The North Carolina State Fair is the biggest event of its kind in the South. Every October, nearly a million visitors flock to Raleigh in search of fried food and carnival fun. And while everyone loves a good funnel cake… each year, one section of the fair is by far the most popular: the giant pumpkin exhibit. This week, we dig into the mushy guts and glory of competitive giant pumpkin growing and find out what it takes to harvest a champion.

Featuring:

• Jonathan Schultheis, horticultural science professor at North Carolina State University
• Randy Collins, Graham County Extension Director (N.C. Cooperative Extension)
• Susie Zuerner, giant pumpkin grower
• Sam Jenkins, giant pumpkin grower

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Driven by unprecedented energy demand from data centers, the US is in the midst of one of the biggest energy infrastructure expansions of all-time. For many energy companies, the solution to this crisis runs through natural gas pipelines in places like Rockingham County, North Carolina. But does it come with a price?

Featuring: 

• Celeste Gracia, environment reporter for WUNC
• Ben Lefebvre, deputy energy editor for POLITICO 

Links:

• You can read Celeste’s reporting on MVP Southgate here.
• Check out more of Ben’s reporting here.

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North Carolina is home to one of the oldest electronic music traditions in the world. From synthesizer builders in Asheville to Grammy-nominated musicians in Durham, the state’s small but influential scene remains healthy. But how did it come to be? This week, we go on a strange trip through the early days of electronic music in America and find out how the synthesizer became an unlikely Southern instrument.

Featuring: 

• Suzi Analogue, musician
• Michelle Moog-Koussa, co-founder of the Bob Moog Foundation
• Tony Rolando, synthesizer builder and owner of Make Noise
• Nick Sanborn, musician and member of Sylvan Esso

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.
• Check out more audio and video reporting from Broadside contributor Saleem Reshamwala here.

We're hosting a walking tour in Durham, NC. Come join us at the kickoff event on October 29th at 6pm! Learn more and register for free here.

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In the 1990s, professional ice hockey was primed for growth. But the NHL had one major problem: geography. In order to expand its footprint, the sport had to move into unlikely warm weather locations with few existing fans. The league eventually expanded to the Sun Belt with mixed early results. But in North Carolina and other Southern states, the NHL has found success with a radical long-term strategy. They've helped build the next generation of hockey fans almost completely from scratch.

With the start of the 2025 NHL season just underway, we're revisiting this episode that was originally published on February 20, 2025.

Featuring:

• Ibraheem Khalifa, hockey fan
• Cory Lavalette, Carolina Hurricanes beat reporter and senior editor at North State Journal
• Shane Willis, Director of Youth Hockey & Community Outreach for the Carolina Hurricanes
• Joe Ovies, co-host of the Ovies & Giglio sports podcast

Special thanks goes out to the Orange County Sportsplex and Coach Kevin Kamenski of the Carolina Thunder Hockey Club in Hillsborough, NC.

Thanks also to WUNC's Josh Sullivan and Mitchell Northam.

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

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Although Latinos make up some of the most diverse communities in the South, they're often portrayed as one people and newcomers with a fairly uncomplicated backstory in the region. But from the Civil Rights Movement to South of the Border, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

This episode was originally published on September 19, 2024.

Featuring:

• Cecilia Márquez, author of Making the Latino South: A History of Racial Formation

Links:

• You can find a transcript of this episode here.

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This week, we’re sharing an episode by our friends at Common Land. It’s a podcast that explores the history, science and politics behind the creation of protected lands in America.

Season two focuses entirely on the Appalachian Trail. It follows documentarian Matt Podolsky as he attempts to thru-hike the 2200-mile journey with his 65-year-old mom. Along the way, Matt shares stories of remarkable people, surprising history, and the modern challenges facing the Appalachian Trail — all as the iconic footpath marked its 100th anniversary.

This is the second episode from that series, which was produced by The Wild Lens Collective in partnership with New Hampshire Public Radio. It’s called Trailnames and Cherokee footpaths. And it takes place almost entirely in our home state – North Carolina. In it, Matt hikes some of the ancient Native American footpaths that overlap with the Appalachian Trail. 

We hope you enjoy this walk in the woods.

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When the sprawling federal tax and spending law known as the Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law in July, a countdown began. That’s because the bill included major changes and cuts to Medicaid funding that are set to go into effect in just a little over a year. Now, dozens of state legislatures across the country are trying to navigate the early political and health policy fallout. And in North Carolina, all eyes are on one vulnerable group: rural healthcare providers.

Featuring: 

• Nick de la Canal, host and reporter for WFAE in Charlotte, NC
• Donny Lambeth, North Carolina State Representative

Links:

• Check out Nick's reporting on Medicaid expansion’s uncertainty here.
• Listen to a recent episode of the WUNC Politics Podcast that digs even deeper into Medicaid policy.

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The tiny mountain town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina is the site of the single biggest source of ultra high purity quartz in the world. It’s a vital component in the manufacturing process of semiconductors for computers and solar panels. In fact, the mine in Spruce Pine is quite possibly the most important mineral extraction site on the planet. Because we don’t have a backup.

Featuring: 

• Alan Schabilion, owner of Emerald Village in Spruce Pine, NC
• Ed Conway, author of Material World: The Six Raw Minerals That Shape Modern Civilization

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

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Last week, we dropped an episode that was a collaboration with Nashville Public Radio (WPLN) and music journalist Jewly Hight. You should really check it out. It’s all about a Black fiddle and banjo music revival, with deep roots in North Carolina, that’s sweeping the US. While that movement is largely occurring in folk music spaces, it also includes a handful of Black country music artists. In this special bonus episode of The Broadside, we extend the story by asking how country music became so white. And we find out who’s trying to change that.

Featuring:

• Jewly Hight, senior music writer at Nashville Public Radio - WPLN
• Rissi Palmer, musician
• Amanda Marie Martinez, assistant professor of American Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

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This past spring, Durham, North Carolina hosted a sprawling roots music festival called Biscuits and Banjos. For the thousands of attendees, it had some similarities to a lot of folk music events around the country. But one major thing set it apart. Nearly every featured performer was Black.

The event is just one part of a Black folk music revival sweeping the country that's rescuing lost traditions and challenging stereotypes that for generations have influenced things like who gets to play the banjo in America.

This episode is part of a collaboration between WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and WPLN-Nashville Public Radio.

Featuring:

• Jewly Hight, senior music writer at Nashville Public Radio - WPLN
• Rhiannon Giddens, musician and member of Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Dom Flemons, musician and member of Carolina Chocolate Drops
• Brandi Waller-Pace, musician and scholar
• Kaia Kater, musician and member of New Dangerfield

Links:

• You can find a transcript of the episode here.

The Broadside is made possible by contributions from listeners like you. Support WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio and this podcast by making a donation.

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