Mills Kelly, Coalfield Depopulation And Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque, Inside Appalachia

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Historian Mills Kelly’s love affair with the Appalachian Trail started when he was a boy scout. He was 12.

Also, the region is known for exporting coal, but it’s losing people, too. 

And, Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque in southwestern Virginia fuses Asian ideas with Appalachian comfort food, like cheesy egg rolls.

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

In This Episode:

• A Hiker’s History of the Appalachian Trail
• Acupuncture May Ease Alpha-Gal Syndrome
• Depopulation In Appalachian Coalfields
• Ambulance Crews In Rural Tennessee Administer Antibiotics On Site
• A Community Rallies Around Cuz’s Barbeque
• Environmental Engineer Turned “Water Healer”

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A Hiker’s History of the Appalachian Trail

Mills Kelly knows an awful lot about the Appalachian Trail (AT). While he’s never attempted a thru-hike, the lifelong hiker has covered hundreds and hundreds of miles of the trail. He’s also a trail scholar. He shares its history on The Green Tunnel Podcast. 

He’s also written several books about the trail, including his most recent. It’s called A Hiker’s History of the Appalachian Trail. Producer Bill Lynch recently spoke with Kelly about his life with the AT.

Acupuncture May Ease Alpha-Gal Syndrome

Nobody loves ticks. The bloodsuckers have a reputation for spreading Lyme disease, but that’s not all. They can also infect people with Alpha Gal Syndrome, a red meat allergy.  

Symptoms of the allergy range from a rash to crippling gastro-intestinal upset. It has even very rarely led to death. Sometimes the allergy fades over time, but sometimes it doesn’t, and there is no cure. 

But as WMRA’s Christine Kueter reports, some are getting relief through acupuncture.    

Depopulation In Appalachian Coalfields

The population in Appalachia’s coal-producing counties has declined since the boom of the 1950s. As the coal industry mechanized and shrunk, jobs went away, and young people did, too. Now, a series of population estimates show things might get even worse.

Journalist Jim Branscome grew up in southwestern Virginia and has been following this story. Host Mason Adams spoke with Branscome back in the fall.

Ambulance Crews In Rural Tennessee Administer Antibiotics On Site

Untreated infections are one of the most frequent causes of death in the United States. Getting lifesaving antibiotics is a challenge in rural areas that don’t have easy access to hospitals. 

For the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, reporter Pierce Gentry tells us about an effort in Hawkins County Tennessee to find a solution. 

A Community Rallies Around Cuz’s Barbeque

Food in Appalachia is a blend of the food from all the other places people came from to get here. In West Virginia, we have pepperoni rolls because about 100 years ago, Italians working in the coal mines wanted an easy lunch.  

Different food ideas show up all the time.  

At Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque in Tazewell County, Virginia, you get local mountain flavors, but with an Asian inspired twist. There are items on the menu like Morel mushrooms, cheesy egg rolls and country ham caprese. 

In 2022, Folkways reporter Connie Bailey Kitts and her family stopped in at Cuz’s for dinner and brought us this story.

Environmental Engineer Turned “Water Healer”

The Susquehanna River is one of the world’s oldest rivers. It’s also one of its most threatened. The Susquehanna has been named America’s most endangered river multiple times. More than a decade ago, Carol Perenzen became its inaugural riverkeeper. She helped connect people to their river and advocated for its protection. Now Perenzen has a new project.

The Allegheny Front’s Kara Holsapple has more. 

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Eric Vincent Huey, Mary Hott, Hello June and John Inghram. 

Mason Adams is our show host. Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editors Jennifer Goren and Zander Aloi.

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

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.