(Kent Thompson, 29 March 2022) Another collection at NC Archives are the files of the Conservation & Development agency--this collection has several assignments dealing with folk music in NC during the 1940s mainly. I went down the rabbit hole earlier this year trying to figure out a series of photos showing this unique guitar with the blackface motif. This is from a square dance that became a tradition held at Cataloochee Ranch in western NC. the bear rug photo-you have to find the news articles on microfilm--but that was a lark by the press photographers in attendance to the "beef shoot", which was main event. think turkey shoot but with cattle as the prize instead, and black powder muzzle loaders. the photographers added the bear rug as "local color". for a decade or more the beef shoot continued with the rugs. Incidentally what I was interested in earlier was both the make of the guitar and also the "frailing" technique of the the right hand which is often found with old-time banjo.
