FSU Appalachian Festival Symposium
Friday September 19, 2025
Then & Now: Twenty Years in Appalachia
Performing Culture, Reclaiming History & Creating Inclusive Spaces
FSU’s Upper Quad, Behind Old Main
Free On-Campus Parking in Upper Lots
1 p.m. Teaching Transformation and Change through Storytelling: What Makes a Community Safe?
This interactive workshop led by The Brownsville Project (TBP) will engage participants in learning tools to understand and create transformative justice-based storytelling around the question of "what makes a community safe?" Exercises will utilize Voices of Witness (VOW) ethical storytelling principles, as well as story mapping developed by The Black Appalachian Coalition (BLAC). Participants will focus on the use of memory, imagination, and creativity to re-examine the Appalachian narrative and the strength of community.
2:30 p.m. The Brownsville Project: Repairing and Reclaiming History
The Brownsville Project (TBP) debuted their interactive play at the Appalachian Festival in 2018 supporting our community to hold all the pieces of the historic African American Brownsville/Park Ave community that once flourished where Frostburg State University stands today. TBP leads audiences to re-examine the narrative of Appalachia as white and poor, resurfacing evidence of Appalachia’s rich Black history and the region’s unique legacy of slavery. Over the last 7 years, TBP has continued to use interactive performance and theatre to support communities in contextualizing history and connecting the past to the present. Participants will learn how TBP utilizes tools of truth seeking, truth telling, and repair to increase our critical understanding of the history of Brownsville and how identifying patterns of the past aids us in cultivating a stronger, more united community for the future.
3:30 p.m. Appalachian Queer Voices
Join Cumberland Pride for a panel and conversation exploring the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ folks across the mountains of our tri-state region. Hear what it was and is like to grow up queer in this pocket of Appalachia as we explore and confront stereotypes and reflect on what it means to navigate identity, faith, family, community and tradition in a place and as people who are often misrepresented, misunderstood or rendered invisible. Listen to our stories of creativity, struggle and joy as we share personal journeys, cultural perspectives and hopes for a future where queer voices are fully heard and accepted. You are invited to listen, learn and honor Appalachian Queer Voices.
4:30 p.m. Coal Miner Memorial Exhibit-Foundation for Frostburg
Shining a light on the legacy of coal mining in our region has been a unique journey that we are proud to share. The discovery of coal in the Appalachian coal fields greatly impacted the social and economic culture in Western Maryland. Immigrants with mining skills arrived from across the Atlantic, establishing small villages around the mines. They mined high quality Big Vein coal, which fueled the Industrial Revolution. Over 725 men, and many children, died while working underground in dark, damp, and dangerous conditions. Widows and children lost their loved ones—-and their wage earners—-and struggled to make ends meet.
In 2024, After 12 years of research, fund raising, and extensive planning by the Foundation for Frostburg, the Coal Miner Memorial was dedicated to all who worked the mines. Visitors to this outdoor museum can learn about the impact of coal, read the stories of our deceased miners, view the life-sized bronze statue of a coal miner, and enjoy the beauty of the Jennings Run Valley.
5:30 p.m. Frostburg Music Academy Showcase and Dinner on the Grounds
The Frostburg Music Academy, founded by Frostburg resident and multi-instrumentalist Jody Mosser, aims to provide a fun, memorable, and effective learning experience taught by musicians who have spent thousands of hours in both the teaching room and the bandstand. It’s music education brought by real world experience. Lessons are available and open to folks of all ages on instruments including Guitar, Voice, Piano, Bass, Ukulele, Banjo, Violin, Mandolin, Dobro, Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Brass and Percussion. Come learn about the Academy’s community vision and hear a showcase from their talented staff.