On our 100th episode there are no small stories… just short ones. In the past two years, we've crisscrossed the state of North Carolina. From Manteo to Murphy and many points in between. And we’ve done our best to connect you – wherever you live – to the people and places that make our region so fascinating. Along the way, we’ve collected a few stories that, for whatever reason, didn’t fit into a full-length episode. But we thought our 100th episode special was the perfect excuse to break out some of these shorties but goodies. 

This week, we explore the effort to raise up a beloved hip-hop anthem, learn that much of our fate was randomly drawn on a map and dig into a tale about one of the most infamous crime scenes in American history.

Featuring:

• Adrienne Berney, outreach coordinator for the State Archives of North Carolina
• Katie Hatton, editor of the North Carolina Colonial Records Project
• Allison Hussey, writer

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It’s easy to overlook the importance of mini golf. But this tiny game has played a pivotal role in breaking down class barriers to golf. And the story of how a bite sized version of golf made it from one man’s lawn in North Carolina to the rest of the world is utterly fascinating.

Featuring:

• Audrey Moriarty, Executive Director at Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives
• Carolyn Cole, owner of Thistle Dhu
• Katie Boyce, PhD, Adjunct Lecturer in History at William & Mary

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The Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina are one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. The region is home to a whopping 4,000 species of plants and thousands of species of fungi. And many of them are edible. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, some folks (including children) are embracing this supermarket in the woods by learning how to forage for wild food… and how not to get poisoned in the process.

Featuring: 

• Emily Cataneo, freelance journalist

Links:

• Check out Emily’s article on foraging for The Guardian.

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This Thanksgiving we're sharing an interview from our friends and colleagues at Due South, WUNC’s daily talk show. Hosted by Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii, the program is a source for news, information and perspectives from across North Carolina and the South.

In this conversation, Leoneda chats with Dr. Brittany Hunt. Hunt is a professor at the Virginia Tech School of Education, where she teaches the teachers about how schooling practices have been rooted in anti-Indigeneity and how to upend that system to center Indigenous stories.

Hunt is also co-host of the Red Justice Project podcast, which tells stories of missing and murdered Indigenous people, and is the author of a children’s book Whoz Ya People.

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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail form the backbone of the eastern portion of the US National Park system. Together, they welcome 15 million visitors every year. But they likely wouldn't exist as we know them today, if it weren't for the work of a pioneering photographer in North Carolina named George Masa. This week, we find out how an immigrant from Japan became the eyes of the American conservation movement and unearth the dark secrets that motivated his life’s work.

Featuring:

• Paul Bonesteel, documentary filmmaker and co-author of the book George Masa: A Life Reimagined
• Mami Kikuchi, researcher and translator

Links:

• To learn more about Paul's new George Masa documentary film click here.

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A little over a hundred years ago, there was an abundance of Black farmers in the U.S., and the vast majority of them farmed in the South. But today, less than 2% of farmers are Black, and what was once a flourishing vocation in Black America has now become something of a novelty. Yet despite decades of decline and documented discrimination, Black farmers are finding ways to thrive as they inspire the next generation of growers.

Featuring:

• Shirlette Ammons, creator of the podcast series Tending
• Aallyah Wright, rural issues reporter for Capital B News

Links:

• You can listen to Tending here.
• Check out Aallyah Wright’s reporting on USDA policy changes and Rev. Bennie Brown in Jonestown, MS.

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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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