Summer has come to the mountains. It’s time for festivals, fun, and good times with friends and family. Today on Radio-Gram a look within, as we tell you some stories about us, and what we are doing this summer. In honor of that – the Regional Roundup and the Coal Report are on vacation! Radio-Gram is broadcast on WMMT, a community radio station that is based at Appalshop. Appalshop is located in the heart of central Appalachia’s coalfields, in Whitesburg, KY. What the heck is an Appalshop you might be wondering? Do they sell apples? No – apples, but Appalshop is a place where we grow things. We grow leaders, and artists, activists and organizers. Appalshop was founded in 1969 as part of a war on poverty program meant to teach local young people skills to work in the film and television industry. But the kids who picked up the cameras didn’t want to work on movies about other people and other places, and they began making films about this place and their people. Over the past 39 years Appalshop has made films, television, plays, records, radio, and more. Appalshop’s current work still includes documentary films, youth media and leadership training, a prison justice project – Thousand Kites, WMMT – Appalshops. Community Radio, international exchange projects, and more. recently we asked ourselves the question what Appalshop is – here is a little bit of what we said.

This special Summer and Seedtime Radio-Gram was produced with help from Sylvia Reyerson, Machlyn Blair, and me – Mia Frederick. Remember Seedtime is June 10 – 14 with films, visitors and films from Indonesia & Texas, music, arts and crafts, old time fiddle and banjo contests, and of course the fourth annual Chuck Johnson Watermelon Eatin, Seed Spittin’ and Hollerin’ Contests, so to find out more about Appalshop’s 22nd Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival – visit Seedtime on the web – at appalshop.org/seedtime. Radio-Gram is a production of WMMT – mountain public community radio, from the heart of the hills – bringing you ALL the sounds of summer!