North Carolina Rabbit Hole

Latest Episodes:

Away Message S3 E5 | The Concert on Powder Horn Mountain Aug 28, 2019

Show notes

Curtis Johnson fell in love with music while growing up in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. But when he gave up his job as a disc jockey to support his family, he held on to his dream. Now, he puts on small house-style concerts in an out-of-the-way place, and the shows keep everyone coming back for more.

James Mieczkowski: reporter, producer

Jeremy Markovich: producer, mixer, host

Elizabeth Hudson: editor-in-chief

Music in this episode:

"Midnight Special," by Mark Stuart and Stacey Earle, performed in 2012 at the Cook Shack in Union Grove
"Southbound Passenger Train," by Doc Watson, performed in the 1970s in Rochester, New York
"Pick Me Up" and "As Good As It Gets," by Grace Pettis, performed in 2019 at Powder Horn Mountain

Special Thanks to Daniel Johnson and Curtis Johnson, the Renaissance Man.

Away Message S3 E4 | How To Get To Space Jul 19, 2019

Show notes

Christina Koch was once a kid growing up in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Now, she's living on the International Space Station. In this episode, we go back to school to find out how she turned her dream of becoming an astronaut into reality.

Some audio provided by: Houston, We Have A Podcast.

Music in this episode:

Closing Song: Dream Big, by Beau James (Greensboro)

Special Thanks: NASA-TV

Away Message Replay | What Once Was Lost Jul 10, 2019

Show notes

From Season 1: A trip to a cemetery that's only reachable by boat reveals a story about progress, a national park, promises made, and promises broken. Along the way, we meet the woman who kept hope alive, and kept a sacred spot from being forgotten.

Away Message S3 E3 | Stop Making Cents May 24, 2019

Show notes

A woman from Mooresville, North Carolina became Mecklenburg County's first black nurse. Then she became a prolific and well-respected artist. Along the way, she got President Franklin D. Roosevelt to sit for her, and the relief sculpture she created looks very similar to the likeness that's on the dime. Is it hers? Or is it a coincidence? Host Jeremy Markovich goes in search of the truth, and learns about the facts that matter, and the facts that don't.

Away Message S3 E2 | A Rescue In The Linville Gorge May 07, 2019

Show notes

On May 7, 2016, a man fell hundreds of feet down a mountainside, and ended up in a treacherous spot in North Carolina's most rugged place. This is the story of a rescue that took hours and a recovery that took months, one that shows how unforgiving the wilderness can be, even for experienced hikers.

Music in this episode:

Closing Song: Baby's Got The Blues, by H.C. McEntire, courtesy of Merge Records (Durham, North Carolina)

Special Thanks: Burke County Emergency Communications Center

Watch Shug's video.

Away Message S3 E1 | Symbolism Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

In 2001, some state lawmakers were engaged in a less-than-sweet debate: Which berry should be named the official berry of North Carolina? We tracked down the teacher and fourth-graders who started it all with a class project and got a lot more than they bargained for. Plus, meet the former state senator who voted against EVERY new state symbol. His reasoning says a lot about the things we pick to represent us.

Hosted and mixed by: Jeremy Markovich

Produced by: James Mieczkowski and Jeremy Markovich

Editor-in-chief: Elizabeth Hudson

Music by: Blue Dot Sessions

Closing Song: Carolina's The Place I Gotta Be, by Charlie Albertson

Special Thanks: Gerry Cohen, Lauren Horsch

A Preview of Away Message: Season 3 Apr 08, 2019

Show notes

In the new season of Our State magazine's podcast, host Jeremy Markovich travels across North Carolina in search of the strange, the weird, the unknown, and the forgotten. Highlights include a strange political fight, the effort to find a mythical creature, the story of the woman whose artwork may be in your pocket right now, a rescue in this state's most rugged place, and the backstory you never knew about the man who ended the biggest manhunt in North Carolina history.

New episodes of Away Message begin April 15, 2019.

Away Message S2 Bonus | Deck Your Halls With Rauch Balls Dec 20, 2018

Show notes

In this special holiday episode, host Jeremy Markovich meets the man from Gastonia who became the world's largest manufacturer of Christmas ornaments and used his power to make North Carolina more tolerant of all religions.

This story was adapted from: "The Unlikely Ornament King of Gastonia" which appeared in Our State's December 2016 issue.
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Music in this episode:

"Dad, Get Up" by Peter Lamb and the Wolves (Raleigh)
Additional Music: Blue Dot Sessions, U.S. Marine Band

Special Thanks: The Rauch Family, Jack Betts, Don Walser, Kimberly Simpson, Alexis Castanos, and Todd Dulaney.

Away Message S2 E9 | Florence Oct 14, 2018

Show notes

One month after Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina, we bring you three stories of strength, resilience, and perseverance in the face of the storm.

If you'd like to help victims of the hurricane, we suggest:

American Red Cross: 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word "FLORENCE" to 90999 to make a $10 donation; redcross.org
North Carolina Community Foundation Disaster Relief Fund
United Way Hurricane Florence Recovery Fund
North Carolina Nurses Association: An emergency fundraising effort for nurses affected by Florence
American Humane Association: An emergency donation helps animal rescue groups save animals left behind or in shelters
Emergency Disaster Services of The Salvation Army
The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina: To donate food, visit one of the distribution centers in Durham, Raleigh, New Bern, Greenville, the Sandhills/Southern Pines, or Wilmington, or donate online
Second Harvest and Disaster Response
For the Down East/Carteret County region, please consider donating to the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum's hurricane relief fund
Hurricane Florence Relief Bucket Drive: Alpha Graphics of Raleigh will deliver buckets of cleaning supplies to the New Bern area; purchase through their Amazon wish list

Read a letter from our editor in chief, Elizabeth Hudson.

For continuing coverage of Hurricane Florence and its effects on North Carolina, we recommend the excellent work of our friends at the Raleigh News & Observer.

Away Message S2 E8 | 32 Miles Off The Coast Aug 31, 2018

Show notes

In the finale of Season 2, host Jeremy Markovich takes a trip to a remote place he's been trying to visit for years: Frying Pan Tower, a decommissioned Coast Guard light station that sits far out in the Atlantic Ocean.

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