Exhibits/Activities
New events to this year’s Festival:
Turkey calling contest added to Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival
In the NWTF photo at right, a hunter shows his young protégé
how to use a box call. (Photo provided via the NWTF website)
One of the skills successful turkey hunters in the Ozarks work hard to master will take a featured position at the 19th annual Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival, set for June 14 and 15, in downtown West Plains, Mo.
The first ever Ozarks Wild Turkey Calling Competition will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 15, in the West Plains Civic Center theater, 110 St. Louis St. The event has been officially sanctioned by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and is being sponsored by the NWTF’s Carmen Springs Long Beards chapter in Willow Springs, Howell County Outpost and Ozark Outfitters.
“It wasn’t that long ago that wild turkeys couldn’t be found in Missouri,” said festival committee member Kathleen Morrissey. “Today, however, the Missouri Department of Conservation claims that 300,000 wild turkeys call our state their home. The population has improved so dramatically that hunters harvested more than 44,000 birds in 2012.
“The NWTF has invested more than $421 million to conserve over 17 million acres of habitat,” she continued. “Not only do wild turkeys benefit from this investment, other upland wildlife, including quail, deer, grouse and songbirds, do as well. We are pleased to partner with the Carmen Springs Long Beards chapter of NWTF to host this year’s Ozarks Wild Turkey Calling Competition.”
The competition will offer three categories – friction, open and youth – with first, second and third place prizes awarded in each. Cash prizes and sponsor products will be awarded in the friction and open categories, and winners in the youth category will receive plaques. First place winners of the friction and open categories will be eligible to compete in the NWTF’s National Wild Turkey Calling Competition in February 2014 in Nashville, Tenn.
Click here for a flyer with all the details.
The registration fee is $20 for the friction and open categories; there will be no fee for youth. Participants must be an NWTF member. Those who aren’t members can join the NWTF that day by paying the membership fee on site. For more information, contact Terry Newton, 417-469-2881, or Morrissey, 417-293-7751.
Pioneer Saddle Club Drill Team, Sedalia, MO 1956
MISSOURI FOX TROTTERS
Another addition to this year’s festival, which celebrates the distinctive culture of the Ozarks Highlands, is the Pioneer Saddle Club’s Missouri Fox Trotters exhibit. Club members will offer a skills demonstration of Missouri Fox Trotter horses at 7 p.m. each day at the corner of East Main and Curry Streets where the annual mule jumping competition is held. The group also will sponsor a photo exhibit depicting the history of this Missouri-bred equine at the Gallery on the Mezzanine inside the civic center throughout the festival.
Club members Ken Kutter and Gale Thompson said the Missouri Fox Trotter was born out of the need by Ozarks pioneers for a sure-footed, easy-traveling horse. These settlers brought their best saddle stock, primarily Arabians, Morgans and plantation horses, with them from the hills and mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia when they migrated to the area and later bred them with American Saddlebred, Tennessee Walkers and Standard Breeding stock to create the Missouri Fox Trotter we see today.
A staple of transportation in the region for decades, the use of the Missouri Fox Trotter, especially by such residents as country doctors, sheriffs, assessors and stock raisers, began to decline quickly after World War II. In an effort to preserve the breed, a group of interested horse breeders established an organization in 1948 to maintain an accurate stud book. Because of interest and demand, the organization, which featured a number of Howell County families, reincorporated 10 years later as a stock company, and in 1955, they joined with others to charter the Pioneer Saddle Club, which hosted the 1960 Show and Celebration at the Howell County Fairgrounds in West Plains, they said.
Since that time, the breed has grown in popularity. In 2002, the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse was named the official horse of the State of Missouri, and last year, Missouri Highway 5 in Douglas County was named Missouri Fox Trotting Highway because it leads to the headquarters of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association in Ava, which now hosts the world championship classes each September at the annual Show and Celebration, Kutter said.
See the Pioneer Saddle Club Facebook page for more information about the organization.
INTERPRETIVE BIKE RIDE
Rolling Anarchy. Mobile Chaos. It’s the First (and possibly only) Old Time Music Festival Interpretive Bike Ride. Friday and Saturday, June 14 and 15, 2013.
The Ozarks were settled by Old Stock Americans (primarily the Scotch-Irish) who immigrated to America to get away from rules, regulations, and oppression. It is in the Spirit of these people that we offer the very first Old Time Music Festival Interpretative Bike Ride. The cost for this event will satisfy any Scotsman as it is free. Registration & a signed waiver are required. Registration forms will be available at the Trillium Trust booth inside the Civic Center Friday after noon, or Saturday beginning at 7 a.m.. Anyone who plans to ride Friday should email TOTMFBikeRide@GMail.com to confirm participation. Saturday’s ride will begin at maybe 7 AM, or whenever you decide to show up.
