Arkansas Festival Provides Glimpse into Musical Heritage of the Ozarks

I first visited Mountain View, Ark., a few years ago to see the young lady who is now my fiancée, and I thought I'd experienced all there was to do in the tiny town of 2800 the day I drove past the city limit sign on Highway 14 coming in from Paragould, about two-and-a-half hours away.

I'd been to the City Park, seen a drive-in movie, crawled through Blanchard Springs Caverns, and enjoyed the music on the historic courthouse lawn. But all the weekends I've spend in Mountain View couldn't prepare me for the third week of April in 2006, when I experienced my first ever Arkansas Folk Festival.

Arriving on Friday afternoon, I was immediately blown away by the number of people who made their way to this quaint mountain town from states all over the country. This fact could be easily verified by reading the row of license plates lining Main Street and circling the historic courtsquare.

I've never before seen so much live music, spilling outward from its usual summertime home on the courthouse lawn and reaching into a plethora of places, including tents, parking lots, and, most surprisingly, even the local Wal-Mart.

Aside from the music, I enjoyed visiting with the numerous art and craft vendors lining Main Street. I left the historic district exhausted, so I went to where I was staying to rest up for an even bigger Saturday.

Awaking bright and early the next day, my fiancée and I headed for the courtsquare to catch the annual Folk Festival Parade. After a line of major political figures, Mountain View was granted the opportunity to exhibit its civic pride with elaborate floats painstakingly created by local clubs, groups, and students. Young cloggers, clowns, the Mountain View High School Marching Band, and local singing groups stopped briefly to entertain us as they scurried down the long parade route lined with thousands of people.

Perhaps the most striking event at the entire Folk Festival was held after the parade had ended: the Living History Forum hosted in the Ozark Folk Center State Park Administration building.

A handful of visitors gathered in the small auditorium to hear stories about the old days of Mountain View and Stone County from three local citizens. The stories provided us with a rare look into the true Ozark lifestyle of the past century and the opportunity to ask questions.

The exhibits of the Folk Center and the history of the town truly came alive as these citizens told us about life in the Great Depression era, the evolution of Mountain View as a tourist attraction, and even personal anecdotes about encounters with local celebrity and musician Jimmy Driftwood. It was a very unique experience, and I look forward to this event being replicated at next years festival.

As the summer sun was ushered into twilight and the Folk Festival began winding down, musicians continued to entertain lingering visitors at the courtsquare who were trying to make one last memory before heading home on Sunday morning. They soon headed back to their hotels, and later, back to their respective hometowns, telling everyone about the fantastic experience they had in Mountain View, Arkansas.

Before this weekend, I found myself asking just why people would travel in droves to catch a glimpse of this infamous festival.

Now I realize that the crowds can be attributed not only to the musical talent and natural beauty of the area, but also to the kind and welcoming spirit the folks who call Stone County home.