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["Diane Betler was born in Pendleton County, West Virginia and came to Helvetia as a child to live with her adopted mother Margaret Koerner, an immigrant from Germany. Ms. Koerner was a skilled home cook from her Ms. Betler learned many traditional recipes. She married Kevin Betler, nephew of Eleanor Betler, and they live in the Koerner home in Helvetias Metzner Hollow where Ms. Betler was raised. She served as the principal of Pickens Elementary/High School, the public school serving children from Pickens and Helvetia. Ms. Betler makes the yeast-raised doughnuts for Helvetias Fasnacht celebration every year using Margaret Koerners recipe.This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

13. Transcript of oral history of Diane Betler

Identifier:
4224.BetlerDiane.IntTranscript.2.6.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Diane Betler
Date:
2016-02-06
Creator:
Betler, Diane
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Doughnuts, foodways, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Cooking, German, Carnival, Cooking, Swiss
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Eleanor Betler was born in Buckhannon, West Virginia in 1940 and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She spent her summers in Helvetia at the farm of her maternal grandparents, James and Anna Merkli McNeal. She married Howard Bud Betler in 1961. The couple moved to a hilltop farm in Helvetia and raised four children. All the good cooks, many of them relatives of Mr. Betler taught Mrs. Betler about canning, preserving, cooking and baking. She was especially interested to learn the skills of butchering and preserving meat, and making sausage. Mrs. Betler loves the Swiss traditional baking but also Appalachian ways of some neighbors. She grinds her own flour for baking bread. At Fasnacht time she invites neighbors and friends to make the hozablatz and rosettes just to keep the tradition alive. She also preserves this history by collecting stories, music, and photographs for The Helvetia Archives.This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with foodways practitioners in Helvetia, West Virginia, as part of the Helvetia Foodways Oral History Project in partnership with the Southern Foodways Alliance. Learn more: https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/helvetia-west-virginia/"]%

14. Transcript of oral history of Eleanor Betler

Identifier:
4224.BetlerEleanor.IntTranscript.2.5.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Eleanor Betler
Date:
2016-02-05
Creator:
Betler, Eleanor
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Bakers, Bread, Swine, Food habits, Helvetia (W. Va.), Hill farming, Corn bread, Beef cattle, Carnival, Canning and preserving, Wild leek, Orchards, Sheep farming, 4-H clubs, Cheesemaking, Dairy cattle, Swiss American women, foodways, Cooking, Swiss
Location:
Helvetia (W. Va.)
["Dave Bing is a fiddler and fiddle maker from Melissa, West Virginia, outside of Huntington. He now lives in Harmony in Roane County, West Virginia with his wife. As a young man, he spent time learning from many elder fiddlers in West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, including the Hammons Family of Pocahontas County. Dave Bing has been a member of numerous old-time bands such as The Bing Brothers with his brothers Tim Bing and Mike Bing, Gandydancer with Gerry Milnes, and The High Ridge Ramblers with Mark Payne and Andrew Dunlap."]%

15. Transcript of oral history of Dave Bing

Identifier:
4224.BingDaveIntTranscript6.21.17
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Dave Bing
Date:
2017-96-21
Creator:
Bing, Dave, 1955-
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Hammons (Family : W. Va.), woodworking, Fiddle tunes, Old-time music, Bing, Dave, 1955-, Augusta Heritage Center, Fiddling, Musical instruments
Location:
Roane County (W. Va.)
["Louis Lou Berry Birurakis (b. March 22, 1926) is a native of Liberty, West Virginia in Scotts Run. His parents were Greek immigrants from Crete. His father was a coal miner who was blackballed for his participation in the union and after he was fired, started a business in Scotts Run. Birurakis was a football player at WVU and is an amateur historian and a writer. In the interview, he speaks about his family, growing up in Scotts Run, and his experience on the WVU football team. He also tells a story about his mothers encounter with Eleanor Roosevelt when she visited Scotts Run.This interview is part of a collection of interviews conducted with Scotts Run natives/residents and/or members of the Scotts Run Museum."]%

