Herewith is the story of a young boy growing up in the mountains, and then traveling all over the world.
Amy interviews Jim Sellers from Montieth Branch in Sylva, who gives us this glance of his childhood and tells of sneaking his first taste of snuff in the 3rd grade!
Glenda Miller of 1827 Red Bone Willy’s
Survivor of Two Tornadoes
Amy spends time with Glenda Miller, owner of 1827 Red Bone Willy’s, an old country store in Lawndale, NC, and who has survived two tornadoes, one on May 5, 1989, and another in 2010. A graduate of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC, Glenda has proved to be one who always rises above the problems that have engulfed her life. In this interview, she draws us into that life and then shares the story of flying through the air in a F5 tornado as it wiped out her home.
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Here is David Ammons, chair caner, who tells the story of how as a child he learned chair caning while watching his grandpa, Tom Ammons. In his words: “I watched in awe as he wove his magic piece by piece, bottoming the chair in a herringbone weave from white oak splints. I had no idea I would one day take up the craft also. Now as I weave, I can feel his presence.”
David also mentions his memories of Decoration Day.
David Ammons, Chair Caner
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Roy Owenby - Always A Mountain Boy
Born in 1940, Roy Owenby grew up in Nantahala, NC. With a childhood lived in the richness of the forest, Roy learned to depend on nature and himself. This type of childhood gave him a creative foundation on which to rely for the rest of his life. A prolific writer, he draws his stories and characters from experiences and people he has known from his many different lifestyles. Listen now to an interview with a mountain man who has actually traveled the world, and in doing so, embraced home.
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Annie Lee Bryson, the Corn Husk Doll Lady
Annie Lee Bryson, the Corn Husk Doll Lady
1921—2010
Annie Lee Bryson, 2010 winner of Western Carolina
University’s Mountain Heritage Award, was a legend in her own time. Born in a long line of pioneers in Western North Carolina, this lady touched thousands of lives with her “cornhusk dolls”—dolls who have found their way all over the world. Catch the Spirit of Appalachia (CSA) is fortunate to have known and worked with Annie Lee.The following interviews are Annie Lee (February, 2009), and an interview with her daughters Norma, Anna and Carolyn (September 25, 2010).
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Nita Welsh Owenby
Growing Up In The Mountains of Macon County, NC
Listen to the soothing sounds of Nita’s voice as she shares precious memories of the life of a mountain girl who didn’t know her family was poor. A childhood with parents who taught core values gave Nita a solid foundation, assisting her as she finishes school and expands her horizons by working for the FBI, in banking, and in insurance and investments. In retirement she has become a prolific writer. Check out csabooks.com to learn more about her books
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Howard Allman, Storyteller
- Howard Allman, Storyteller
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From the radio show March, 2015— Howard Allman from Webster, NC, who shares some of the Allman Family lore, including a toll road named “Drummer’s Lane,” moonshiners, the gold rush of north Georgia, and stories of Howard as a young boy and swinging over the Tuckasegee River.
Irene Bishop Hooper from Cullowhee
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Here are some really great stories from Irene Bishop Hooper from Cullowhee.
She tells some heart warming Christmas memories from her childhood in the 1934 era.
Irene and late husband Elmer
Stories Of The Cherokee with Robert Jumper
Featuring Robert’s visit with Kathryn Littlejohn
(Reprisal from November 2013)
Robert’s guest is Kathryn Littlejohn, a storyteller and an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, who talks about her family's holiday celebrations, and what it was like growing up on the Qualla Boundary. Kathy also shares the story of how “Legends” came to be.
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A true story from storyteller and author
Amy Ammons Garza
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Herewith is storyteller Amy Ammons Garza, who shares a story of her family’s Christmas in 1952.
Set in a cove a couple of miles from the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County, three young children…Amy, sister Doreyl and brother David…worked to make their own Christmas against all odds.
Following the story is Amy’s twin grandchildren, Ashleigh and Holly, who play “I Wish You a Merry Christmas” on the violin and viola.
Jane Shook Chastine, a Mountain Treasure
History of the Settling of Tuckasegee
One-hundred-year-old Jane Shook Chastine tells a great story about mountain life in Tuckasegee, NC, “back in day” before the flood of 1940. She talks about how she bought the family land by paying her uncle’s back taxes from money saved in her cloth stockings…money she made from selling her vegetables, eggs, and livestock to Blackwood Lumber Company. We also hear from Becky Chastine Reeves, granddaughter of Jane who grew up on the land Jane purchased.
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