Hollerin’ is an ancient form of human communication originally used in rural areas—people would yell from farm-to-farm to share messages over long distances. In 1969, a group of people in Spivey’s Corner, N.C. began the National Hollerin’ Contest to preserve and celebrate this form of communication.
In its early years the contest drew crowds of more than 10,000 people, and contest winners would regularly appear on the national media circuit. Today, the contest is much smaller and some fear that it may not be around for much longer. A new documentary, “The Hollerin’ Contest at Spivey’s Corner” tells the story of the competition through the lives of three contestants who competed in the 2014 contest.
Host Frank Stasio is joined by filmmaker LivDubendorf and two of the film’s central characters who are both legendary in the hollerin’ world: Iris Turner was the Ladies’ Hollerin’ Champion in 1977, and Tony Peacock is a five-time National Hollerin’ Champion.
Preview the film here:
