Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 9, 1991 TAG: 9104090130
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JUSTINE ELIAS CORRESPONENT
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
The festival, which runs through April 13, features free lectures, concerts, and films about Appalachian life and history.
The Appalkids are six Pulaski County High School students who perform dramatic and musical skits about Appalachian identity, humor, and history. In six years, the group has traveled a total of 10,000 miles and performed before a total of 19,000 people.
Chris White, one of this year's Appalkids, said the group seeks to dispel myths and stereotypes about Appalachian culture while entertaining its audiences.
People who live in Appalachia often don't identify themselves as being from that region, said White.
"People say, `I'm not from Appalachia; I'm from Radford,' " he said.
"Or people from other parts of the country see `The Beverly Hillbillies' and say that's us."
The Appalkids portray the region's values as "God, home, neighbors, and country," White said.
Sponsored by two Pulaski County teachers, the Appalkids began as a school group but now support themselves by performing and selling promotional T-shirts and candy.
The group holds auditions each spring, and the company writes its own scripts when school begins in the fall.
Members learn to play the dulcimer, upright bass, mandolin, and autoharp.
The Appalkids' show, which includes a parody of the People's Court and satirical songs about critics who stereotype Appalachians, has pleased a broad audience.
The group has been asked four years in a row to perform at the Appalachian Studies Conference.
"Most members of the group would say the toughest audience is our own high school," said White.
The Appalkids take the stage of the Richardson Auditorium in Rooker Hall at 7:30 p.m.
For information, call (703) 674-3607.
by CNB