This is a non supported event that attempts to combine place based experiences with a leisurely ride thru the Ozark Hills. The ride starts at the West Plains Civic Center at 7 AM, and ends whenever you decide you are done. The ride utilizes technology to deliver each rider as much (or as little) information as the rider wants. The ride is about 25 miles and has maybe 500 feet of climb.
Here is how it works. A general route has been laid out. At selected locations QR codes are posted in an environmentally responsible manner. Scan the QR code with your smart phone, and it will pull up a brief set of facts and history about that location. Want to know more about a topic? Additional links (to existing material) are provided. If you don’t have any interest -climb back on your bike and ride on.
Stops include the destruction of the local court house (three times), the notorious Billy Monks (he invaded Arkansas a couple years after the Civil War & drove out the Ku Klux Klan), a review of how the original settlers influence local politics today (the Scotch-Irish distaste for authority lives on), a visit to a couple of Ghost towns (a discussion of the thousands of acres of Fruit Orchards 100 years ago, African-American immigration, a fraudulent oil well, a bit of Howell County geology, and the faded glory of Pomona). The ride turns around at Pomona (information about the timber boom & Old Horton located to the west), stops at the Sadie Brown Cemetery, looks west to Siloam Springs (shattered dreams & outright crimes- healing springs, a gold rush, land fraud, and the Pinebrook Inn) and returns to West Plains. In West Plains we will visit the scene of the Dance Hall Explosion (1928), see the lot where Sheriff Kelley was gunned down by the Barker-Karpis gang (1931), and the site of the livery stable once owned by Ferd Owen’s family (the king of Missouri Mules) if we can find it (if not you’ll see a random location and we’ll shade the truth a bit).
The Ozark’s first settlers moved here to get away from any kind of authority- we don’t question authority- we deny it even exists. The original settlers were self sufficient & independent- we made our own whiskey, delivered our own babies, and still fix our own pickups. Therefore, on this ride you are on your own. Don’t want to start at 7 am? Fine, you can leave whenever if you can read a map or follow paint marks on the road. Want to ride it backwards? Sure, go for it. Ride half of it twice? Do it if it makes you happy. Have a flat? Be ready to flip your bike and put in a tube. Thirsty? Better bring plenty of water.
We realize that this ride isn’t for everyone (just like the Ozarks). You’ll be riding on the shoulder of a 4 lane highway (watch out for the non bike friendly drainage inlets), there are hills, you’ll need to be comfortable with a smart phone and code scanners, you’ll need to carry enough water and snacks for the trip, there are not any porta-potties, no sag wagon, and you will be exposed to the entire spectrum of stupidity that comes with riding a bike in traffic. This ride offers freedom, the ability to ride at your own chosen speed, and the opportunity to experience never before attempted melding of technology & heritage.
If there is sufficient interest an expanded ride of about 50 miles that will include Hutton Valley, the original site of Willow Springs, and Burnham will be offered. This is a tough ride (the first three hills coming up out of Willow Springs will drop you out of the big ring and make you wish for a compact), but it is rideable if you have 120 ounces plus of hydration capacity on your bike, monster legs, a few snacks, and a willingness to pee in culverts under the highway. Bad judgment is definitely a plus on this ride. This isn’t for novices. A couple of pit bulls and/or stock dogs occasionally are encountered on this route. You’ll also want a spare battery for your smart phone. E-mail the contact below if you have interest in the extended ride.
High Wheel Bicycle Club
The ride (dis) organizer can be contacted via e-mail at TOTMFBikeRide@GMail.com
. A map and details of the ride can be found at
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/182702716
All participants must sign a liability waiver, which can be downloaded here.
RETURNING FAVORITES
Memories of grandma’s kitchen theme of What’s Cookin’ Stage at Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival
Remember waking up at your grandma’s or favorite aunt’s house to the smell of coffee perking in the pot or bacon sizzling in the skillett? Those memories and more will be recreated at the ninth annual What’s Cookin’ Stage at the 19th annual Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival, set for June 14 and 15 in and around the West Plains Civic Center, 110 St. Louis St., in downtown West Plains, Mo.
“Most of us have fond memories of waking up at grandma’s or our favorite aunt’s house – and not just waking up, but waking up hungry,” said Judy Harden, organizer of the stage, which is being sponsored by Aid’s Downtown Antique Mall in West Plains. “This year, we’re going to recreate those memories and share stories about the food we will cook and sample during each presentation.”
Friday’s schedule will feature “Young Hands in the Kitchen,” she said, adding area youth and children will prepare main dishes and desserts, including cookies, during various segments throughout the day. Saturday’s theme will be one-pot meals, including the festival’s signature dish – squirrel pot pie – at noon. As part of the prep for this dish, Harden said she is in contact with one of the squirrel skinners from the 2012 What’s Cookin’ Stage for an encore presentation.
