Culture

Sing Out with a Mountain Mix!

Becky Rogers — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 13:24:35 +0000

This holiday season, ring in an Appalachian Christmas.

Christmas is a special time of year no matter where you are, but there seems to be something a little bit different about an Appalachian Christmas. Maybe it’s because many of the old traditions are still alive in these mountains. Perhaps it’s because snow falls infrequently enough in the South that when it does cover the ground on Christmas Eve, it feels especially magical to young and old alike.

A Fairy Tale Setting

Contra Dancing from There to Here

Ray Access — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 19:28:59 +0000

Even George Washington loved to contra dance.

There’s an ancient African proverb: “If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance.” And the Appalachian settlers took that advice to heart. They danced to celebrate the spring planting and the fall harvest, as well as weddings, births, the midwinter feast… the list goes on. Whenever musicians gathered to play, people danced to the music.

The Wood Cook Stove

Becky Rogers — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 10:40:09 +0000

And how to appreciate modern-day appliances

Ask your Appalachian-born-and-bred grandparents: “Before you had electricity, how did you cook your food?”

Their answer undoubtedly will be “Why, on the cook stove, of course.”

A wood cook stove is a stove built out of iron that could house a fire. This stove had many uses, from heating up a chilly house on an Appalachian Mountain morning to warming up our hands after a day of hunting and playing. But its primary use was cooking.

Boone, North Carolina

Becky Rogers — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 23:15:38 +0000

Winter Wonderland of the Appalachians

Once a frontier town, Boone, North Carolina, has become a small-town paradise in the Appalachian mountains of western North Carolina. It has the sights, sounds and culture to delight you, and it exhibits plenty of charm. You can visit Boone any time of year, but come winter, it’s full of holiday spirit and offers plenty of outdoor activities.

Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides

Becky Rogers — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 21:41:20 +0000

You can’t get much more romantic, especially around the holidays, than a horse-drawn carriage ride. When the weather’s nice, you can enjoy clip-clopping through your favorite Appalachian historic town. And even if the temperature drops, you can snuggle together under a blanket, sipping hot chocolate, while enjoying the pace of life from another era. After an outdoor wedding ceremony, a carriage ride is perhaps the most romantic outdoor activity.

Appalachian Bread Baking

Becky Rogers — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 19:44:22 +0000

Ahhh, bread. It’s the comfort food of the gods, considered the most delightful carbs you can eat. It pairs well with wine or water and even better with butter. Packed with nutrition, it’s been a staple in Appalachian homes since before it was ever sliced for sandwiches. Breaking bread is synonymous with sharing a meal… with family, friends, even strangers.

Fly Fishing Interview with David West

Becky Rogers — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 10:40:09 +0000

With more than 4,000 miles of regulated trout waters in Western North Carolina, you can find numerous options for fly-fishing in the area. In the small streams and branches to rivers like the French Broad, David West is an expert in the field.

West is the owner of Trout Cruisers. He customizes rods, ties flies and guides fishing trips in the Appalachians. Trout Cruisers can help you get the most out of your fly-fishing experience. To get you started, Simply Appalachian (SA) spent some time with David, who generously shared some of his experience for our readers:

Clemson, South Carolina

Ray Access — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 17:38:51 +0000

The city is more than the stage for Clemson Tigers games.

Bordering Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest, Clemson, South Carolina, sits between Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. It’s truly a hub of the Southern Appalachian region. The city’s beauty, history, sports, and friendly character have charmed visitors for over a century. But be warned: some of those visitors never returned home.

Appalachian Hog-Killing Tradition

Ray Access — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 17:29:12 +0000

Seldom practiced today, it was an annual rite.

Back in the heritage days of yore, when family homesteaders worked the land in small, tight-knit communities, they held community hog-killing days. These Appalachian events were held between Thanksgiving and Christmas when the weather turned cold. Hog killing provided meat for the winter and served to bring the community together once more before snow made travel difficult, even to the next holler.

See, Share, Savor, Shop and Stay

Ray Access — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 20:11:22 +0000

Simply Appalachian magazine celebrates “all things Appalachian” — which includes places to visit — throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains. Here is another in the series of destinations to see, share, savor, shop and stay.

Luray, Virginia

Corn Mazes & Pumpkin Patches

Ray Access — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 19:41:08 +0000

It’s that time of year again.

Believe it or not, the first corn maze in the U.S. was built in Annville, PA, just east of Harrisburg, in 1993. So the practice of creating an elaborate maze through a cornfield isn’t exactly an ancient Appalachian tradition. Early mountain settlers didn’t dig up their crops to create crazy shapes in their gardens to get lost or to hide from native aggressors. Corn was a valuable foodstuff to the settlers. Recreation always came second to eating. Just like today.

The Story of Appalachian Soap Making

Ray Access — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 21:10:57 +0000

It all began with a little lye… Always a frugal people, the Appalachian settlers used and reused everything, including the ashes from the fireplace. Collecting the ashes from hardwood in an ash hopper, the woman of the house added rainwater (also collected) to make lye. The water seeped through the ashes, gaining acidity. Once, twice, three times through the same ashes, as it became stronger and more acidic. Invaluable to the settlers, lye had many uses, such as tanning hides and making soap. Using water, lye and animal fat or lard, the womenfolk made a gooey soap that effectively cleaned everything from pots and pans to little hands.

Cherokee, NC: See, Share, Savor Shop and Stay

Ray Access — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 21:04:15 +0000

See, Share, Savor, Shop and Stay

Simply Appalachian is an online magazine that touts itself as “celebrating all things Appalachian.” So within its virtual pages, you can learn about places to visit throughout a seven state region of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Some cities and towns — as well as state parks, national forests and historical destinations — go out of their way to attract tourists. Such is the subject of this month’s See, Share, Savor, Shop and Stay location.

See, Share, Savor, Shop and Stay

Ray Access — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 09:10:53 +0000

Lewisburg, West Virginia, is an unassuming little town stuck in time in the Greenbrier Valley of the Allegheny Mountains. Founded in 1782 by General Andrew Lewis (who fought in the Revolutionary War), Lewisburg today has been named one of the “coolest small towns in America.” Its charm lies in its obvious history and the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains. You can expect to enjoy both when you visit.

Logging vs. Conservation

Ray Access — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 17:38:40 +0000

The Appalachian region has a rich and varied past, starting in the early settler days. The Appalachian Mountains got in the way of the pioneers of the area; the hilly terrain presented a tough barrier to those wanting to head west. It wasn’t until Daniel Boone was commissioned to build what we now call the “Wilderness Road” in 1779 through Cumberland Gap that people begin to move westward and settle in the mountains.