16. Transcript of oral history of Louis “Lou” Berry Birurakis

Identifier:
4224.BirurakisBerryLouis.IntTranscript.2.23.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Louis “Lou” Berry Birurakis
Date:
2019-02-23
Creator:
Birurakis, Louis
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Greek Americans, Food habits, Labor union members, foodways, Arthurdale (W. Va.), Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945, Bread, Football players, Teaching, Coal mines and mining, Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962, Gardening, Cooking, Greek, Scott's Run (W. Va.)
Location:
Scott's Run (W. Va.)
["Shardinae Adams (b. Detroit, MI, January 1, 1993) is a Fairmont, West Virginia-raised hip-hop artist currently living in Las Vegas, NV. She is the owner of Blockstar Entertainment. In 2019, she was named one of Generation West Virginias Beacon Award winner for her community service work including backpack drives for Fairmont school children.In this interview Adams speaks about her music career, influences and writing process, childhood and adolescence as a ward of the state, life mentors, volunteer work, and future plans."]%

17. Transcript of oral history of TK Blockstar aka Shardinae Adams

Identifier:
4224.BlockstarTK.IntTranscript.10.9.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of TK Blockstar aka Shardinae Adams
Date:
2020-10-09
Creator:
Adams, Shardinae
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Hip-hop--United States, Women rap musicians, African Americans--Appalachian Region
Location:
Fairmont (W. Va.), Las Vegas (Nev.), Charleston (W. Va.)
["Edie Street Belcher BosticBoomer, WVEdie Street Belcher Bostic was born in Jodie, West Virginia in 1929. Her family moved to Boomer, West Virginia when she was 8 months old. Her father worked in the Hawks Nest Tunnel and died of silicosis in 1932 when Edie was 3. Her mother died two years later, and Edie was raised by a neighbor, Quindora Quinny Burdette. Edie worked at Sam Dalportos Italian grocery store, the College Drug Store, and G.C. Murphys. She is also a self-taught pianist. In this interview, Edie shares stories of her father and memories of her childhood, family, and life in Boomer."]%

18. Transcript of oral history of Edie Bostic

Identifier:
4224.BosticEdieIntTranscript5.7.18
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Edie Bostic
Date:
2018-05-07
Creator:
Bostic, Edie Street Belcher
Contributor:
King, Wanda, Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Fayette County (W. Va.), Tunnels--West Virginia, Coal mine accidents--West Virginia, Industrial accidents, Working class families, Women pianists
Location:
Gauley Bridge (W. Va.), Fayette County (W. Va.)
["Kent Brayec, 53, is a Croatian musician and resident of Bethlehem, WV outside of Wheeling. He is the grandson of Croatian immigrants from Prugovac who settled in Benwood, WV in 1907. Brayec serves as secretary/treasurer of the Croatian Lodge #2 in Benwood and plays with a Croatian musical group in Cokeburg, PA. He spoke about immigrant communities in the area, Croatian traditions, foodways, music, and community that was centered around the Croatian Cultural Club in Benwood."]%

19. Transcript of oral history of Kent Brayec

Identifier:
4224.BrayecKent.IntTranscript.11.21.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Kent Brayec
Date:
2016-11-21
Creator:
Brayec, Kent
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Croatian Americans, Folk dancing, Croatian, Cooking (Sauerkraut), Folk songs, Croatian, Cooking, Croatian, foodways, Benwood (W. Va.), Wheeling, W.Va., Food habits, Arts, Croatian, Coal mine accidents--West Virginia
Location:
Moundsville (W. Va.), Benwood (W. Va.), Wheeling (W. Va.)
["Jenny Smith is an old-time fiddler, dulcimer player, banjo musician and clog dancer from Lost Creek, West Virginia. I interviewed her with her mother, Dee Cogar Bright, from Sutton, West Virginia. When she was young, Smith apprenticed with fiddler Melvin Wine through the former Augusta Heritage Apprenticeship Program. In this interview, they speak about their family lore, and the old-time music and square dance traditions, mainly in Braxton and Webster counties."]%

