s kitchen. Today, Oglesby is cooking alone, but normally this kitchen would be bustling with life.
“It kind of reminds you of when you watch a bee’s nest and how the bees are. They’re buzzing around and everybody is just so busy. That’s just kind of what it looks like, but it’s an organized chaos,” Oglesby said. “The ladies at the church growing up, you know the old ladies, they’d be cooking. And all the ladies, they would bring their best recipes. And every one of them is good at something — at least one thing — and they pride themselves at that.”
It might be macaroni salad, or a pan of biscuits, or chitlins. Soul food is a cooking style that is intrinsic to Black culture both in the South and Appalachia. Oglesby said more so than the food itself, it’s the way a meal comes together that makes soul food, soul food.
“When you think of soul food, that’s the first thing you think of is Black folks. Because we were able to take nothing and make something out of it for a meal, and that’s the way it is even today,” Oglesby said.
Oglesby has been cooking since he was a teenager.He learned from four generations of his family. But learning how to cook in the Oglesby household wasn’t always easy. It had its moments of strict instruction from his great grandmother, Grandma Virginia.
“She cooked for the superintendents of the coal companies. And as you know, back then they were domestics, and that’s what she did. She was known for that. I mean this lady, she could cook — I mean, almost in her sleep. It was amazing to me just to see her cook and how she would sing,” Oglesby said. “And everything had to be done perfectly.”
Grandma Virginia expected perfection from her great-grandson, too.
“She would have a wooden spoon in her hand, and she’d watch me prepare this dish, and I would have to do it exactly how she would do it,” Oglesby said. “If I didn’t do it, if I missed the step or whatever, she’d hit the back of my hand with the wooden spoon.”
In his family and at church, women were central to the cooking traditions Oglesby grew up with. So as a boy who was interested in cooking, he felt some judgment from the men in his family. Older men in the family weren’t accepting of Oglesby wanting to make a career out of cooking, due to his gender.
“In this family, you have to kind of take your place,” Oglesby said. “And that’s what I did. And then eventually it was easier for the guys of the family — for the older men — to accept and like that. When you look around today, you know, guys make a living doing anything,” Oglesby said.
Xavier Oglesby cuts onions for a macaroni salad he is cooking inside Manna House Ministries’ kitchen. A pot of boiling water is behind him, cooking the pasta for the dish.
Credit: Vanessa Peña/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Now, Oglesby is teaching his niece, Brooklynn Oglesby, how to cook soul food and family recipes. He’s doing this through the West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, which is directed by the West Virginia State Folklorist Jennie Williams.
“This program is hosted every other year. But for a full year, artists can be a part of this program to pass on their traditional knowledge and art forms and skills to an apprentice of their choosing,” Williams said.
Folklife apprenticeship pairs are carrying on community-based traditional art forms and cultural practices — from fiddle instrument repair to mushroom foraging — all with the goal of passing on stories, skill sets and traditional knowledge.
Full disclosure, I worked with Williams as an AmeriCorps member this year. This is an excerpt from an interview Williams did with Oglesby and Brooklynn, where Brooklynn talks about learning from her uncle.
“My main goal has been to learn how to cook, and he’s taught me a lot,” Brooklynn said. “I’ve had to cook on my own. I’ve had to make meals and stuff, and I’ve struggled since I’ve moved out with my own family. It’s been a major struggle because half the time I’ll spend two hours cooking just for it to be so nasty.”
Each apprenticeship pair considers the future of their tradition, and who they want to pass their knowledge onto.
“I’m hoping I can raise two sons that know how to cook,” Brooklynn said. “I’m hoping I can keep that going and teach my kids, and hopefully they’ll be better cooks than me one day.”
For the past year, Oglesby and Brooklynn have been spending time learning together. Williams said Oglesby and Brooklynn are exactly the kind of pairing the apprenticeship program aims to support.
“I was really excited to receive their application. Oglesby has worked with us in our first round of the apprenticeship program,” Williams said. “So to have him back again in the program is really exciting. And for him to bring on his niece to learn their family cooking traditions, that’s especially something that we want to support.”
A complete bowl of macaroni salad sits on a table. It’s surrounded by onion peels, a container of paprika, a jar of pickles and a jar of Hellman’s Mayonnaise. This recipe has been passed onto Xavier Oglesby by his mother.
