Salvation South

For the last 68 years, the Alabama National Fair in Montgomery has drawn thousands of people for 10 days of family fun — with roller coasters, prize livestock and maybe, if they’re lucky, some saltwater taffy.

After Loretta Lynn died on Tuesday, the revered Nashville singer-songwriter Todd Snider wrote down his memories of his work with — and friendship with — the late great Southern icon.

With the publication of his seventh novel, “Lark Ascending,” the Appalachian writer tells a riveting tale set in a frightening future, but he’s also hard at work on reckoning with — and reconciling — the conflicting facts of his mountain home.

Released three years after his death, “Things Happen That Way” is the final album from the late, great master of New Orleans funk, Dr. John.

On the other side of the levee from the city, there is a small community called the batture that few people ever see. Macon Fry has lived there for 30 years.

This week’s Salvation South covers not only the great Appalachian writer, but also the over-the-levee community of New Orleans and that city’s late great king of funk music, Dr. John.

North Carolina writer Kathleen Purvis remembers the time another girl in her class stole her writing and passed it off as her own. The incident hurt her — but it also taught her lessons that shaped the rest of her life.

The traditional musician Jake Blount plumbs the depths of African American string band music and comes up with a thoroughly modern style that’s like nothing you’ve ever heard.

This week’s edition of Salvation South begins with the haunting memories of a childhood incident and ends with a trip into Afrofuturism — with a stop on the Alabama coast just for fun.

Two famous dive bars on the Alabama coast — The Flora-Bama Lounge and Pirate’s Cove — serve thousands of their famous Bushwacker frozen cocktails every day. The big question is: Which bar makes the best one?

Her granddaughter doesn’t understand her grandmother’s faith, but can’t question how it has sustained her and her family for many years. A short story by Lillian Howell.

Salvation South takes you into your weekend with a heartwarming story about the dogs who help our disabled veterans.