Interview with Burgess Beam

Dublin Core

Title

Interview with Burgess Beam

Subject

Beam, Burgess
Holidays
Manners and customs
New Year
Shooting

Description

Burgess Beam shares his experience with, and the history of, the Cherryville New Years Shooters in Cherryville, North Carolina. This is a long-standing tradition that started in Germany along the Rhine River where celebratory gunfire was used to ward off evil spirits and ensure a good harvest. He recites the chant that accompanies the shoot at each location. He discusses the importance of the tradition, how they maintain safety, and his hopes for its future.

Creator

Beam, Burgess

Source

WCU Oral History Collection - Introduction to Oral History

Date

2023-04-24

Contributor

Daggerhart, Madelyn

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

Format

sound recordings
transcripts

Language

eng

Type

Sound
Text

Identifier

71812
https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/71812

Spatial Coverage

Cherryville (N.C.)
Gaston County (N.C.)

Extent

0:37:18(duration)
10(pages)

Is Part Of

Oral Histories of Western North Carolina

Citation

Beam, Burgess, “Interview with Burgess Beam,” OAI, accessed April 30, 2025, https://sadc.qi-cms.com/omeka/items/show/71812.