Credit: Vanessa Peña/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
As part of their work together, the Oglesby’s have prepared food for community gatherings and they’ve hosted events. One of those events was a card party, which is an informal community game night.
“On the coal camp, we used to have card parties and people would go to each other’s houses,” Oglesby said. “On the nights that they would have the card parties, the ladies would bring covered dishes and they would have all kinds of stuff. They would bring pig feet, and somebody may bring some chitlins.”
These card parties have been hosted by Oglesby and Brooklynn at the Women’s Club in Beckley, West Virginia. They have featured live music, tables with cards, and of course, good old-fashioned soul food.
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This story was produced with help from the West Virginia Folklife Program. The full interview with Xavier and Brooklynn Oglesby by Jennie Williams is archived at the West Virginia Folklife Collection at West Virginia University Libraries.
This story is part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Reporting Project, a partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Inside Appalachia and the Folklife Program of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
The Folkways Reporting Project is made possible in part with support from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies to the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation. Subscribe to the podcast to hear more stories of Appalachian folklife, arts and culture.
This week on Inside Appalachia, we head to the woods and take a master class in foraging for wild mushrooms. We also break bread and talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby. And we’ll hear about old-time music legend Aunt Jeannie Wilson.
This week, we head to the woods and take a master class in foraging for wild mushrooms.
We also break bread and talk soul food with Xavier Oglesby, who is passing on generations of kitchen wisdom to his niece, Brooklynn.
And we’ll hear about old-time music legend Aunt Jeannie Wilson. A marker has been set near the place where people used to hear her play.
These stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
These chanterelles are about to be turned into a tasty treat. They were harvested the day before an unsuccessful mushroom hunt, and turned into a topper for vanilla ice cream.
Credit: Wendy Welch/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Mushroom hunting has always been a part of Appalachian culture, but in recent years especially, mushrooms have been having a moment.
Folkways Reporter Wendy Welch spent time with foragers in Virginia and West Virginia to learn more.
Sharing Soul Food
Xavier Oglesby cuts onions for a macaroni salad he is cooking inside Manna House Ministries’ kitchen. A pot of boiling water is behind him, cooking the pasta for the dish.
Credit: Vanessa Peña/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Soul food is associated with Black communities in the deep south, but the cooking style is traditional to Appalachia, too. Folkways Fellow Vanessa Peña talked with Xavier Oglesby, a master artist in soul food cooking from Beckley, West Virginia.
West Virginia recently paid tribute to one of its traditional music greats. Aunt Jeanie Wilson was a clawhammer banjo player who performed for governors and presidents. She helped to keep mountain music alive through the 20th century during the rise of jazz, rock n’ roll and electric music.
WVPB’s Briana Heaney went to a ceremony honoring Wilson at Chief Logan State Park in Logan County.
Jayne Anne Phillip’s “Night Watch”
Courtesy
The career of author Jayne Anne Phillips spans nearly 50 years. Her home state of West Virginia has often figured into her books, giving a glimpse of the different decades of Appalachian life. Her latest novel is Night Watch, which takes readers to the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in the town of Weston several years after the end of the Civil War.
Bill Lynch spoke with Phillips about her book and growing up near the old asylum.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Town Mountain, Noam Pikelny, Justice & Jarvis, Jesse Milnes, Mary Hott and Little Sparrow.
This week, producer Bill Lynch filled in for host Mason Adams. 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.
Drive through Charleston, West Virginia any day of the week, and you’re bound to come across a sign advertising a local fish fry. Within Charleston’s Black community, fish fries have been a time-honored tradition for generations. Our Folkways Fellow Leeshia Lee grew up in Charleston. She says that it was common to see friends and neighbors hosting fish fries — they’d sell fish dinners as a way to raise money for different needs. In this special report, Lee shares her experiences with fish fries, and visits with one of Charleston’s best fish fryers.
This story originally aired in the Oct. 22, 2023 episode of Inside Appalachia.
Drive through Charleston, West Virginia any day of the week, and you’re bound to come across a sign advertising a local fish fry. Within Charleston’s Black community, fish fries have been a time-honored tradition for generations.
Our Folkways Fellow Leeshia Lee grew up in Charleston. She says that it was common to see friends and neighbors hosting fish fries — they’d sell fish dinners as a way to raise money for different needs.
In this special report, Lee shares her experiences with fish fries, and visits with one of Charleston’s best fish fryers.
