Jaclyn Anthony’s guest for this Friday Feature of the Week is Andrew Aydin, co-founder of the Appalachia Comics Project and one of the survivors whose stories appear in its graphic novel, Islands in the Sky: A People’s History of Hurricane Helene. The anthology pairs survivors with comic writers and artists, published by Good Trouble Productions. On September 27, contributors and survivors will mark Helene’s second anniversary with a book signing at Main Street Comics and Games in Marshall.

Based on the true events that unfolded when 38 planes carrying thousands of passengers from around the world were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, following the events of 9/11. This critically acclaimed musical is an uplifting reminder of humanity’s capacity to come together in even the most difficult moments.

In this week’s Friday Feature, Jaclyn talks with David Weintraub, documentary filmmaker and executive director of the Center for Cultural Preservation, about his new film, Raising Cane: The Cherokee and Rivercane—which premieres September 19 at Blue Ridge Community College’s Thomas Auditorium.

In this week’s Friday Feature of the Week, Jaclyn talks with Darren Clark with the Elk Mill-Poga Volunteer Fire Department ahead of the third annual First Responder RibFest in Mountain City. The event raises money for first responders while bringing departments and the community together for a day of barbecue and friendly competition. Hear more about how RibFest got started, where the money goes, and what’s planned for this year’s event.

This week, Kevin Washington interviews Sara Colée, a brand strategist and the founder of Stella Creative Studio. In the interview, Sara talks about the work of the organization she co-founded, Fair Play of Charlotte, where they advocate for a fair ecosystem for musicians and artists in Charlotte by engaging with venues, event producers, and organizations, highlighting the value of having an inclusive music scene in Charlotte. Sara discusses the work that Fair Play has done, including the data gathered about the progress that Charlotte has made in supporting local artists.

The Friday Feature goes to camp at Casey Driessen's Blue Ridge Fiddle Camp. Casey highlights instructors, scholarships, and what students can expect during the week-long camp at Brevard Music Center. We'll hear music from last year's closing performance, Fiddle Forward.

In this week's Friday Feature, Jaclyn talks with Béla Fleck about his Blue Ridge Banjo camp that brings 100 banjo players from around the world to the Brevard Music Center. We'll also hear from Woody Platt, who helped get it off the ground over seven years ago.

In this Friday Feature, we go on a tour of the Veterans Healing Farm in Mills River with its executive director, Alan Yeck. We hear about their agriculture programs, workshops, and events, all designed to enhance the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of veterans and their families.

This week, Jaclyn spoke with Anne Fanatico, Program Director and Co-Founder of Frontline to Farm, which is led by App State’s Goodnight Family Department of Sustainable Development. The program supports veterans as they transition from military service to farming and educates a new generation of farmers. Army veteran Aaron Banner also joins the conversation to share his experience as a Frontline to Farm alumnus.

Jaclyn spoke with Mark Lach, creative producer of Titanic: The Exhibition. They discuss what visitors can expect at the exhibition and Mark’s trip to the Titanic wreck site.