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10 Days in New England DVD
Description.
New England is rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. Our ten day trip to New England was an eye opening experience. We are not used to toll roads or eating chowder at almost every meal. The views were breathtaking and the history, culture and food was outstanding. It kept our undivided attention for the ten days we spent roaming the six states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.
About a year before our trip we started asking as many people as we could to tell us what we "must see" when we are in New England. We asked folks on twitter, facebook, and youtube as well as friends and family that had ventured or vacationed there. The recommendations were enormous and we figured out early that ten days would not be enough to see everything so we decided we would hit the highlights and venture off the beaten path when time allowed. This is our journal of locations and days spent.
We visited in late May and the weather was so incredibly perfect that we didn't see a cloud until day 9 in Vermont. I doubt we will ever have that kind of meteorological luck again.
Note* This DVD is compiled from home movies and photos as well as our YouTube videos. We think it is entertaining and useful and would have loved to have seen something like it before touring New England for the first time. So with that said keep in mind that some of the visual quality is intended for a small screen not a huge Plasma screen TV. Thanks
Pocahontas, Virginia DVD (2nd version w/photos)
2nd Edition 2011 - (Extra Feature- This DVD includes a slideshow in addition to the movie with nearly one hundred behind the scenes and historical photographs.)
The film takes the viewer on a journey back to the beginning of coal mining in the Appalachians and the beginning of a new culture of people. It follows the loss of the primary employer in 1955 and continues through the struggles and celebrations of modern day. A Hundred Years Ago, Pocahontas was a thriving and jubilant town, complete with a lavish opera house. The streets bustled. The town sprung to life on the heel of the coal boom, fueled by men who spent their days in the darkness of the mines. Many were paid in scrip only redeemable at the Company Store.
Today, if you were to find yourself in the forgotten and dilapidated downtown of Pocahontas, you might feel like you were on the set of a movie, a film set in a ghost town long, long ago. You would stare up at once magnificent buildings that had just given up and collapsed right on top of themselves. And after spending some time here, talking to locals who would instantly recognize you as a tourist, eager to greet you, you would realize this little, crumbling town is amazing. According to the last census taken in 2000, Pocahontas is home to four hundred and forty one residents. A Virginia newspaper ran a story in June of '08 announcing the closing of Pocahontas' sole school. They closed the doors a year shy of its 100th anniversary and told the story in just five brief sentences.
The documentary began in part due to the overwhelming interest in a YouTube video produced by the same director in 2007. The video garnered nearly 100,000 views on the internet and has prompted hundreds of comments about the coal industry, the connection people have with the town and the common personal experiences people share about the area.
Through oral histories, the film profiles the history and culture of the people. It features historic landmarks, such as the 70 year old exhibition mine, the 1883 company store, the 125 year old cemetery, the 1895 Opera House and various churches and buildings throughout town. In addition to the interviews of area residents, there are interviews with college professors, a local congressman, and local leaders. Special thanks to musicians, Mayhem String Band and Jeff Williams who have lent their work to the production. The documentary also includes an original song written for the project by Betsy Ulmer, a Nashville song writer.
"Our hope is that people come away from watching and feel like we did when we first visited Pocahontas. The buildings are incredible, the history is fantastic, but neither compare to the real hidden treasures of the area, the stories of the people." Dan McCoig
DanTraveling the First Season DVD
Most weekends, my wife, Janet, and I pick a
path on our map and drive off in that direction just to see what we can see. Over the years we have been down many roads and had quite a few adventures, and some long boring drives that seemingly served no real purpose.
We come home, go to work Monday mornings and tell our friends and family about our trip, and people always say, "Gosh, that sounds like fun, how do we get there?"
Now you can join us as we discover the people and places in our native southeast.
Elkmont Houses, Tennessee
Visit the vacation homes of affluent Appalachians in this abandoned logging community deep in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Wonderland Hotel, Tennessee
The hotel was demolished last year, but not before it was taken down we were able to shoot some video of the deteriorated structure.
Bramwell, West Virginia
Visit this "town of millionaires" and see the Victorian mansion lined streets, as well as a complete coal town in the surrounding communities of Shinbriar and Coopers.
Pocahontas, Virginia
One of most interesting town we have found buried deep in the coal rich mountains of southwestern Virginia. Historic buildings are falling in on main street and beyond, the historic 1883 Company Store collapsed just one week before we arrived.
Join us as we visit the very first exhibition coal mine in the country, the hundred year old Opera House, numerous churches and see the "Iron Front" buildings that have stood the test of time.