History Of Fish Fries
Some people would have fish fries for rent parties — they would have a fish fry if they were short on their rent. Or if there was a trip that somebody needed to go on and they didn’t have all the funds, they would whip up some fish and sell it outside. Growing up, it was nothing to go to someone’s house to purchase food for whatever reason they needed it for.
In our community, I think historically the reason why fish fries are the thing is because it comes from the slave era. And it was what they were allowed to do on Sundays. They were allowed to go fishing. And because it was free — they didn’t have to purchase it — they would catch fish.
That’s how enslaved communities would fraternize with each other, was through cooking and preparing fish, and eating it later on in the day. So I think that the tradition of having the fish fry has been embedded in our community. It is something that we were taught to do, and we do it so well that we use it as a financial means when we don’t have resources to do anything else.
What Makes A Good Fish Fry
I think the most important part of a fish fry is the meaning or the purpose for having the fish fry. Don’t get me wrong, people care about the food, the taste of it. But if it’s for a good cause, people will come out and support your fish fry.
People use different fish for their fish fries. And a lot of times people use whiting. You usually get the fish, you let it thaw out. And you season it. The main part is how you season your fish. We use cornmeal, and then we use seasoning salt. And you have to get the grease just right. It has to be sizzling and popping. And then you dip the fish and you fry it. And you can’t make it too hard. Some people serve it on croissant bread, and some people serve it on regular white bread. You add hot sauce, tartar sauce, and then it’s good to go.
Texas Pete is the community favorite hot sauce. But sometimes you go to a fish fry and you get the off-brand hot sauce. So I think whatever is there, you just make it work. But I’ve seen some people reach in their purse and pull out some hot sauce. I think that was in one of Beyonce’s songs, where she says she has some hot sauce in her bag.
The sides are very important at a fish fry. Some people like coleslaw, but usually you get the same soul food sides that you would have at a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner: macaroni and cheese, and greens. And then sometimes people have fish fries with french fries.
Fish Fries At Charleston’s First Baptist Church
Andre Nazario
Credit: Leeshia Lee/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Andre Nazario is known as one of Charleston’s best fish fryers. He hosts a weekly fish fry at the First Baptist Church in downtown Charleston. Nazario said their recipe at the church is top secret.
“I can’t really divulge those secrets because then I’d have to take you hostage,” Nazario said. “But yes, there is a certain way that we prepare our fish. There’s a certain way that we season our fish. There’s a certain way that we fry our fish. There’s a certain temperature that we fry it at. And there’s a certain crisp that we want, a certain texture that we want to our fish.”
The fish fries are held at First Baptist Church in the gymnasium. When you walk in, you might see people you know who are waiting for their food.
“It’s like mini family reunions,” Nazario said. “So we’re bringing people together. You get to talk about it, you strike up some conversation. You hadn’t seen somebody in a while, you hadn’t talked to them, but then they came out to the fish fry. So it’s a way of touching base and staying connected with our community.”
Nazario is the co-founder of Creating the Advantage, known as CTA. CTA is a nonprofit that works with under-resourced youth around Charleston. They support young people to excel in sports and in school. The money from these fish fries helps fund CTA’s activities.
“We set a price for our fish fry, but most of the time people give a little bit more,” Nazario said. “Because when you offer food, that entices them or encourages them to give a little bit more.”
One of the main components of CTA is their basketball program. They train participants in the physical aspect of the sport. And they teach them to cope with the mental challenges of the game. The fish fries play a key role in supporting this program.
A fryer full of fish.
Credit: Leeshia Lee/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“With the fish fries that we do, the proceeds go directly to the kids,” Nazario said. “It helps fund training. It helps fund trips, it helps pay for uniforms, it helps pay for hotels for the kids, it helps feed our kids. It’s an assortment of things that we do with the funding from fish fries. And again, the best way to someone’s heart sometimes is through their stomach.”
Fish fries are very important to the Black community in Charleston because they allow us to become our own resource. Fish fries are a source of mutual aid when the funds are limited. It allows the community to come together to show that what you’re doing is important to them.
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This story is part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Reporting Project, a partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Inside Appalachia and the Folklife Program of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
The Folkways Reporting Project is made possible in part with support from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies to the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation. Subscribe to the podcast to hear more stories of Appalachian folklife, arts and culture.
