Mountain Heritage Center: A regional heart of Appalachian traditions

Story co-written/produced with Charles Gadie Walking through the door, visitors are greeted with a smile from the student workers at the front desk and a sense of curiosity. Many wondering ‘what is this hidden place’. The Mountain Heritage Center is Western Carolina University’s museum of southern Appalachian history and culture.  Currently in their gallery exhibit, the […]

Ballad “Barbara Allen” jump starts a hopeful career for a young storyteller

“(Ballads are) a way for me to connect with a world that I was told a lot about by relatives of mine…” said James Woodburn, Asheville local and musician. “…but funnily enough, I feel closer to it than the stuff you hear on the radio today. It’s ephemeral, it’s like words in stone that seem […]

Crank up the tractor and grab a banjo, Mountain Heritage Day is back

Mountain Heritage Day will return for its 42nd year this Saturday, Sept. 24. The long-standing event is packed with Southern Appalachian-infused music, dancing, arts, food, and culture. Located at WCU’s intramural fields from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mountain Heritage Day will have free admission and parking as WCU opens their doors to all to […]

Apartheid exhibit features new additions

WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center held a reception on March 16 to showcase their exhibit, ‘From Apartheid to Democracy’. The reception included South African food and music, as well as several new additions that have been made to the exhibit since it opened on Feb. 1. Some of the foods included in the reception were peri […]

South African Apartheid exhibit offers a lesson of forgiveness

An earlier version of this story did not give credit to Hilary Lindler for providing the loan of the Amy Biehl materials and the 1994 election ballot to the exhibit. It has been corrected.  Living in a country where democracy is so often taken for granted, it’s difficult to imagine a time and place where […]

Mountain Heritage Day – celebrating the diversity of the mountains

Fans of WCU’s Mountain Heritage Day festival flocked to the campus intramural fields for a day of family-friendly fun and entertainment. This 41st annual event celebrated cultural diversity and traditions unique to the people of the mountains with music, workshops, hayrides, cultural demonstrations and more on Saturday, Sept. 26. After forecasts called for rainy conditions […]