Osage, Connie Jordan Green And Ice Climbing, Inside Appalachia

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.

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

In This Episode:

• The Enduring Music of Osage
• Helvetia’s Fasnacht Festival
• Leaders In Southwest Virginia Lure Companies To Build Data Centers
• Residents Challenge Secretive Proposal For Data Center In Northern Kentucky
• Baby Barn Owl That Left His Nest Too Soon
• Winter Shortages In Blood Donation
• Connie Jordan Green On Poetry And Growing Up In Oak Ridge
• Ice Climbers Enjoy The Cold Weather

The Enduring Music Of Osage

Just across the Monongahela River from Morgantown, West Virginia is a small, unincorporated community called Osage. Years ago, it was a bustling, industrial town with a thriving nightlife. Today, Osage isn’t quite so bustling, but the love of music endures among its residents, including like musician Aristotle Jones.

In 2024, Folkways Reporter Clara Haizlett visited Osage and shared this story.

Helvetia’s Fasnacht Festival

This year’s winter has brought heavy snows, ice and freezing temperatures that hung around for days. Lots of people hope spring begins soon. But for folks in Helvetia, West Virginia, they do more than just hope. They celebrate an ancient festival called Fasnacht, which is meant to help bring winter to an earlier end.

Last year, WVPB’s Randy Yohe went to the little Swiss town and celebrated along with them. 

Leaders In Southwest Virginia Lure Companies To Build Data Centers

Tech companies are building data centers across the southeast to fuel the race to develop artificial intelligence (AI). These projects use a lot of water and power — but they can generate local tax revenue, too.

As Radio IQ’s Roxy Todd reports, some leaders in southwestern Virginia are hoping to lure data center companies to build in their communities. 

Residents Challenge Secretive Proposal For Data Center In Northern Kentucky

Data center companies routinely use non-disclosure agreements to shroud their projects in secrecy. In Maysville, Kentucky, ongoing discussions between the town and an undisclosed company about a proposed data center have some residents pushing back.

WEKU’s Shepherd Snyder has more.

Baby Barn Owl That Left His Nest Too Soon

The Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro treats hundreds of injured animals every year, from possums, to eagles, to bear cubs. And even a fledgling barn owl that fell from its nest in a grain silo in Augusta County.

WMRA’s Meredith McCool has more.

Winter Shortages In Blood Donation

Blood donation is an important part of medical care, providing supplies that save countless lives across the country. But winter weather can interrupt the flow of donations and lead to seasonal shortages.

Jason Keeling, executive director of the American Red Cross of Allegheny Highlands chapter, spoke with WVPB’s Chris Schulz about the importance of blood drives this time of year.

Connie Jordan Green On Poetry And Growing Up In Oak Ridge

For more than 40 years, Connie Jordan Green wrote a newspaper column about gardening. Then, she branched into young adult fiction, and then poetry. Her poetry considers everything from the natural world to growing up in a secret city in Tennessee that was built during World War II.

Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Green about her latest collection of poetry, Nameless as the Minnows, which was released last year.

Ice Climbers Enjoy The Cold Weather

The cold and ice this winter have been a struggle for a lot of us. But while some of us have stayed close to home or hidden under our blankets, a group of rock climbers in West Virginia has made the best of it.

WVPB’s News Director Eric Douglas has more. 

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Erik Vincent Huey, Aristotle Jones, Frank Hutchison, Larry Rader, Mary Hott and John Inghram.

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 Clara Haizlett and Nicole Musgrave.

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

You can find us on Instagram, Threads or here on Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.