“As coordinator of the cooking stage, I confirmed the squirrel segment early in the year after a realtor called me at home. She explained that she had out-of-town prospective buyers who wanted to schedule their viewing of property to coincide with the festival, particularly squirrel pot pie and squirrel skinning,” Harden said.
Work on the stage’s schedule continues, but visitors can expect to see annual favorites, such as homemade bread, donuts, rolls and pies, as well as the surprise dish of the year, Harden promised. “I will be researching recipes for beaver, courtesy of area resident Kevin Smith and acquired by festival committee member Kathleen Morrissey,” Harden said. “We will try to include them in the preparation and presentation of the dish. This is something new for me and should be lots of fun.”
Harden said anyone who has a recipe he or she would like prepared or to present at this year’s stage should contact her at 417-256-7988.
2nd Annual Dutch oven cooking competition
For the second year in a row, the art of Dutch oven cooking will be a featured event at the 19th annual Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival, set for June 14 and 15 in and around the West Plains Civic Center, 110 St. Louis St., in downtown West Plains, Mo.
Seasoned masters of Ozarks Dutch Oven cookery will be asked to try their hand at main dishes and/or desserts made from scratch in this annual event, organizers said. There will be no entry fee for participants, they added.
The competition, sponsored by the Ozark Mountain Long Rifle Club, will take place Friday, June 14, in and around the club’s living history area near the front of the civic enter. Participants have until 2 p.m. to enter; judging will begin at 4:30 p.m. Winners will be announced about 5:30 p.m. that day at the What’s Cookin’ stage. Prizes, provided by Howell County Outpost, will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place finishers, organizers said. Audience members are encouraged to sample the chefs’ results following the awards ceremony.
The term Dutch oven generally refers to a cast iron pot or kettle with a flat bottom and three legs that hold the oven above a fire’s hot coals. The kettle also features flat sides and a flat, flanged lid to hold the hot coals placed on top, organizers explained.
The versatile, portable cooking tool has been used for more than 300 years, and became the cooking tool of choice in places as far removed as the American West and the South African coast, organizers pointed out. George Washington’s mother bequeathed several of them among her iron kitchen furniture to her heirs. Native Americans also were captivated by the ability of the pot to cook food literally inside the fire, organizers said.
In the Ozarks, the Dutch oven became a mark of civilized living and lifted the chore of providing meals for a family from drudgery to art. Those arts will be challenged this year for contest entrants, who will be asked to bring their own cookware and ingredients, organizers said.
Area residents curious about Dutch oven cooking are encouraged to arrive early and claim their seat.
For more information about the event, including entry information, contact Harry McKee at 417-372-3275 or e-mail the West Plains Council on the Arts at info@westplainsarts.org. An entry form may be downloaded. Click here.
Quilt Show
Some of the most beautiful and practical items of Ozark life will once again be on display during the 19th annual Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival June 14 and 15 in downtown West Plains, Mo.
The Southern Belle Grandmothers Club of West Plains will host its ninth annual quilt show in conjunction with the festival, and organizers encourage area residents and quilt enthusiasts to bring their favorite quilts to display. The show will take place in the Magnolia Room of the West Plains Civic Center, 110 St. Louis St., one of the venues for the two-day festival. Admission to all festival events is free.
The quilt show was first held in 2005 in the historic Butler Building on Washington Avenue and joined the festival in 2006 as an annual featured exhibit. It showcases all types of quilts, individually made, group quilted, hand-pieced, hand-quilted, machine-pieced or quilted, or any combination. Those visiting the show are given stickers to vote for their selection for the People’s Choice Award announced at the end of the exhibit.
Those wishing to display a quilt should drop it off during set-up the evening of June 13 or early morning June 14. All participants are asked to pin a note to their quilts that tells the story of its maker, use or other history of the piece. Every quilt has a story, and sharing that is part of the festival mission, organizers said.
Southern Belle Grandmothers Club Chapter No. 1011 is a member of the National Federation of Grandmothers Clubs of America, a non-profit organization that supports charitable projects relating to cures for children’s cancer. The local chapter supports Ronald McDonald Houses of Missouri and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., as well as addresses local needs of children’s groups.
Club members meet at 1 p.m. the fourth Thursday of the month for a dutch treat luncheon meeting at Ryan’s in West Plains. Guests are always welcome.
As part of their fundraising efforts, club members offer a handmade quilt each year. This year’s “Dresden Medallion” quilt was pieced by Jean Asberry and machine quilted by Sheila Neisingh. It will be exhibited at the festival and will be given away in October. Registration information for the giveaway will be available at the festival, organizers said.
