West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Dungeon Fest And Kentucky’s Grand March, Inside Appalachia

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Bill Lynch, Mason Adams, Kelley Libby, Abby Neff, Will Warren, Roxy Todd, Maria Young, Eric Douglas, Katie Myers, Chris Schulz
Three people smile for the camera. One man and two women. They are all dressed formally. The women are in white ball gowns, while the man wears a white suit with a black bow tie. One woman is seated, and a crown is being placed on her head by the man.

Paige Smith, the 2023 Mountain Laurel Festival queen, gets crowned by Gov. Andy Beshear while the previous year’s queen looks on.

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Appalachian Dungeon Fest spotlights the fantastical music of dungeon synth.

Also, every year, the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival stages a formal dance. Organizers rely on a manual that’s been passed down for generations.

And, small dairy farms are closing across the country. Central Appalachia has been hit hard.  

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

In This Episode:

‘Dungeon Synth’ Fantasy Music Festival In Appalachia

A black-and-white tin type image of a man holding a banjo sitting in the woods.
Darien Dabbs, better known as Foglord.

Courtesy photo

You can find all kinds of music in Appalachia. Old-time and bluegrass, but also jazz, rock & roll, hip hop and dungeon synth.  

Dungeon synth spun out of black metal, but it’s got a much different feel – like the soundtrack to a walk through Middle Earth. That kind of music will be showcased just outside Whitesburg, Kentucky in June at Appalachian Dungeon Fest. Host Mason Adams recently spoke with one of the festival’s organizers. 

Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival And The Grand March

The Grand March is part of Kentucky’s oldest festival, the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival.

Photo Credit: Will Warren/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Appalachia is home to a lot of festivals. In Eastern Kentucky, the town of Pineville has the state’s oldest festival on record. It’s called the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, and it happens Memorial Day weekend.  

It’s a four-day celebration that culminates with an exquisite tradition: The Grand March. A traditional dance that has been passed down since the first festival in 1931. Folkways Reporter Will Warren was born and raised in Pineville and grew up taking part in the festival. In 2023, he reported on the Grand March.

Dairy Farmers In Southwest Virginia

Jersey cows at Huffard Dairy in Wythe County.

Photo Credit: Roxy Todd/Radio IQ

A lot of the milk we drink comes from far away. Lately, gas prices have spiked. That’s hurting small dairy farms, which have already been disappearing for decades. In Tazewell County, Virginia, the owners of the last remaining dairy recently announced plans to close. Radio IQ’s Roxy Todd spoke with farmers in southwestern Virginia about the challenges of keeping a dairy open.

W.Va. Photographer Joins Team USA In World Photographic Cup

“Rain Noir II” was the winning shot that catapulted Perry Bennett to international competition on Team USA.

Photo Credit: Perry Bennett Photography

Perry Bennett won the West Virginia Photographer of the Year award back-to-back in 2025 and 2026. 

Bennett shoots photos for the West Virginia Legislature and for arts groups around Charleston, including the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Charleston Ballet. Recently, Bennett spent a week in Reykjavík, Iceland, representing Team USA in the 2026 World Photographic Cup.  

He got to join the group because of a photo he snapped in Charleston two years ago.  

WVPB’s Maria Young sat down with Bennett. 

W.Va. Air Quality Receives High Rating From Lung Association

The American Lung Association has released its 27th State of the Air report on air pollution. In the report, the association graded air quality for metro areas across the country. 

Appalachia ran the gamut, from A through F, depending on the county. West Virginia’s Charleston-Huntington metro area received all As. 

Kevin Stewart is director of Environmental Health for the American Lung Association. WVPB News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Stewart about the report and what it means.   

‘Roadless Rule’ Could Be Repealed In Southeast Forests

Outdoor guide Heath Cartee says roadless areas provide some of the last unbroken wilderness in the Southeast.

Photo Credit: Katie Myers/BPR News

The Trump administration wants to open thousands of acres of national forest to new road building – areas that have been off-limits for decades. But critics in North Carolina and other states say the government’s justification for rolling back the so-called “roadless rule” just doesn’t hold up. Blue Ridge Public Radio’s Katie Myers and WABE’s Emily Jones teamed up to report on this topic.

Reviewing Tick Safety For Spring

Some people are noticing that while it’s still early in the Spring, they’re already seeing more ticks than usual. And with an increase in ticks, the chances of contracting a tick-borne illness go up too. WVPB’s Chris Schulz spoke with Dr. Kane Maiers, associate medical director for UPMC GoHealth Urgent Care in West Virginia to learn more. 

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Hole Dweller, Flickers from the Fen, Foglord, Mons Mythic Synthesizer Music, Spife, Larry Rader, Mary Hott, Bob Thompson, Jeff Ellis and Hello June. 

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff 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 or here on Facebook.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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