Seagrove, North Carolina
Over two hundred years of pottery making in Seagrove offered us both interesting conversations and shopping. Meet the potters and see examples of the folk art craft that has given the town the title of Pottery Capitol of the South.
Mabry Mill, Virginia
Listen to the park rangers at Mabry Mill discuss the origin of the mills founder. We watched corn being ground and enjoyed the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Horne Creek Farm, North Carolina
We listen to the historian discuss the regional importance of farming in the Piedmont region of North Carolina and we get a tour of the wonderful old farm house and out buildings. We also saw the apple orchard that has over eight hundred native southern heritage apple trees.
The Rocket Boys Reunion: Coalwood, West Virginia
We visited Coalwood to see the reunion celebrating
the success and ingenuity of local boys in the race for space of the nineteen fifties.
If you are representing a museum, gallery, non-profit organization, or gift shop please contact us about wholesale pricing. dmccoig@hotmail.com
Please note that the 100% 0f the proceeds from the sale are intended to raise money to complete our documentary on Pocahontas, Virginia.
DanTraveling Season Two DVD
DanTraveling the Second Season
The Most Viewed Southeastern Travel Show on YouTube
Includes the popular titles "A Single Seed" and "Mountain Churches of the Blue Ridge."
The following favorites are on this one hour disk as well.
The North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC
Bethabra Park in Winston Salem, NC
Moonshine Face jug making with Terry King in Seagrove, NC
A Castle in North Carolina in Jamestown, NC
Rock Your World at the Gem and Mineral Museum in Franklin, NC
A Pig in the Poke from Nahunta, NC
DanTraveling Season Three DVD
DanTraveling Season Three will take you on a ride up to visit the good folks in "Mayberry", Mount Airy, NC and then down to the sand hills to Rockingham, NC to see the World's Largest Strawberry.
You'll get a glimpse into Paradise Garden in Pennville, Georgia, the former home of folk artist Howard Finster, who died in 2001.
Then travel back in time to the World's Strangest House in Kernersville, NC once
called a great "Folly" We will take a ferry boat ride out to see what Dr. Beach's named America's Best Beach, Ocracoke Island. The island, embraced by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on North Carolina's Outer Banks, is known for its clear water, sand and unspoiled natural beauty.
We will go from beach to mountains and a stop in to see the famous
fresco churches off of the Blue Ridge Parkway and then on to a wine tasting at Childress Vineyards in Lexington, NC and
then finish our southern tour with a special tribute to the Great Smoky Mountains seventy fifth birthday.
Tweet
Description.
New England is rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. Our ten day trip to New England was an eye opening experience. We are not used to toll roads or eating chowder at almost every meal. The views were breathtaking and the history, culture and food was outstanding. It kept our undivided attention for the ten days we spent roaming the six states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.
About a year before our trip we started asking as many people as we could to tell us what we "must see" when we are in New England. We asked folks on twitter, facebook, and youtube as well as friends and family that had ventured or vacationed there. The recommendations were enormous and we figured out early that ten days would not be enough to see everything so we decided we would hit the highlights and venture off the beaten path when time allowed. This is our journal of locations and days spent.
We visited in late May and the weather was so incredibly perfect that we didn't see a cloud until day 9 in Vermont. I doubt we will ever have that kind of meteorological luck again.
Note* This DVD is compiled from home movies and photos as well as our YouTube videos. We think it is entertaining and useful and would have loved to have seen something like it before touring New England for the first time. So with that said keep in mind that some of the visual quality is intended for a small screen not a huge Plasma screen TV. Thanks
2nd Edition 2011 - (Extra Feature- This DVD includes a slideshow in addition to the movie with nearly one hundred behind the scenes and historical photographs.)
The film takes the viewer on a journey back to the beginning of coal mining in the Appalachians and the beginning of a new culture of people. It follows the loss of the primary employer in 1955 and continues through the struggles and celebrations of modern day. A Hundred Years Ago, Pocahontas was a thriving and jubilant town, complete with a lavish opera house. The streets bustled. The town sprung to life on the heel of the coal boom, fueled by men who spent their days in the darkness of the mines. Many were paid in scrip only redeemable at the Company Store.
Today, if you were to find yourself in the forgotten and dilapidated downtown of Pocahontas, you might feel like you were on the set of a movie, a film set in a ghost town long, long ago. You would stare up at once magnificent buildings that had just given up and collapsed right on top of themselves. And after spending some time here, talking to locals who would instantly recognize you as a tourist, eager to greet you, you would realize this little, crumbling town is amazing. According to the last census taken in 2000, Pocahontas is home to four hundred and forty one residents. A Virginia newspaper ran a story in June of '08 announcing the closing of Pocahontas' sole school. They closed the doors a year shy of its 100th anniversary and told the story in just five brief sentences.
