How to go
What: Appalachian Culture Fest
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday
Where: Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave.
More info: cincy museum.org
CINCINNATI — Appalachian culture will be spreading throughout the Cincinnati Museum Center rotunda this weekend. The Appalachian Culture Fest, an extension of the popular Appalachian Festival held at Coney Island in the spring, will bring aspects of everyday Appalachian lifestyle to many people who have never experienced traditional Appalachian food, fun and culture.
“The Appalachian Culture Fest is simply a celebration of everything dealing with Appalachian culture,” said Clara Matonhodze, manager of adult programs at the museum center.
“We are looking to educate people on Appalachian culture and the issues that surround their communities.”
The culture fest starts at 5 p.m. today with a special screening of the film “The Last Mountain.” It is a documentary about a small West Virginian community fighting a large mining company that wants to use the last remaining mountain in the area for mountaintop coal removal. The film, which won an official selection to the Sundance Film Festival, will be followed by panel discussion.
The festivities continue into the weekend where families will be able to hear live, authentic Bluegrass music, buy traditional Appalachian goods, such as walking sticks, jewelry and candy, and enjoy old-fashioned Appalachian toys in the Duke Energy Children’s Museum.
An Appalachian trail will also be set up, letting families meet a beekeeper, a traveling doctor, a fiddle player and experience a coal mine.
“In the coal mine, people can crawl through and get a feel for what miners go through and what they experience in the mine,” said Matonhodze.
Other activities include the telling of authentic Appalachian stories, square dancing, an exploration of creative ways to use corn, the art of making jugs and children can even build their own banjos from wood. And, of course, lots of authentic, Appalachian food will be featured at the event.
“Appalachian people are people who live off the land,” said Matonhodze, “so these are just everyday things for them, that many of us take for granted.”
Throughout the weekend many different movies and documentaries will be screened in the Newsreel Theater. These films include “A Forest Returns,” winner of the Best Documentary at the Appalachian Film Festival, a film about the success story of Ohio’s only national forest, and “It’s in Our Blood,” a short documentary about a small coal mine in Southeastern Kentucky.
The Appalachian Culture Fest is part of a five-part series of culture fests. Admission for most of the event is free, although some parts of will be held in the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, which would be included with the price of admission.
About the Author