UNC-TV PROGRAM TO SHOWCASE
WESTERN, MOUNTAIN HERITAGE DAY

Mountain Heritage Day showcases traditional mountain music, dance (above) and storytelling, as well as folk arts and crafts.

CULLOWHEE – A new 30-minute program about the preservation of mountain culture will be broadcast on the state’s public television network in December.

The program focuses both on Western Carolina University and its annual Mountain Heritage Day celebration. It was taped in conjunction with the 29th Mountain Heritage Day on Sept. 27. The program is scheduled for broadcast on UNC-TV at 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, and will be shown again at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11.

Included are interviews with folk artists at the festival, as well as segments about Asheville photographer Tim Barnwell and heritage apple preservationist Tom Brown. The program also features three Western faculty members -- Bruce Frazier, Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor in Commercial and Electronic Music; Tom Hatley, Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies; and Ron Rash, Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies.

Mountain Heritage Day has been called “an open textbook of Appalachian folk life” and is known widely for showcasing traditional mountain music, dance and storytelling, as well as folk arts and crafts. The festival is held on the last Saturday in September each year. The 30th anniversary event is scheduled for Sept. 25, 2004.