Tag: vacation

The Buzz About Bees And No Hate In My Hollar, Inside Appalachia

This week, we head to the meadows and woods of West Virginia to catch the buzz on beekeeping. And, it’s been over six years since Kentucky artist Lacy Hale designed her iconic “No Hate in My Holler” screen print. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message. We also take a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad and explore some one-of-a-kind getaways in West Virginia.

This week, we head to the meadows and woods of West Virginia to catch the buzz on beekeeping.

And, it’s been over six years since Kentucky artist Lacy Hale designed her iconic “No Hate in My Holler” screen print. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message.

We also take a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad and explore some one-of-a-kind getaways in West Virginia.

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

In This Episode:

The Buzz About Bees In West Virginia

Folkways Reporter Margaret McLeod Leef learns about beekeeping in Summers County, West Virginia at the Appalachian Beekeeping Collective.

Credit: Margaret McLeod Leef/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

We visited among stands of black locust and tulip poplar trees for a report from Folkways Reporter Margaret Leef. She checks in with a community of West Virginia beekeepers.

Lacy Hale’s “No Hate in My Hollar”

Courtesy

In Pound, Virginia, near the Kentucky border, there’s a mural depicting an old woman smoking a pipe and holding a baby wrapped in a big bright quilt. The mural honors Nancy Mullins Shores, a beloved local midwife. It’s part of a growing body of work by artist Lacy Hale, who has been painting murals and turning out viral images from eastern Kentucky for years. 

Host Mason Adams visited Hale and talked with her about the mural and “No Hate in My Holler,” a screen print she designed in 2017, in response to a Nazi rally. 

Glamping It Up With Cass Railroad

Vickie Yohe, sitting by the fire outside a glamping dome near Alderson, West Virginia.

Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Appalachia is full of odd, off-beat and cool places to rest for the night. West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Randy Yohe and his wife, Vickie, like to get out, travel and explore unusual places to stay.

Randy brought back a story from one of their trips to the Cass Railroad in West Virginia. 

Armadillo On My Mind

A lot of times we hear about animals becoming endangered or disappearing, but there are species that are emerging or moving into Appalachia, like the armadillo, which is usually found in the southwest. 

In the last few years, armadillos have been spotted in the mountains of western Virginia.

Mason Adams spoke with Seth Thompson, a biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, who took the first reports of armadillos in the state. 

——

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Tim Bing, Tyler Childers, Paul Loomis, and Chris Stapleton. 

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 and Twitter @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

West Virginia Unveils Vacation Guide Collection, New State Map

West Virginia Tourism unveiled its 2022 travel guide on Wednesday, or rather, its multiple travel guides.

Armed with $7 million in newly budgeted funding for promoting West Virginia as a travel destination, the state tourism department has gathered detailed demographics on in- and out-of-state visitors.

At the newly renovated Hawks Nest State Park, Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby announced a collection of four travel guides available this year. Ruby said these richly illustrated guides target a vacationer’s most popular interests, according to the research.

“So, we’ve got outdoor recreation, natural wonders, mountain culture and a new one for the nation’s newest national park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve” Ruby said.

Each of the vacation guides feature QR codes that expand on the published articles and provide online access to exclusive content and trip inspiration from hundreds of tourism businesses across the state.

Ruby also gave travelers a sneak peek of the 2022 Highway Map. The new map features all of West Virginia’s state parks and forests, alongside important traveler information, must-see stops, and scenic country roads to travel.

“This is also something the Governor pushed us on,” Ruby said. “He wanted this to be a keepsake – a collector piece – and, along with our friends from the West Virginia Division of Highways, we came up with an absolutely stunning map.”

Ruby said the four travel guides will be strategically inserted into several national travel magazines. She said more than 100,000 West Virginia vacation guides will be included with subscriber copies of Southern Living and Real Simple magazines to encourage travel to the Mountain State.

Ruby said these travel guides are available to order free on the wvtourism.com website.

Luxury Cottages to be Built at Stonewall Resort State Park

A public-private funding venture has resulted in the first of what could be 20 new luxury cottages in a wooded lakeshore development at Stonewall Resort State Park.

The four-bedroom luxury homes are equipped with amenities such as Wi-Fi, washers and dryers, and gas fireplaces.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the cottages will be financed by private investors who will own the units, but agree to make them available for public rental.

Richard Ebright, director of operations for Stonewall lodging and recreation concessionaire Benchmark Resorts and Hotels, says roads and utilities are in place to accommodate 14 new cottages, five of which are expected to be built this year. He says the hope is there’s enough interest to build a total of 20.

The development’s opening ceremony was held earlier this month.

Exit mobile version