Help setting up the exhibit is always appreciated. Those wishing to lend a hand should contact Cheryl Kuschel at 417-257-1067.
The Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival is the signature event for West Plains. The two-day festival seeks to celebrate, preserve, pass on and nurture an appreciation of the old-time music and folk life traditions distinctive to the Ozark Highlands. Admission is free.
THIS “DRESDEN MEDALLION” QUILT will be on display at the Southern Belle Grandmothers Club’s ninth annual quilt show during the 19th annual Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival June 14 and 15 in downtown West Plains, Mo. The quilt is being given away to raise funds for the club’s charitable causes, including Ronald McDonald Houses of Missouri and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Information about the giveaway will be available at the quilt show. With the quilt are club members Jean Asberry, who pieced the quilt; Cheryl Kuschel; Cindy McLean; and Sheila Neisingh, who machine quilted the piece. (Photo provided)
6th annual mule jump competition
The happening place to be in West Plains on Saturday, June 15, will be the sixth annual mule jumping competition at the 19th annual Old-Time Music, Ozarks Heritage Festival in downtown West Plains, Mo.
Sponsored by Hirsch Feed & Farm Supply, the competition will take place at 3 p.m. in the parking lot near the West Plains Senior Center at the corner of East Main and South Curry streets. Admission to it, as well as all festival activities, is free.
A demonstration of mule jumping will precede the competition at 11 a.m. at the same location. Attendees will be welcome to ask questions of the demonstrators (and, for that matter, the mules, though there’s no guarantee that the mules will answer).
Mule jumping, that most Missourian of Missouri folk arts, seems to have developed when raccoon hunters began training mules to jump over fences so that they did not have to interrupt the hunt to locate a gate. It became a competitive event unto itself, and mule jumping contests began to take place at county fairs and town picnics throughout much of the rural Southeast and Midwest, especially Missouri.
“Based on the research I’ve done, it appears that there are more mule jumps annually in Missouri than in any other state,” festival committee member Matt Meacham said. “It seems safe to say that the Show-Me State is the mule-jumpingest state in the country.”
All trainers of jumping mules are invited to participate in the festival’s mule jump competition. Prizes of $100 (first place), $75 (second place), and $50 (third place) will be awarded in each of two classes based on the mules height: up to 52 inches, and taller than 52 inches. Standard Missouri rules will apply. Water and ample space for trailers will be available. Richie Dement of Centerville will coordinate the event again this year.
Pre-registration is recommended but not required. Contestants who wish to pre-register may contact Matt Meacham at 417-372-3177 or matthewmeacham@missouristate.
The 2011 mule jump became the subject of an article in the Wall Street Journal, Meacham noted. “Although we can’t guarantee that competitors will receive international media coverage again this year, we can guarantee that they’ll have the attention of an enthusiastic, supportive audience and the appreciation of the organizers of the Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival,” he added.
Wall Street Journal Mule Jump Video 2011 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304584004576417491926661206.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_6#articleTabs%3Dvideo
Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival to feature Fiddlers’ Frolic
Fiddlers, other instrumentalists and those who like to listen to good, toe-tapping fiddle music are invited to the Fiddlers’ Frolic at the 19th annual Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival June 14 and 15 in downtown West Plains, Mo. The music begins at 7 p.m. Friday, June 14, in the West Plains Civic Center theater at 110 St. Louis St. Admission to all festival events is free.
An annual component of the festival, the Fidders’ Frolic gives participating fiddlers an opportunity to select and lead tunes in an open jam session. It focuses principally on traditional fiddling found in this region, but “traditional” is defined broadly and flexibly, coordinator Matt Meacham said, and fiddlers of all backgrounds, stylistic 
orientations and skill levels are welcome to participate.
“It’s always enjoyable and really fascinating to hear the participating fiddlers exchange tunes and compare notes, in multiple senses of the word,” Meacham said. “We expect that, as usual, there will be at least a few folks on hand who are very knowledgeable about the history of fiddling in this part of the country and can provide interesting commentary on many of the tunes that will be played.”
One of the goals of the Fiddlers’ Frolic is to help conserve and perpetuate old-time tunes and techniques, Meacham said. “As a result, it tends to emphasize traditional fiddling, but we know that traditions are always evolving and growing, and we certainly don’t want to define ‘tradition’ in an artificially rigid way, so we strongly encourage fiddlers of all kinds to join in. And, of course, we’ll need banjoists, guitarists and other instrumentalists to provide accompaniment. Everyone’s welcome,” he said.
For more information about The Fiddlers’ Frolic, contact Meacham at 417-372-3177 or matthewmeacham@missouristate.
Check this page often – as events and activities are continually being updated!