Ozark Folk Center State Park celebrates 50th anniversary
MOUNTAIN VIEW — Ozark Folk Center State Park celebrated its golden anniversary this weekend in lively fashion with old-time music and dance to mark the sustained success of this Arkansas cultural treasure.
The two O.F.C. Jubilee concerts in the Ozark Highlands Theater are among 50th-anniversary highlights in the state park that epitomizes Mountain’s View’s self-proclaimed stature as “Folk Music Capital of the World.”
Friday’s and Saturday’s performers included Twang, The Leatherwoods, Harmony, Clancey Ferguson, Adam Fudge, Whoa Mule, Mulligan Stew, and the O.F.C. Square Dancers.
Music is the state park’s prime evening attraction, while the major daytime activity takes place in the Craft Village, for which there is also an admission charge.
A full morning or afternoon can be enjoyed dropping into some of the village’s two dozen shops staffed by artisans. They are happy to explain the intricacies of their skills, which often date back to the pioneer era of the 19th century.
Chatting with the craftspeople is one pleasure of strolling the village. Among the craft categories are printing, quilting, woodcarving, fiber arts, pottery, glass, leather, blacksmithing, brooms, dolls, paper crafts, knives, candles, herb gardening and jewelry.
Visitors can learn about letterpress printing from Troy Odom, broom making from Shawn Hoefer, pottery from Judi Munn and John Petty, and a range of other crafts. More intensive involvement is possible through workshops conducted by some of the artisans.
“When the folk center opened in May of 1973,” notes the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, “the park was hailed as a home for traditional crafts and music and has since become one of the important institutions preserving this particular way of life.”
The notion of a folk center germinated from the success of the Arkansas Folk Festival, which debuted in 1963 under the aegis of the Rackensack Folklore Society and what is now the Arkansas Craft Guild. The festival continues to thrive each April, with music and other activities at the state park, on the lawn of the Stone County Courthouse and elsewhere around Mountain View.
The financial means to build the park materialized in 1968 when powerful Arkansas Congressman Wilbur Mills was able to set aside $2.5 million in grants and loans for the project. Total construction cost amounted to $3.4 million.
Along with the Ozark Highlands Theater and the Craft Village, the 637-acre site also contains The Cabins at Oak Creek, the Skillet Restaurant and the smaller White Oak Theater. The mood here is festive through the end of the park season Oct. 28, with the musical spirit of the 50th anniversary boosting the pleasure this Friday and Saturday