John Rose And The Snuffy Smith Comic Strip, Inside Appalachia

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Having a very specific talent can lead to a dream job. It’s how cartoonist John Rose got his foot in the door to draw the comic strip “Snuffy Smith.”

Also, there are dos and don’ts for treating poison ivy. 

And, a young, old-time musician wants to save her family’s lost ballads. 

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

In This Episode:

• Snuffy Smith In The 21st Century
• Folk Cures For Poison Ivy
• What’s The Buzz With Bees?
• Mussel Restoration In Tennessee River
• Preserving The Music Of The Mountains
• Big Emma: Remembering Appalachia’s Steam Locomotive
• Rosalie Haizlett Explores Tiny Worlds

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Snuffy Smith In The 21st Century

Like it or not, the hillbilly stereotype still permeates American pop culture. It’s been used to degrade and shame folks in the mountains, but there are gentler versions. Like “Snuffy Smith,” the long-running comic strip character who still appears in newspapers. Although these days, it’s easier to find Snuffy online. 

He originally started out as a supporting character in his comic strip, which first launched in 1919 when Billy DeBeck created “Barney Google.” Artist Fred Lasswell was brought in during the ‘30s to create Snuffy Smith and his friends. And now the strip is written and drawn by John Rose, who lives in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. 

Host Mason Adams spoke with Rose.

Folk Cures For Poison Ivy

With warmer weather, more folks are spending time in the woods or yards, and it’s just a matter of time before some will get into a patch of poison ivy.  

You can find ways to treat the itchy rash that comes from poison ivy at the pharmacy, but there are plenty of people who still use folk remedies.  

Folkways Reporter Wendy Welch explored the intersection of folk cures and mainstream medicine. 

What’s The Buzz With Bees?

When we think of livestock, we might think of animals like cattle and sheep. But, what about honeybees? Both honeybees and native bee species face challenges some in common, and some not. 

WMRA’s Ayse Pirge reports. 

Mussel Restoration In Tennessee River

The Tennessee River runs like an artery through Knoxville, Tennesee. It feeds the recreation and tourism business and also a rich ecosystem. And some of the river’s biggest protectors are really very small: freshwater mussels. They live on the riverbed and clean up the river. But their numbers have been declining for generations.

WUOT’s Heather Haley spoke to a group working to protect these creatures.

Preserving The Music Of The Mountains

North Carolina musician Murphy Campbell is trying to preserve old ballads from Yancey and Mitchell counties. And some of them come from her family. Blue Ridge Public Radio’s Gerard Albert III has more. 

Campbell’s performance in the BPR studios can be found here.   

Big Emma: Remembering Appalachia’s Steam Locomotive

Railroad writer Charlie Castner died in February at the age of 97. Castner worked for the public relations department at the Louisville & Nashville railroad and authored several railroad books. In 2024, he co-wrote Big Emma: The Story of Louisville & Nashville’s M1 2-8-4s. The powerful engine hauled passengers, freight and coal in eastern Kentucky.

WEKU’s Curtis Tate spoke with one of Castner’s co-authors, Ron Flanary, about the book that was 50 years in the making. 

Rosalie Haizlett Explores Tiny Worlds

In 2022, artist Rosalie Haizlett set out on a trip to illustrate parts of the Appalachian Mountains that often get overlooked – that is, the tiny birds, reptiles and other critters hiding beneath leaves or up in the trees.

Her illustrations came together as Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains, an Artist’s Journey. It’s a stunning book, full of colorful images and thoughts Haizlett recorded as she spent hours exploring the mountains.

In 2024, Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Haizlett about the book.  

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Tim Bing, Dave Odell and Dave Bing, John Blissard, John Inghram, Larry Rader and Blue Dot Sessions. 

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

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

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.