Ballroom Culture And Hometown Papers Covering The Notable, Inside Appalachia

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Ballroom culture offers LBGTQ folks a chance to be as fabulous as they want to be.

Also, the national media reports on the deaths of notable people, but small, hometown papers add a more personal touch.

And, alpha-gal syndrome takes red meat off the menu, but what about ostrich?

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

In This Episode:

• Ballroom Culture Struts Through Virginia
• How Hometown Newspapers Write Obituaries For Celebrity Locals
• A Hiker’s History Of The Appalachian Trail
• Acupuncture May Ease Alpha-gal Syndrome
• Ostrich Burgers Replace Red Meat For People With Alpha-Gal Syndrome
• Marshall University Radio Rakes In National Awards

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Ballroom Culture Struts Through Virginia

For LGBTQ youth in Appalachia, estrangement from their families of origin can be a common and heartbreaking experience. So, some LGBTQ people rely on “chosen family” — people who are not biologically related but who fill the roles of parents, siblings, aunts and uncles.

In Roanoke, Virginia, the culture of ballroom offers the safety and stability of family, along with traditions that are handed down — traditions like vogueing.

Host Mason Adams reported this Folkways story, in collaboration with Brad Kutner and Kelley Libby.

How Hometown Newspapers Write Obituaries For Celebrity Locals

This summer, we saw the passing of Dolly Parton, and the writers Annie Dillard and Wendell Berry. National news outlets have published remembrances that recognized their contributions, but their local newspapers can bring a more personal perspective.  

Berry’s hometown newspaper in Kentucky was the Henry County Local. The Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom’s Andrew Henderson spoke with publisher Jane Ashley Pace, and correspondent Joe Durbin, about how they covered the writer’s death. 

A Hiker’s History Of The Appalachian Trail

Author and trail scholar Mills Kelly knows an awful lot about the Appalachian Trail (AT). The lifelong hiker has covered hundreds of miles of the trail and read hundreds of pages of trail journals to gather stories, history and lore about it. He shared his work through “The Green Tunnel Podcast.” And even more through his recent book, A Hiker’s History of the Appalachian Trail.

Back in the spring, Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Kelly about his life with the AT.

Acupuncture May Ease Alpha-gal Syndrome

If you’re on the trail or otherwise spending time outdoors, you ought to be thinking about ticks. Ticks are known for spreading Lyme disease, but that’s not all. There’s been an explosion of alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy people develop after a bite from a lone star tick.  

The allergy can fade over time, but sometimes it doesn’t. And there is no known cure in Western medicine. 

 So, some people are turning to acupuncture for treatment. WMRA’s Christine Kueter reports.    

Ostrich Burgers Replace Red Meat For People With Alpha-gal Syndrome

While some people are seeking out alternative treatments for alpha-gal syndrome, others are managing with alternative meats. Alpha-gal makes people allergic to mammalian protein: beef, pork, venison.

For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Hannah Saad reports that for those who continue craving red meat, there’s ostrich.

Marshall University Radio Rakes In National Awards

In August, the student-led news team at Marshall University’s radio station WMUL won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award for Outstanding Newscast in the student category. It was their second year winning in a row.   

Part of the station’s success comes from Chuck Bailey, a professor who has been involved with the Marshall radio program for more than 40 years. During his tenure, the student station has won a lot of awards, including, in some years, against commercial broadcasters.

WVPB News Director Eric Douglas is a Marshall journalism alumnus, although he wasn’t part of the radio program. He recently sat down with Bailey, student news director Emma Johnson and Rob Quicke, the director of the Marshall School of Journalism and Mass Communications.  

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Hello June, Blue Dot Sessions, Tim Bing and John Blissard 

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Irina Zhorov is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Jennifer Goren.

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

You can find us on Instagram, Threads or here on Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.