This week I'd say our group made good progress from last week, that being because we solidified a topic that we all seem to be interested in. We narrowed our focus down to moonshine and both the historical and artistic aspects of its production/ possible manufacturing and distributing. We still have some things to work out and discuss in the next coming week or two, but it feels relieving that our topic isn't still up in the air. I like this subject because it's something that all of us can really explore, no one in our group is really way more informed or involved with moonshine than the others, therefore we will be discovering it's story as we go. And I also feel it appeals to a more national or global audience because it is something that isn't necessarily well known in other areas than the south. Overall, I'm excited to keep contacted people and exploring this subject.
Expert Bios
1. Jay Cummings lives in the Charlotte area of North Carolina. He has had a love for the creation of moonshine since he was young, as it was prevalent in most areas of his family history. It is something that many family members became involved in and has acted as a foundation for gatherings and relationships for decades. (This is a more personal interview expert as he is my friend's uncle. He is a good potential interviewee because of the rich history of moonshine in his life.)
2. The Broadslab Distillery of Benson, North Carolina has rich history of the creation of moonshine since the prohibition era. It all started with a man named William "Bill" McLamb, and has since been passed down through the younger generations of the family. The family owns a popular and well-established distillery, the Broadslab Distillery, and the current owner is Jeremy Norris.
Interview Questions
1. -Can you recall and describe the first time you were introduced to moonshine?
-How has moonshine played a role in your family's story?
-Is there a particular generation or set of people who enjoy making moonshine the most in your family?
-What is the best part of moonshine in its entirety to you? (the production, consumption, etc.)
-Why do you hope to continue this legacy in your family for generations to come?
-Does your family have a variety of recipes or is there one which everyone prefers?
-What are some stories about moonshine in your family that have special meaning to you?
-Why did you not decide to make a living off of moonshine production?
-Would you say that moonshine has an artistic quality to it?
-If you had to choose between drinking water or moonshine for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
2. -Can you tell me a little bit about your great grandfather and his legacy with moonshine?
-What does being the owner of a legal distillery that has moonshine entail?
-Would you say that your professional experience creating moonshine has made you more or less passionate about it and why?
-Can you recall and describe the most entertaining reaction you've seen after someone tasted moonshine for the first time?
-What would you say the benefits of owning a distillery are?
-What would you say the challenges of owning a distillery are?
-Why is it important that the history of moonshine continues to be passed down to new generations?
-What is your favorite part about keeping this business within the family?
-How has making moonshine left a significant mark on your life?
-Is there any type of legacy you wish to leave behind in this industry?
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Week 1- Extensive Concept Research
For this week, one of our assignments was to further our documentary ideas into extensive concept research. Since our first class meeting, our group definitely had a lot to think about discuss in regards to our subject, since we wanted to stray away from the original proposed idea on internet safety. With that being said, we decided on the broad subject of prohibition or rather the opponents of alcohol that still exist in Wilmington (and possibly even Charlotte) even though this city is currently booming, especially with craft breweries. I think that we hoped to dive in and explore the history side of prohibition in Wilmington and the problems it caused since Wilmington is a port city and was a big import/export area of alcohol back in the day. From there we were thinking about looking into how this is still relevant today, by hopefully getting in touch with opponents of the alcohol based community in town and also those who brought the alcohol industry back to life. This is a very loose idea, but one that we have found to be interesting and more accessible to us in the community. We are still working around some of the basic elements of this idea, but we hope that feedback from class and further exploration on the topic will help us out. Here are some of the conversations about articles and sites we have begun to found on the topic throughout the last couple days that we have on our google drive:
"So from my research i’ve found out more about Wilmington’s relationship with alcohol and the legality of it all. What’s interesting to me is how it seems to be a war between people who love alcohol (and brew it themselves) and the people who want it banned (prohibition). In Wilmington there are a ton of breweries and people who make their own alcohol. I think we can talk about the people who make their own alcohol, the culture that goes along with it. Another thing that crossed my mind was moonshine. And I found out there was a shootout between the “most notorious” moonshiners on the carolina coast and the police over in Brunswick county that ended with the moonshiners being sent to the electric chair. (I’ll post articles about them too.) So overall I think we could talk about how prominent alcohol is in a port city community (leaving it open to port cities instead of only Wilm so that it has a more universal effect) even though there were many people in the past that were trying to prevent that from happening.
"So from my research i’ve found out more about Wilmington’s relationship with alcohol and the legality of it all. What’s interesting to me is how it seems to be a war between people who love alcohol (and brew it themselves) and the people who want it banned (prohibition). In Wilmington there are a ton of breweries and people who make their own alcohol. I think we can talk about the people who make their own alcohol, the culture that goes along with it. Another thing that crossed my mind was moonshine. And I found out there was a shootout between the “most notorious” moonshiners on the carolina coast and the police over in Brunswick county that ended with the moonshiners being sent to the electric chair. (I’ll post articles about them too.) So overall I think we could talk about how prominent alcohol is in a port city community (leaving it open to port cities instead of only Wilm so that it has a more universal effect) even though there were many people in the past that were trying to prevent that from happening.
This is the best article i’ve found so far. There are so many people mentioned that we could possibly even get in touch with. Also a lot of interesting stuff- like I didn’t know Wilm had a “feast of pirates”. Also, I heard about Carrie Nation on Drunk History the other night. She’s crazy. I think there is a lot more to this topic than we thought!
Article about Charles William Stewart and William Elmer Stewart
Article about a Distillery trying to open in Wilm (back in 2014 so I need to look it up to see if it ever actually opened)
http://www.whiskyvrienden.nl/company.php?id=3837 This is the owner’s contact info. So far I can’t find anything about them ever opening so he may be someone to interview.
New Hanover county and alcohol
Super detailed article about the Feast of the Pirates which relates to our subject because this happened during prohibition...so they had an openly drunken parade in the streets of wilm while alcohol was illegal.
Short passage about NC Statewide Prohibition.
A short article about Barbary Coast which is the oldest bar in Wilm.
BLOCKADE RUNNERS- ships that were used to reach Confederate sides with supplies sent from England and occasionally smuggled alcohol.
This explains Wilm’s history as a port for blockade runners.
-Megan
Here are a few links to articles more directed towards Wilmington’s booming brewery business, which could act in opposition to those who still want heavy rules and regulations against alcohol consumption. These are just random options, and could be a cool route to work into also, since the craft beer industry has become so popular in Wilmington in the last few years:
This one is specifically about the craft beer industry in Wilmington, aka this is more than just a hobby it’s a way to make a living (stuff like that)
Also about the industry
This article is about an apparent mandate in the state of north carolina about beer production… could be something worth looking into
-Michaela "
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