Readers of the newsletter may well remember a previous article on OED’s work on youth entrepreneurship in Dickenson County and Wise County back in 2006.

That project, funded by an ARC flex grant administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, drew upon the community’s deep interest in its cultural heritage as a way to teach young people entrepreneurship skills.  Working with the local Virginia Cooperative Extension agent, Phyllis Deel, the project utilized a nationally recognized curriculum titled “Be the E” as a baseline for the program.

Students in the local high school developed and packaged mountain hard candy for sale in local businesses.  Students also wrote, produced and performed two compact disk recordings:  one captured live recordings of mountain roots music and the other captured stories from the mountains.

The six week program was such a success, Deel was able to secure additional funding to launch a follow up to the program in 2007.  This time she challenged the students to top the last class.  Students involved in making the hard candy had to come up with a sugarless recipe. That was particularly challenging since sugar is the hardening agent for the candy.  

The musical portion of the program also stepped up to a higher level.  This year students wanted to make a studio recording.   The students formed their own band, Mountain Tyme & Friends.  Appropriately their new CD is titled Tyme Pieces.   The story telling CD is called “Mountain Life and Work; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”

Deel said the students had to work really hard to master all of the details required to produce and market their products.  But it goes to show how a good idea can build upon itself. 

As for the band, Mountain Tyme, they’re still performing.