Mountain Funnin\': Children\'s Games Live on in Appalachia

Creator: McCracken, Katy

: Van Dyk, R. Chris

: Howell, Brenda

In this project Katy McCracken interviewed R. Chris Van Dyk and Brenda Howell about children’s games they knew of or had played. The project was conceived after Ms. McCracken noticed she was, without realizing it, singing a song and doing hand gestures she learned as a child. The project’s intent was to talk to people from a different part of Virginia than she is from to learn about the games they played and how they compared to games she played. This interview is among projects created by students enrolled in English 446 (initially English 452), “Appalachian Folklore,” 1981-2019, and in graduate level counterparts English 548 and 648 “Appalachian Folk Culture(s)” offered 17 fall semesters between 1987 and 2009. Minimally contain collector’s introduction and analysis, transcribed informant interviews, and excerpted and labeled examples of oral, customary, and/or material folklore/folklife collected primarily within the Appalachian region. Most include also tables of contents, informant information, indexes (outlines) of interviews, photographs, miscellaneous paper items, and indexes of informants, genres, and geographic locations. Accompanying audio recordings (several minutes to 2+ hours). Transferred to McConnell Library Archives & Special Collections from Appalachian Regional and Rural Studies Center, Fall 2013.