Weintraub documentary to air on PBS; theater camp, dog agility show set

Staff reports
·4 min read
Filmmaker David Weintraub films Ernie and Derek Bradford working on the family moonshine still.
Filmmaker David Weintraub films Ernie and Derek Bradford working on the family moonshine still.
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Weintraub's moonshine history documentary to debut on PBS

The award-winning moonshine history documentary by Hendersonville filmmaker David Weintraub and the Center for Cultural Preservation will have its public television debut on PBS NC (formerly UNC-TV) at 10 p.m. on Aug. 3.

According to Weintraub, “Everything we know about moonshiners and moonshining history is wrong. His film "The Spirits Still Move Them"weaves together interviews with nearly three dozen moonshiners and their families in Western North Carolina, East Tennessee and the Dark Corner of South Carolina to tell a story about moonshine history that’s never been relayed before, according to a news release.

Don Owens, Cedar Mountain artist, welds a copper still.
Don Owens, Cedar Mountain artist, welds a copper still.

“The myth that all moonshiners are violent, lazy, drunk criminals hiding in the woods wearing long beards and longer arrest records has been recounted by the media for over 100 years," Weintraub said in the release. "In reality, liquor production was hard, backbreaking work that only the most entrepreneurial farmers conducted which they did in order to survive difficult circumstances and put food on the table. It’s a fascinating story and far more interesting than the myths and distortions we’ve heard.”

Long-time Transylvania County moonshiner, Tommy Dodson said in the release that making liquor was about putting food on the table.

“It was the hardest work I’ve ever had to do, but it was about survival. And continuing a mountain legacy,” he said.

In addition to the debut of "The Spirits Still Move Them," PBS NC will also feature the Center’s film about the Great Flood of 1916, "Come Hell or High Water," Remembering the Great Flood of 1916 at 10 p.m. Aug. 24.

The Center for Cultural Preservation is a cultural nonprofit organization dedicated to working for mountain heritage continuity through oral history, documentary film, education and public programs. For more information about the Center and to purchase its DVDs and make a donation, call 828-692-8062 or go to www.saveculture.org.

Arts Council to present children's theater camp

The Arts Council of Henderson County is presenting a week-long children’s theater camp that will begin with auditions on July 31 and end with performances on Aug. 5.

The cast from the Missoula Children's Theatre production of "Blackbeard the Pirate" at the end of one of their performances in 2018.
The cast from the Missoula Children's Theatre production of "Blackbeard the Pirate" at the end of one of their performances in 2018.

According to a news release, the theme will be Blackbeard the Pirate, and all children from rising first graders to 10th graders are invited to participate free of charge. Missoula Children’s Theatre will be conducting the camp, which is made possible by the support of the Marked Tree Vineyards and the North Carolina Grassroots Grant program.

The Missoula Children's Theatre, the nation’s largest touring children’s theatre, has been touring extensively for more than 40 years from Montana to Japan and will visit nearly 1,200 communities this year with up to 44 teams of tour actor/directors, the release said. A tour team arrives in a given town with a set, lights, costumes, props and make-up, everything it takes to put on a play … except the cast. The team holds an open audition and casts 50-60 local students to perform in the production.

All activities will be at the Hendersonville Theatre at 229 S. Washington St. in Hendersonville. Auditions will be from 4-6 p.m. July 31, and rehearsals will be from 4-8 p.m. Monday-Friday after the auditions. Performances will be at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Aug. 5. Tickets will be available at hendersonvilletheatre.org.

Blue Ridge Ridge Agility Club to host Blue Ridge Mt. Madness Festival

The Blue Ridge Agility Club of Western North Carolina will host the Blue Ridge Mountain Madness Festival, one of five 2023 UKI Festivals located throughout the country. The UKI Dog Agility Trial will be from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. July 28-30 at the FENCE (Foothills Nature Equestrian Center) in Tryon.

Spectators are welcome to attend and admission is free. It is highly recommended to bring a chair and to leave pets at home, the news release said.

Purebred and mixed-breed dogs, from throughout the Southeast will compete at various levels of difficulty against each other and the clock. The Blue Ridge Agility Club hosts several dog agility trials throughout the year. For more information go to BlueRidgeAgilityClub.com.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Weintraub documentary to air on PBS; theater camp, dog agility show set