On this West Virginia Morning, Sue and Stan Jennings for 30 years have run Allegheny Treenware, a company that makes wooden kitchen utensils. But they started off as a couple of coal miners. Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro has more.
On this week’s episode, we begin our journey through Appalachia in the meadows and woods of West Virginia to catch the buzz on beekeeping.
We’ll also revisit our interview with Pocahontas County, West Virginia native Trevor Hammons. The young banjo player decided to carry on his family’s traditions of storytelling, wild lore and old-time music.
Then, we’ll check in with Kentucky artist Lacy Hale, who designed her iconic “No Hate In My Holler” screenprint five years ago. Appalachians are still telling her how much they identify with its message.
You can hear that and more in our latest tour Inside Appalachia.
We begin among the trees — in stands of black locust and tulip poplars — with a report from our Folkways reporter Margaret Leef, who checks in with a community of West Virginia beekeepers.
Music Comes Naturally To Son Of Hammons Legends
The Hammons Family of Pocahontas County, West Virginia are known around the world for their distinctive old-time music that reflects the early Appalachian frontier of the Mountain State. Nine members of the Hammons family — Edden, Pete, Maggie, Sherman, Burl, Lee, Currence, Mintie and Dona — were inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame in 2020.
We’re listening back to our story from 2020, when we first met 22-year-old Trevor Hammons, who is helping to ensure his family’s musical legacy lives on.
No Hate In My Holler
In Eastern Kentucky, artist Lacy Hale has been painting murals and dabbling in other art forms for years. In 2017, her screenprint “No Hate In My Holler” — designed in response to a Nazi rally — went viral.
That image still resonates with Appalachians and can be found all over social media. Our host Mason Adams spoke with Hale about her work for this week’s episode.
——
Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week is by Long Point String Band, Ona, Chris Stapleton and the Hammons Family. Bill Lynch is our producer. Alex Runyon is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode.
On this West Virginia Morning, Sue and Stan Jennings for 30 years have run Allegheny Treenware, a company that makes wooden kitchen utensils. But they started off as a couple of coal miners. Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro has more.
On this West Virginia Morning, uncertainty about the future amidst a changing climate has given rise in recent years to a phenomenon known as "climate anxiety." Ahead of Earth Day Monday, Chris Schulz spoke with Amy Parsons-White, sustainability manager for Marshall University, to discuss this mental health issue and potential solutions.
Elliott Stewart has been making zines since he was 13 years old. His ongoing zine “Porch Beers” is an incisive look at Appalachian culture, through the eyes of a queer trans man.
On this West Virginia Morning, digital devices and social media command more and more of our attention these days. Balancing this and creating healthy boundaries for increasingly younger children is becoming a bigger part of being a parent. Chris Schulz takes a look at this issue in the latest installment of, “Now What? A Series On Parenting.”