20. Transcript of oral history of Dee Cogar Bright and Jenny Smith

Identifier:
4224.BrightDeeJennySmith.IntTranscript.12.19.17
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Dee Cogar Bright and Jenny Smith
Date:
2017-12-19
Creator:
Smith, Jenny, Bright, Dee Cogar
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Banjo, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddling, Wine, Melvin, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp music, Square dance music--United States, Apprenticeship programs, Folk music festivals, Old-time music, Hammons (Family : W. Va.), Fiddle tunes
Location:
Weston (W. Va.)
["Master salt rising bread baker Genevieve (Jenny) Bardwell holds an A.S. in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of America, and a B.S. and M.S. in plant pathology from the University of Massachusetts. Jenny is the co-author of Salt Rising Bread: Recipes and Heartfelt Stories of a Nearly Lost Appalachian Tradition and was the co-founder of Rising Creek Bakery in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, both with Susan Ray Brown. Jenny has engaged in a deep, decades-long study of the unique labor-intensive Appalachian bread, focusing particularly on the scientific process and researching analog breads in other cultures. In 2017, she was awarded a Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grant from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts to lead a salt rising bread apprenticeship with baker Antonio Archer and in 2018, she was awarded an Folklife Apprenticeship Grant from the West Virginia Folklife Program with fellow baker Susan Ray Brown and apprentice Amy Dawson.Master salt rising bread baker Susan Ray Brown grew up in southern West Virginia, and her family roots go back nearly 300 years in her beloved Mountain State. She holds a B.A. in sociology/anthropology from West Virginia University. Susan is the co-author of Salt Rising Bread: Recipes and Heartfelt Stories of a Nearly Lost Appalachian Tradition and was the co-founder of Rising Creek Bakery in Mount Morris, PA, both with Jenny Bardwell. Susan has engaged in a deep, decades-long study of the unique labor-intensive Appalachian bread, recording oral histories, gathering recipes, conducting scientific studies, and constantly experimenting through her own baking. Find more on her website at www.saltrisingbread.net."]%

21. Artist profile of Susan Ray Brown

Identifier:
4224.BrownSusan.ArtistProfile.6.13.18
Title:
Artist profile of Susan Ray Brown
Date:
2018-06-13
Creator:
Brown, Susan Ray
Subject:
Bakers, Apprenticeship programs, Bread--history, foodways, Bread
Location:
Mount Morris (Pa.), Morgantown (W. Va.)
["Kathy Evans (b. July 8, 1962, Morgantown, WV) of Bruceton Mills and Margaret Bruning of Elkins are participants in the 2020-2021 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, in an apprenticeship titled, Sheep to Shawl: The Art of Raising Sheep and Creating Fiber Arts. Evans is a fifth-generation farmer and co-owner with her husband Reid of Evans Knob Farm in Preston County where she cultivates Certified Naturally Grown vegetables and raises sheep and poultry. She teaches and exhibits her fiber arts both in West Virginia and across the country and has been featured in Modern Farmer and Morgantown Magazine. Bruning grew up on a goat farm in upstate New York and has been a lifelong fiber artist. She and her husband David raise sheep at their homestead in Randolph County.Read a profile of Evans and Bruning on the West Virginia Folklife blog:https://wvfolklife.org/2020/11/04/2020-folklife-apprenticeship-feature-kathy-evans-margaret-bruning-sheep-to-shawl/Evans Knob Farm website: https://www.evansknobfarm.com/Poe Run Craft and Provisions: http://www.poerun.org/"]%

22. Artist profile of Margaret Bruning

Identifier:
4224.BruningMargaret.ArtistProfile.3.20.20
Title:
Artist profile of Margaret Bruning
Date:
2020-03-20
Creator:
Bruning, Margaret
Subject:
Sheep farming, Apprenticeship programs, Textile crafts, Farms--West Virginia, Weaving, Spinning-wheel, Spinning, Fiberwork, Woolen and worsted spinning
Location:
Randolph County (W. Va.), Elkins (W. Va.)
["Nancy Bruns is a chef, former restaurant owner, and the co-owner of J.Q. Dickinson Salt-works. Her family, the Dickinsons, have operated salt mines in the Kanawha Valley for five generations, since 1817. This interview was conducted in conjunction with the Malden Salt Fest."]%

23. Transcript of oral history of Nancy Bruns

Identifier:
4224.BrunsNancy.IntTranscript.3.1.17
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Nancy Bruns
Date:
2017-03-01
Creator:
Bruns, Nancy
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Salt mines and mining, foodways, Malden (W. Va.), Salt workers, Charleston (W. Va.), Food habits
Location:
Malden (W. Va.)
["Roger Bryant (b. 1948), is a native of Logan, West Virginia. He is a county musician and songwriter, and is the grandson of West Virginia banjo player Aunt Jennie Wilson. He is the executive director of the Logan Emergency Ambulance Service Authority (LEASA) and is director of the Logan County Office of Emergency Management."]%

24. Transcript of oral history of Roger Bryant

Identifier:
4224.BryantRoger.IntTranscript.3.31.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Roger Bryant
Date:
2016-03-31
Creator:
Bryant, Roger
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Old-time music, Country music, Folk music--West Virginia, Wilson, Jenny, 1900-1992
Location:
Logan (W. Va.), Logan County (W. Va.)