Coconut Cake – North Carolina Heritage Recipes Project, #1
by Matt Lardie Your mother’s spaghetti and meatballs. Uncle Joe’s famous chili. Grandma’s pecan pie. Heirloom recipes are memories as much as they are a set of instructions. They can transport us to another time and place. Treasured recipes passed down from generation to generation almost become members of our families; they tell our stories […]
Mount Olive Pickle Festival
by Elena Rosemond-Hoerr A few months ago I was standing in line for a Britt’s Donut in Carolina Beach with my cousin Mary. For those that have indulged in a Britt’s you’ll know two things- they are insanely delicious and the line is out of control. As the minutes inched by and we moved closer […]
Grilling on the Side of the Highway
by Ray Linville What makes our state so special for grilling ribs? Most of us can remember our first cookout when someone in the family, neighborhood, or church served home-cooked ribs. They were so tender that the meat literally fell off the bones. The homemade sauce was delicious, and often the recipe was a secret […]
Tang Comes to Yadkin County
by Deborah Miller Gernie and Rachel Wagoner, AKA my grandparents, had a small tobacco farm in Yadkin County. Brooks Crossroads, to be exact, a scant 7 ½ miles west of Yadkinville. And on this farm they had a duck … and an old mule, chickens, a couple of grapevines, a huge vegetable garden, and a […]
Pomegranate Kitchen, Durham, NC
by Frances O’Roark Dowell Imagine a kitchen that’s not unlike your own, only bigger and better equipped, with a cash box on the counter and a menu on the wall. Imagine the air thick with ginger, cumin and cinnamon. Now imagine a friend—your most hospitable, generous friend—standing before a flotilla of simmering pots, calling out […]
Home of Collard Sandwich Expands on Soul Food Day
by Ray Linville A collard sandwich is not the typical attraction to establish a regional reputation. But it is for Chef Kenneth Collins and his UPro restaurant in Aberdeen, NC, where he has developed an extensive following of appreciative customers. The star attraction of his business begins with fresh, hand-cut collards. The greens are cooked […]
Max Huang’s Last Bao
by Bernie Herman Part of our goal is to let you know about some of the diverse voices we hear … and sometimes somebody simply says it so well on their own blog that we can’t wait to share it with you! Max Huang’s Last Bao by Bernie Herman Originally posted on Meditations on the […]
Disco Rodeo
Latino immigration has impacted North Carolina’s culture in a variety of ways. You can see it in the number of Mexican restaurants here, or in the presence of Univision, the Spanish-language TV network.
[sc_embed_player fileurl=”http://www.ncfolk.dreamhosters.com/audio/DiscoRodeo.mp3″] Listen to the podcast
Prime Time Steppers
by Leda Hartman Stepping is a performance and movement style popularized a century ago by African American fraternities and sororities. Stepping has a strong link to the past, with roots that go all the way back to Africa. But it also has a vibrant future. These days, younger kids of all races are doing it. […]
North Carolina Arts Incubator
by Leda Hartman Many small towns across the country that are suffering from economic decline have turned to the arts to rejuvenate their communities. In North Carolina, the piedmont town of Siler City has opened a new arts incubator that will eventually be the largest one of its kind in the country. Leda Hartman takes […]
Center For Documentary Studies
The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) is an interdisciplinary educational organization affiliated with Duke University. It is dedicated to advancing documentary work that combines experience and creativity with education and community life. Founded in 1989, CDS connects the arts and humanities to fieldwork, drawing on photography, filmmaking, oral history, folklore, and writing as catalysts for […]
Curriculum in Folklore at UNC
Established in 1940, the Curriculum in folklore at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill was the nation’s first academic graduate program in folklore. Offering a range of both graduate and undergraduate courses, the Curriculum has been instrumental in establishing a place for folklore studies in higher education across North Carolina, in training many […]
El Pueblo, Inc.
El Pueblo, Inc. is a North Carolina non-profit statewide advocacy and policy organization dedicated to strengthening the Latino community. This mission is accomplished through leadership development, education, and promotion of cross-cultural understanding in partnerships at the local state, and national levels. The organization began in 1994 when it organized the first Latin American cultural festival […]
Folklife Program, North Carolina Arts Council
The Folklife Program of the North Carolina Arts Council promotes public knowledge and appreciation of the state’s cultural traditions. Four strategies have evolved to achieve this goal: planning and presenting special projects; assisting the field through a grants program; conducting fieldwork; and maintaining n archive of documentary materials and resources. Beginning in 1977, when George […]
Museum of the Cherokee Indian
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian was founded in 1948 to preserve and perpetuate Cherokee history, culture, and stories through permanent and changing exhibits, workshops, festivals, archives, and special educational programs. The Museum is a non-profit organization representing the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a federally recognized tribe, and has become one of the most […]
North Carolina Museum of Art
When George Holt, former director of the North Carolina Arts Council’s Folklife Program, joined the staff of the North Carolina Museum of Art in the fall of 1996, he introduced folklife-related programming that has drawn new audiences to the museum. As director of performing arts and film programs, he manages the programming for the museums […]
North Carolina Museum of History
The North Carolina Museum of History promotes the understanding of the history and material culture of North Carolina for the educational benefit of North Carolinians. Through collections and historical interpretation, its museums encourage citizens and visitors to explore and understand the past; to reflect on their own lives and their place in history; and to […]
North Carolina Pottery Center
Located in a rural area of the North Carolina piedmont where pottery making has a 200-year history, the North Carolina Pottery Center opened in the town of Seagrove in 1998. The facility features a permanent exhibit that interprets the history of pottery making in North Carolina, temporary exhibits in adjacent galleries, an educational building, and […]
Pinecone
PineCone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, was formed in 1984 to honor the traditional music heritage that makes North Carolina unique. PineCone is a private, non-profit, charitable membership organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who are Triangle citizens. PineCone is supported by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County and […]
Southern Folklife Collection
The Southern Folklife collection (SFC) ranks as one of the nation’s foremost archival resources for the study of American folk music and popular culture. Located in the Manuscripts Department of the Academic Affairs Library (Wilson Library) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the SFC holdings extensively document all forms of southern musical […]
Southwide Textile Heritage Initiative
The Southwide Textile Heritage Initiative’s missions are to preserve the history and heritage of the Southern cotton mill people, and to tell their story to future generations. Based at the Cooleemee Textile Heritage Center in Davie County, and affiliated with the Cooleemee Historical Association, the Textile Heritage Initiative publishes the magazine Bobbin and Shuttle, and […]
Student Action With Farmworkers
Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring students and farmworkers together to learn about each other’s lives, share resources and skills, improve conditions for farmworkers, and build diverse coalitions working for social change. SAF accomplishes its mission by coordinating summer internships, providing year-round opportunities for direct service, and […]
United Tribes of North Carolina
The United Tribes of North Carolina (UTNC) is a non-profit organization established in 1982 to provide greater coordination and unity among the Indian tribes and organizations of the state. Its goals include providing cultural activities and increasing economic prosperity for Indians of North Carolina. UTNC provides Indian tribes and organizations with a unique vehicle to […]
WPAQ Mount Airy
“WPAQ of Mount Airy, NC is a radio station in the classic southern tradition. Since signing on in 1948, it has featured live local and touring professional artists performing old time, bluegrass, and traditional gospel music. With uncommon consistency, the station has reflected the musical values of its community for nearly sixty years. WPAQ continues […]