This week, during the Great Depression, Osage, West Virginia was a raucous river town. It’s sleepier now, but music is keeping the magic alive. Also, a poet remembers growing up in a secret city in Tennessee that was built during World War II. And, rock climbing is usually for warmer months, but some climbers have taken to climbing frozen waterfalls.
Last year, Folkways Reporter Clara Haizlett reported about the Appalachian hammered dulcimer, and its Ukrainian relative, the tsymbaly. Along the way, we met Ukrainian musician Vsevolod Sadovyj, who was in Ukraine as the country fought against the Russian invasion.
Haizlett recently caught up with the tsymbaly player over Zoom and brought us an update.
Ticking Off The Trouble Of Ticks
Warm weather sends more people outside. But enjoying nature has it’s inherent risks, including ticks which can cause disease. Pictured is the black-legged tick, or deer tick, which can spread Lyme disease.
Credit: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
With the exception of a cold snap on Christmas Eve, Appalachia had a mild winter. And now we’re paying the price, with a surge of ticks. Appalachian social media has seen a steady stream of complaints about the arachnids, Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome.
Producer Bill Lynch reached out to regional epidemiologist Daniel Barker-Gumm and Steven Eshenaur, the health officer for the Kanawha County Health Department, to learn more.
Firefly Magic In The Great Smoky Mountains
Not all bug stories are bad stories. Jacqui Sieber from WUOT takes us deep into the Smoky Mountains to watch lightning bugs, also called fireflies.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Patrick Couch and Kay, Frank Hutchinsen, Jean Ritchie, Hazel Dickens, Paul Loomis, and Tyler Childers.
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.
On this West Virginia Week, last winter’s floods are remembered, Trump signs an order aimed at supporting the coal industry, and the federal government wants information on hundreds of thousands of West Virginia voters.
Dels. Johnathan Pinson, R-Mason, and Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha, tell us about the West Virginia Legislature’s perennial work on child protective and foster care services. We also get a look at both chambers’ first pass at the state budget.
On this episode of The Legislature Today, issues with Child Protective Services (CPS) and the state foster care system are persistent. The West Virginia Legislature faces questions on how to correct the problems that arise every year. News Director Eric Douglas speaks with Dels. Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason, and Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha, to get their take on the issue.
This week, during the Great Depression, Osage, West Virginia was a raucous river town. It’s sleepier now, but music is keeping the magic alive. Also, a poet remembers growing up in a secret city in Tennessee that was built during World War II. And, rock climbing is usually for warmer months, but some climbers have taken to climbing frozen waterfalls.