The Wakefields And Remembering Rex Stephenson, Inside Appalachia

We remember Rex Stephenson. He’s known for his stage performances of the Jack Tales, which have captivated school kids since the ‘70s. 

Also, keeping the family farm going after six generations can be rough.

And, some parts of southern Appalachia still practice the tradition of keeping up community gravesites for Decoration Day.

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

In This Episode:

• Rex Stephenson Remembered For The Jack Tales
• Six Generations Of Farming Left To Two Brothers
• Dusting Off Tombstones For Decoration Day
• Diamond Teeth Mary Medicine Show

Rex Stephenson Remembered For The Jack Tales

A Virginia playwright who brought Appalachian folk tales to hundreds of thousands of children and people across the United States has died. Rex Stephenson was a theater professor at Ferrum College at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. He was 81.

Stephenson wrote numerous plays, including at least 25 that were performed on stage. He was known for playing famed American author Mark Twain. And he was best known for telling Jack Tales, in performances that mixed drama, humor, and musical performances to entertain and engage their audiences.

Host Mason Adams has this story.

Six Generations Of Farming Left To Two Brothers

Our next story comes to us from Cade Miller who reported it when he was a student at the News Lab at Penn State. The lab works to address gaps in news coverage — including the plight of family farms. Miller’s family came from farming. His mother grew up on a dairy farm just down the road from the Wakefields, a family that’s farmed for six generations. Miller spent months reporting on the Wakefields, and their struggle to keep the family business going.

Last year, he produced a documentary that speaks to a dynamic happening across the US, as people grow away from their agricultural roots. It’s titled, The Wakefields – Two Brothers, Six Generations.

Dusting Off Tombstones For Decoration Day

Honoring ancestors is a familiar practice found among all cultures. In the southeastern United States, it can take the form of Decoration Day. Families come together in specially decorated cemeteries. They celebrate their roots, sometimes with music and prayers, and almost always with storytelling and a meal.  

In Pickett County, Tennessee, where the Cumberland Plateau and Highland Rim collide, one family keeps one of Decoration Day’s oldest traditions: a swept graveyard.

Lisa Coffman takes us to the 200th anniversary of their Decoration Day. 

Diamond Teeth Mary Medicine Show

The 25th anniversary of the Diamond Teeth Mary Medicine Show was held recently in Huntington, West Virginia. The blues festival honors a West Virginia native who hopped a train to flee her hometown at the age of 13. Her career crossed paths with a who’s who of American music of the 20th century.

WVPB’s Randy Yohe has this story.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by the Jack Tale Players, Dave Odell and Dave Bing, John Blissard, Larry Rader, Blue Dot Sessions, Dinosaur Burps and Hello June. 

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

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

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.