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Local heritage to be spotlighted in Cullowhee, on public television
It’s late September, which means we can expect the chilly mornings and hot afternoons that start summer’s green leaves down their path to October’s scarlet-and-gold glory.
September’s end also signals a Jackson County tradition – Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Day – that unites the college and surrounding community in a toe-tapping, hand-clapping, finger-licking celebration of Appalachian music, culture and food. The all-day event is aimed to recreate the feel of the county fairs that once were common at the end of the harvest season and includes contests to determine the best baked goods and home-canned vegetables, pickles, jams and jellies. Vendors ply their handcrafted wares, and the day includes lots of demonstrations of traditional mountain skills.
Sharing this week’s spotlight is a Caney Fork family whose name has become synonymous with mountain music. The Queen Family, led by legendary matriarch Mary Jane Queen, is the subject of an N.C. State documentary that has been selected for national release on public television. The movie, which showcases Mary Jane and her eight children, was filmed in part at the Queen homeplace on Johns Creek, where Mary Jane, 92, has lived since her 1935 marriage to the late Claude Queen united two of our area’s premier musical families.
The Queens’ contribution to the preservation of traditional music led WCU to present them with its annual Mountain Heritage Award several years ago, and the group is once again slated to perform during this Saturday’s event.
Those attending Mountain Heritage Day can listen to the Queens on Saturday and then learn more about Jackson County’s unique musical legacy by watching the documentary Wednesday at 8:30 p.m on UNC-TV.
A true mountain original, Mary Jane wrote and published an autobiography earlier this year and exhibited her paintings for the first time in May.
We’re proud that Mary Jane and her family have represented this county so well for so long, and we’re happy that folks across the nation will have a chance to gain a better understanding of our mountains through the new film that documents the Queen Family’s music and Jackson County way of life.
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