Encore: Moving Past Addiction And Old Friends Coming Together To Sing After Decades Apart

This week, we’ll meet a man who has struggled with substance use disorder. Now, he’s a recovery coach.

We’ll also meet a woman who started a farm and culinary training program to help people in recovery, and we’ll learn about barn quilts in North Carolina.

And childhood friends who first started singing together 70 years ago show us why it’s never too late to begin again.

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

In This Episode:

• Fruits Of Labor
• Recovery Coach
• Ceramic Makers In Ohio
• Barn Quilts In North Carolina
• Learning To Quilt Online
• The Prior Five

Building Back Up

Southern West Virginia has been hit over the last two decades by declining coal jobs, depression and the opioid crisis. People have had to get creative to try to overcome this combination of challenges. We begin today’s show with a story about a business that’s getting national attention for what it’s doing to help. Fruits of Labor is part farm, part cafe and bakery, and part training program. And it consciously hires people in recovery or at risk. Jessica Lilly brought us this story.

Giving Back

In the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, we visited another recovery program in Wetzel County. It’s seen success — but also faces an uncertain future. Its funding was set to expire this summer. Liz McCormick brought us the story, which was also produced by Ella Jennings and Chuck Kleine.

Crafting An Enduring Legacy

We went to East Liverpool, Ohio — once known as the pottery capital of the world for its dishware and ceramics factories. These days, the industry is mostly gone. But pottery is still central to the town’s identity. And locals are committed to passing that legacy down to a new generation. Capri Cafaro visited East Liverpool and had this story.

Big Quilts

Driving around the mountains and foothills, you may have come across a quilt block painted on the side of a barn or a house. Despite their name, barn quilts can be found on just about any building — not just barns. There are at least 300 in western North Carolina alone. And a lot give insight to the people and places around them. Folkways Reporter Rachel Moore had this story.

Rachel Moore

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West Virginia Public Broadcasting

More About Quilts

We just talked about quilts being painted on barns, but that art form comes from the actual tradition of people making quilts for their beds. For his day job, Shane Foster’s an optometrist in Athens, Ohio. But lately he’s also become a quilter — with help from a pack of friends he’s never actually met.

Getting The Band Back Together

As we get older, people tend to fall into patterns, and it feels like we’re faced with a dwindling number of possibilities. But it’s never too late to reconnect with old passions — and start something new. Jean Snedegar shared the story of a band that formed in 1968, only to disband a few months later. But after more than a half century, and lives that took them in different directions, the four surviving band mates found each other again.

Courtesy

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, Jesse Milnes and June Carter Cash.

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.

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