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Stories about cryptids are revived every October in the lead-up to Halloween. Oftentimes, these monsters are said to live in the woods – or some other dark area where they’re difficult to find. Few, if any, can be found leaping along rooftops in one of the country's largest historic preservation districts. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, LPM’s Roberto Roldan brings us the story of the Old Louisville Demon Leaper.
Biscuits, gravy, pepperoni rolls, fried chicken, and… salt? This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re investigating the history and stories of some of Appalachia’s most famous foods with the help of Gravy, a podcast produced by the Southern Foodways Alliance.
We’ll hear about the revitalization of West Virginia’s salt production industry, the complicated history of fried chicken, and the growing popularity of Appalachian food in major urban centers.
The Hidden History of Kanawha Valley Salt
Nancy Bruns and Lewis Payne, owners of JQ Dickinson Salt
Did you know? A young Booker T. Washington cut his teeth in the salt mines in Malden, not far from where Nancy Bruns and Lewis Payne are working to revive their family’s historic salt company, JQ Dickinson Salt. The siblings have re-designed the process that their ancestors used to create the product that was known worldwide for its distinct flavor and pink hue, all the while keeping in mind the slave labor that fueled their family’s salt’s original success.
Credit Clark Davis / WV Public Broadcasting
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WV Public Broadcasting
Our Not-So-Simple Relationship with Fried Chicken
Later, we’ll take a look at the complicated relationship between race and fried chicken. While soul food has provided opportunities for economic mobility for some African Americans, many feel uncomfortable enjoying traditional food in public because of the harsh stereotypes associated with their consumption.
Credit The Clarksburg Post
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In 2013, West Virginia named the pepperoni roll its state food.
Stories about cryptids are revived every October in the lead-up to Halloween. Oftentimes, these monsters are said to live in the woods – or some other dark area where they’re difficult to find. Few, if any, can be found leaping along rooftops in one of the country's largest historic preservation districts. For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, LPM’s Roberto Roldan brings us the story of the Old Louisville Demon Leaper.
On this West Virginia Week, our voter's guide is out, and it has all the information you need to know about the upcoming general election in the state. Also, another lawsuit targets the state's public school funding formula. And, a million dollar giant troll is making its way to the woods of West Virginia.
This week, author Silas House returns with a sweeping new novel. Also, some folks say, you have to fake it 'til you make it, even if you're trying to establish a state park. And, the story of the first Mothman sightings as written by a small town journalist in 1966.
Silas House is a major voice for Appalachia. The Kentucky native has written more than 15 books and served as the state's poet laureate. His latest book is The Tulip Poplars, a sweeping novel about the lives of four people as they navigate friendship and forbidden love throughout the 20th century. Inside Appalachia's Mason Adams spoke with House.
