The Greenbank Observatory is offering a limited chance to go behind the scenes to check out its Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). SETI tours are offered to small groups – ages 12 and up – several times a month through October. We caught up with the Observatory’s news manager to find out more about the tours – and what exactly scientists there are looking for.
Roadside Attractions, Pepperoni Rolls And A Bus On A Rock, Inside Appalachia
Dinosaur Kingdom in Natural Bridge, Virginia is a quirky roadside attraction.Mason Adams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Listen
Share this Article
This week, dinos fight Civil War soldiers at a theme park throwback — Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia.
Also, if you’re hungry for a pepperoni roll in West Virginia, you can find one at just about any gas station. So — how did they get so popular? We’ll hear one theory.
And we check out the backstory of a bus that sits at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man who put it there.
Hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
A dinosaur-solider creation from Mark Cline’s roadside attraction Dino World in Natural Bridge, Virginia.
Photo Credit: Pat Jarrett/Virginia Folklife Program
Every summer, Americans hit the road for vacation. The tradition of summer road tripping dates back for as long as there have been automobiles.
On these long drives, people needed breaks. So they’d stop at fruit stands, or fireworks stores, or … bizarre roadside attractions. A lot of those weird old-style attractions have disappeared, but some have managed to hang on.
In 2020, Mason Adams visited artist Mark Cline’s Dinosaur Kingdom II, in Natural Bridge, Virginia.
The Riddle Of The Pepperoni Roll
The story of the West Virginia pepperoni roll is more than its creation, but also how it spread.
Photo Credit: Zack Harold/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Pepperoni rolls have been enshrined as part of West Virginia history through their connection to coal miners. They’re absolutely a favorite and available almost everywhere, but that wasn’t always true. How pepperoni rolls became a statewide convenience store staple might have less to do with coal mining and more to do with lunch ladies in Kanawha County.
Folkways Reporter Zack Harold took a bite out of pepperoni roll lore.
The Mystery Of The Bus On The Rock
Anna Sale in 2014.
Photo Credit: Amy Pearl
If you listen to the popular podcast Death, Sex and Money, you know Anna Sale. Back in 2005, Anna was a reporter for West Virginia Public Broadcasting. She got curious about an old bus that sits on a rock at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers, just past the town of Gauley Bridge.
So Anna traveled by boat with producer Russ Barbour to meet the man behind the mystery.
——
Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Sierra Ferrell, Paul McCartney, Joe Dobbs and the 1937 Flood, Blue Dot Sessions, Yonder Mountain String Band and Hot Rize.
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. We had help this week from folkways editor Chris Julin.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
The Greenbank Observatory is offering a limited chance to go behind the scenes to check out its Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). SETI tours are offered to small groups – ages 12 and up – several times a month through October. We caught up with the Observatory’s news manager to find out more about the tours – and what exactly scientists there are looking for.
The new, 864,000 square-foot facility in Gassaway – roughly the size of 15 regulation football fields – will serve 48 of the state’s 55 counties and is designed to quickly get more food to those in need.
There are still many questions that surround the chemical incident near Institute last week that killed two workers. Chris Schulz spoke with Dr. Christopher Martin, a specialist in occupational and environmental medicine at West Virginia University (WVU), to try and shed some light on what happened.
On this West Virginia Week, the air around the site of a chemical leak near Institute is determined safe, the state reaches a settlement with Roblox, and Charleston photographer Perry Bennett represents Team USA in Iceland.
