Above Photo: “Making Music,” Left: Sylvia Davis Bumgardner, Robert Ferruccio, Ken Ferruccio, Robert Macon Davis (harmonica), Deborah Ferruccio (harmonica), Charlie Davis (guitar), Laura Bennie Davis, pregnant with daughter, Mariah, born the next day, July 4, 1977. (Photo by Stan Bumgardner)
______________________________________________________________
In this episode, Deborah and Ken share with their listeners the answer to questions folks often ask them: “What bought you to Warren County, and what has kept you?”
They share chance encounters that seem more than accidental . . . . a family camping tradition carried on at Ocracoke Island . . . . a convergence of North Carolina teachers with the same tradition . . . . an introduction to Warren County friends, Laura Bennie and Charlie Davis . . . . an unforgettable day riding horses in the surf . . . . a powerful Atlantic storm that demolishes their tents and directs the Ferruccio course inland to Warren County, a place they would have never, ever thought of on their own to call home.
There, in a log cabin at the end of a mile-long farm road, Deborah and Ken see the opportunity to live the simple, back-to-the-land, rural life they have been looking for. They get to know people from all walks of life who take them in with a neighborly welcome, homegrown garden meals, seasoned Southern story-telling, and back porch music.
Ocracoke is not only a mystical starting point for Deborah and Ken. The island is where they return because it’s the place that helps them assess and reassess the direction of their lives. As Ken puts it in a 1980 preface, "Ocracoke is a navigational center from which to guide our course through the dangerous shoals ahead.”
Ken is, of course, obliquely referring to the dangers posed by the PCB landfill that threatens Warren County.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.