The Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival features both demonstrations and sales by a wide variety of material artists and craftspeople throughout the two-day event. The Festival in downtown West Plains, Mo., will celebrate its 26th year June 5, 2021. The annual event in downtown West Plains, Mo., celebrates Ozarks music and culture. Festival hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Admission to all festival events is free.
Many of the material arts and crafts originated for entirely utilitarian reasons and were essential for meeting the basic needs of Ozarks residents in past generations. As a result of changes in the region’s economy, especially the increased availability of manufactured goods since the mid-twentieth century, such arts and crafts are no longer practical necessities, but many talented artisans and craftspeople in the Ozarks continue to practice them both as outlets for their creativity and as means of celebrating the region’s rich cultural heritage.
In many cases, these crafts and art forms have incorporated more aesthetic elements as they have evolved over time, and artistry now takes precedence over functionality in the work of many of their practitioners, though this is certainly not always the case.
Some of the artisans and craftspeople who participate in the Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival practice their arts and crafts as living traditions, and their work reflects ongoing developments within those traditions, including, in some cases, their own innovations. Other participants in the festival are historical re-enactors who strive to practice their arts and crafts as they were practiced generations ago. Some have products available for purchase; all of them encourage festival goers to observe their work and learn about it.
Artisans/Demonstrators Participating in the 2021 Festival are:
Booger County Knappers Club – Flint Knappers
Country Heritage Spinners and Weavers Guild – Ava, MO
DOMINION – Barbara Williams – Collage and spinning – West Plains, MO
Adele Doss – West Plains, MO
Elohi Spirit Gourds – Pottersville, MO
Ozarks Older Iron Club – Cabool, MO
Diane Phillips – Basketmaker – Thayer, MO
Quiet Lady Ent./Lyn Barnes – Beadwork – Caulfield, MO
Leona Reed – Counted Cross Stitch – West Plains, MO
South Central Missouri Kennel Club – Willow Springs, MO
Go Farm Market – West Plains, MO Participating members include:
Bountiful Blackberries
Crystal Infusion
Dream Weaver Haven
Falling Springs Farm
Jus’ Farming
Lilly’s Hand-Crafts
Ozark Custom Art
Philbrick Nursery
Rustic Waters Homestead
Secret Springs Farm
Taylor Tidbits & Treats
Three Oaks Farm/Ozark Fruit Company
The Whimsical Woodworker
West Plains Area Farmers Market – West Plains, MO Participating members include:
Jolliff Farms
Thunder Mountain Farm
Kelly Hollow Farms
The Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival is the signature event for West Plains. The 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.
2021 Festival partners include the West Plains Council on the Arts, the City of West Plains, the Ozark Heritage Welcome Center, West Plains Civic Center, and Missouri State University-West Plains. Partial funding for this event was provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
For more information on the festival e-mail info@westplainsarts.org, visit the website at http://www.oldtimemusic.org, or “like” the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Old.Time.Music.Festival
