Mars Hill’s Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival celebrates a folk hero

While many people wear multiple proverbial hats and dabble in more than one career, Madison County-born Bascom Lamar Lunsford epitomized that concept. A lawyer and a folklorist, the Mars Hill native campaigned against hillbilly stereotypes while preserving Appalachian mountain music traditions. A performer himself — his recordings are included in the Archive of American Folk […]

Elevate the human element

As we approach the May 8 North Carolina primary, I strongly encourage people to vote against Amendment One. While people are free to their own thinking about gay/lesbian relationships, they should not be free to impose this thinking on others, especially when what is at stake has much broader implications than gay marriage. While proponents […]