All across Appalachia, communities have historically leaned on music to help get work done. Whether tending the garden or marching along the picket line, music has been a way to keep people motivated and rally them around a cause. In the small town of Lansing, North Carolina, community organizers recently hosted the first annual Fly Around Music and Arts Festival. The event was a celebration and continuation of a months-long effort to recover from Hurricane Helene, which hit western North Carolina in 2024.Fly Around Fest took its name from the song “Fly Around my Pretty Little Miss,” a traditional tune recorded by old-time giants Frank Blevins and Ola Belle Reed, who were both from around Lansing. With a nod to the area’s musical roots, the festival was a testament to the endurance of a community bound together by interconnected traditions of community work and music making.

In this final episode of the 2025 season, Ash Hanson and Anna Claussen dive deep in conversation with Kyle Mesteth. Kyle is the founder of Ground Control, a skate park and community center in Pine Ridge, SD, whose mission is to provide a space where skateboarders, artists, and creators come together to dream, collaborate, and bring their visions to life. Ground Control works to inspire self-expression, fuel innovation, and build a community that pushes boundaries in art and movement, and Kyle shares how he creates a collaborative leadership environment that supports everyone to "bloom where they are planted."

Este episodio explora los sentimientos de soledad comunes en la experiencia de los inmigrantes rurales y presenta estrategias probadas para su inclusión. Las historias que se presentan en este episodio ofrecen una vía para alejarse de las políticas y prácticas de exclusión y avanzar hacia culturas de pertenencia que fortalezcan a toda la comunidad.