The documentary began in part due to the overwhelming interest in a YouTube video produced by the same director in 2007. The video garnered nearly 100,000 views on the internet and has prompted hundreds of comments about the coal industry, the connection people have with the town and the common personal experiences people share about the area.
Through oral histories, the film profiles the history and culture of the people. It features historic landmarks, such as the 70 year old exhibition mine, the 1883 company store, the 125 year old cemetery, the 1895 Opera House and various churches and buildings throughout town. In addition to the interviews of area residents, there are interviews with college professors, a local congressman, and local leaders. Special thanks to musicians, Mayhem String Band and Jeff Williams who have lent their work to the production. The documentary also includes an original song written for the project by Betsy Ulmer, a Nashville song writer.
"Our hope is that people come away from watching and feel like we did when we first visited Pocahontas. The buildings are incredible, the history is fantastic, but neither compare to the real hidden treasures of the area, the stories of the people." Dan McCoig
Most weekends, my wife, Janet, and I pick a
path on our map and drive off in that direction just to see what we can see. Over the years we have been down many roads and had quite a few adventures, and some long boring drives that seemingly served no real purpose.
We come home, go to work Monday mornings and tell our friends and family about our trip, and people always say, "Gosh, that sounds like fun, how do we get there?"
Now you can join us as we discover the people and places in our native southeast.
Elkmont Houses, Tennessee
Visit the vacation homes of affluent Appalachians in this abandoned logging community deep in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Wonderland Hotel, Tennessee
The hotel was demolished last year, but not before it was taken down we were able to shoot some video of the deteriorated structure.
Bramwell, West Virginia
Visit this "town of millionaires" and see the Victorian mansion lined streets, as well as a complete coal town in the surrounding communities of Shinbriar and Coopers.
Pocahontas, Virginia
One of most interesting town we have found buried deep in the coal rich mountains of southwestern Virginia. Historic buildings are falling in on main street and beyond, the historic 1883 Company Store collapsed just one week before we arrived.
Join us as we visit the very first exhibition coal mine in the country, the hundred year old Opera House, numerous churches and see the "Iron Front" buildings that have stood the test of time.
Seagrove, North Carolina
Over two hundred years of pottery making in Seagrove offered us both interesting conversations and shopping. Meet the potters and see examples of the folk art craft that has given the town the title of Pottery Capitol of the South.
Mabry Mill, Virginia
Listen to the park rangers at Mabry Mill discuss the origin of the mills founder. We watched corn being ground and enjoyed the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Horne Creek Farm, North Carolina
We listen to the historian discuss the regional importance of farming in the Piedmont region of North Carolina and we get a tour of the wonderful old farm house and out buildings. We also saw the apple orchard that has over eight hundred native southern heritage apple trees.
The Rocket Boys Reunion: Coalwood, West Virginia
We visited Coalwood to see the reunion celebrating
the success and ingenuity of local boys in the race for space of the nineteen fifties.
If you are representing a museum, gallery, non-profit organization, or gift shop please contact us about wholesale pricing. dmccoig@hotmail.com
Please note that the 100% 0f the proceeds from the sale are intended to raise money to complete our documentary on Pocahontas, Virginia.
DanTraveling the Second Season
The Most Viewed Southeastern Travel Show on YouTube
Includes the popular titles "A Single Seed" and "Mountain Churches of the Blue Ridge."
The following favorites are on this one hour disk as well.
The North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC
Bethabra Park in Winston Salem, NC
Moonshine Face jug making with Terry King in Seagrove, NC
A Castle in North Carolina in Jamestown, NC
Rock Your World at the Gem and Mineral Museum in Franklin, NC
A Pig in the Poke from Nahunta, NC
DanTraveling Season Three will take you on a ride up to visit the good folks in "Mayberry", Mount Airy, NC and then down to the sand hills to Rockingham, NC to see the World's Largest Strawberry.
You'll get a glimpse into Paradise Garden in Pennville, Georgia, the former home of folk artist Howard Finster, who died in 2001.
Then travel back in time to the World's Strangest House in Kernersville, NC once
called a great "Folly" We will take a ferry boat ride out to see what Dr. Beach's named America's Best Beach, Ocracoke Island. The island, embraced by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on North Carolina's Outer Banks, is known for its clear water, sand and unspoiled natural beauty.
We will go from beach to mountains and a stop in to see the famous
fresco churches off of the Blue Ridge Parkway and then on to a wine tasting at Childress Vineyards in Lexington, NC and
then finish our southern tour with a special tribute to the Great Smoky Mountains seventy fifth birthday.
