This week, members of a Ukrainian Catholic church in Wheeling, West Virginia, make pierogies every week. They’re popular with the community, but what makes them so good? Also, Salem, Virginia's Flat Five Studio got its first big break when the Dave Matthews Band was searching for a quiet place to record its first album. We hear the story of a big moment for a small studio.And, a longtime Bigfoot hunter believes his first encounter with the mythical monster happened when he was a kid.You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, one person’s roadside weed is another’s “golden” treasure. So says a North Carolina fiber artist. We also talk with a children's book author about a school system that suspended its community reading program over concerns about the sex of her book's main character — an oak tree.And, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program is now available in every Kentucky community. We revisit our 2022 interview with the American icon. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, we visit with a West Virginia man who shows his love for fishing by building exquisite, handmade fly rods. It’s a long process, but he shares his knowledge with others.We also spill the tea on a classic roadside attraction in Chester, West Virginia.And punk music photographer Chelse Warren takes us into the pit for stories and observations. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, dinos fight Civil War soldiers at a theme park throwback — Dinosaur Kingdom II in Natural Bridge, Virginia. Also, if you’re hungry for a pepperoni roll in West Virginia, you can find one at just about any gas station. So — how did they get so popular? We’ll hear one theory.And we check out the backstory of a bus that sits at the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers — and the man who put it there.Hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, old-time music jams aren’t just fun, they’re good for your mental health.Also, the opioid epidemic has changed how we talk about addiction in Appalachia. But it’s not America’s only drug crisis.And, every year, hundreds of people parachute off the 876-foot-tall New River Gorge Bridge for Bridge Day, but not just anyone can do it. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, hip hop started in New York and took root in places like West Virginia. We explore some of the history of the music and where it is today.Also, food deserts are places where it’s hard to find nutritious food, but they’re found in more than just rural counties in Appalachia. Food deserts are also in disenfranchised neighborhoods, like in East Knoxville. And, the Reverend George Mills Dickerson of Tazewell, Virginia, was born in the years after slavery ended. During Juneteenth, he’s remembered especially through his poetry.You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, we visit with West Virginia trappers to learn about the fur trade in the 21st century.We also meet a county fair champion who keeps racking up the blue ribbons and has released a cookbook of some of her favorites. And we hear an update on the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Construction has begun again, but some people wonder if it’s even needed. These stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, we meet a West Virginia artist who designs stickers, t-shirts, patches and pins. She draws on classic Appalachian phrases her family has used for years. They’re not all radio-friendly.Also, people who live near Indian Creek in southern West Virginia say something is wrong with the water. Tests show contamination from a nearby mine. Now people and animals are getting sick. And, lots of schools are seeing teacher shortages. But what happens when the band director quits?You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

This week, the woman behind the popular tik tok account “Appalachian Forager” makes jam from wild pawpaws … and jewelry from coyote teeth.We also talk with the hosts of a new podcast that looks at coal dust exposure beyond the mines, affecting people far downstream from Appalachia. And, in some places, slavery continued in different forms well after the end of the Civil War. A new marker in Western North Carolina acknowledges that history and commemorates a disaster that killed 19 Black prisoners. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

For nearly a century, the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival has staged a formal dance. We visit the festival and learn about a manual that’s been passed down for generations.Also, abortion is illegal in most cases in Tennessee. A photographer spent a year following one mother who was denied an abortion. And we talk to Marshall University professor and poet Sarah Henning about her latest book, Burn. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.