This week, some of the stories on our show inspired college student art — including a vivid image of a bear smashing a clarinet. Also, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens. And, COVID-19 exposed the contempt society has for marginalized people. One author says, these folks are anything but passive.
Derenia Dunbar (left) stands with parents Ruby (middle) and James Boggs (right) in front of their family home in Millstone, Kentucky. James holds the guitar that was mostly untouched by the floodwaters that filled their house on July 28, 2022.
Eastern Kentucky is still building back after the devastating 2022 floods. We’ve featured several stories including reports from Nicole Musgrave, the lead editor of our folkways reporting project. She lived in the affected area and was part of a volunteer group helping people muck out and gut homes during cleanup. This was how she met James and Ruby Boggs in Millstone, Kentucky. Nicole brought us a story about the joy that comes from the soothing music of a family guitar.
How The Sausage Gets Made
Sonny (left) and his father Angelo pose in front of the meat case at Angelo’s Market in Powellton Hollow. From father to son to father to son, Angelo’s Old World Italian Sausage has been around in the hills of West Virginia for a while.
Angelo’s Old World Italian Sausage is part of a family tradition going back generations and beginning on the island of Sicily. The sausage has been sold in West Virginia grocery stores for years. Folkways reporter Zack Harold visited with the Argento family to hear about the history that went into the sausage.
The Reign of “King Coal”
Elaine McMillion Sheldon’s film, “King Coal,” had a pretty good year. Released late last Spring, the film appeared on screens and at film festivals all over the country, racking up some awards and impressing critics.
Host Mason Adams saw an early screening of the film and spoke with McMillion, co-producer Molly Born and artist Shodekeh Talifero.
Spilling The Tea on The World’s Largest Tea Pot
In 2023, Inside Appalachia’s Zander Aloi took a trip to Chester, West Virginia, to learn the story behind a classic roadside attraction there – a souvenir stand known as the World’s Largest Teapot.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Morgan Wade, Hazel Dickens, Steve Earle, Paul Loomis, Jeff Ellis and Tim Bing.
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.
This week, some of the stories on our show inspired college student art — including a vivid image of a bear smashing a clarinet. Also, a Hare Krishna community in West Virginia serves vegetarian food made in three sacred kitchens. And, COVID-19 exposed the contempt society has for marginalized people. One author says, these folks are anything but passive.
The Nelsonville Music Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The Ohio-based festival over the years has hosted American music icons, like John Prine, Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn, while also supporting regional artists. Inside Appalachia’s Abby Neff spoke with festival founder Tim Peacock to learn more.
If your aging parent needs surgery, you might need to take time away from work to care for them. A federal policy called the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives many employees job-protected leave for caregiving. But it has noteworthy limitations.
While baseball fields are run of the mill in most communities, there’s a certain type of diamond that’s less common: it’s called a “Miracle Field.” There are three of these in West Virginia – in Morgantown, Wheeling and Green River. These are accessible baseball facilities that can accommodate players with disabilities.