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The Ozark Folk Center (OFC), located in Mountain View, AR, is truly a hidden gem of the Ozarks. In fact, the city of Mountain View is legendary when it comes to music and folklore. More on that shortly.
OFC was created as a living history state park committed to preserving and demonstrating traditional crafts, folkways, and music of the Ozarks. Construction was completed at a cost of about $3.4 million, and the Ozark Folk Center State Park officially opened on May 5, 1973.
Facilities include a 1,000-seat music auditorium, 24 craft demonstration areas, a welcome center, 60 lodging units, a restaurant, food outlets in the crafts area, a conference center, and a gift shop. Although extensive remodeling and additions over the years have enhanced the original facility, the core of the mission is still intact.
Traditional acoustic music is the standard during regular performances at the Folk Center. In recent years, the American Roots Music Series has provided a taste of other music from the past. Cajun, blues, Irish Celtic, cowboy, and string band performances are among the music styles featured during special weekend programs. The Celebrity Concert Series, which debuted in 2004, features headline acts in contemporary Americana paying tribute to their roots. OFC has hosted the biggest names in folk and bluegrass – and hundreds of local and regional acts who continue the tradition of the folk and hill music.
The Ozark Folk Center also produces the nationally distributed radio show Ozark Highlands Radio.
Of course, music in the Mountain View area began long before the concept of the OFC. In 1962, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service assisted local craftsmen and musicians to form the Ozark Foothills Crafts Guild (now known as the Rackensack Folklore Society) to preserve the heritage of the Ozark Mountains. The guild started with 30 members and eventually grew to a membership of over 300 master craftsmen and musicians.
In 1963 the guild, in cooperation with local education advocate Bessie Moore, organized the first Arkansas Folk Festival. The festival exceeded all expectations and drew nearly 15,000 people to Mountain View. The festival became an annual event and within a few years was attracting tens of thousands of people to Mountain View.
The idea for the folk center grew from the success of the Arkansas Folk Festival. The Folk Festival, centered on the courthouse lawn, continues to highlight the crafts and music of the area. A decade after the inception of the event it was decided that the heritage of the Ozarks needed a more permanent home.
The guild, in cooperation with local government, obtained a grant from the United States Economic Development Administration to establish a private commercial craft center at Mountain View.
Enter Jimmy Driftwood. If you don’t know who Jimmy Driftwood is, please Google this man. He played an important part in the history of folk music, and specifically, Mountain View.
James Corbitt Morris “Jimmy Driftwood” (June 20, 1907 – July 12, 1998) was an American folk music songwriter and musician. He was born in Timbo, AR, just a few miles from Mountain View. Driftwood was most famous for his songs "The Battle of New Orleans" and "Tennessee Stud.” Driftwood wrote more than 6,000 folk songs, 300 of those were recorded by various musicians.
A member of the Grand Ole Opry, Jimmy returned to his home in Timbo in 1962. He was instrumental in establishing Mountain View as the Folk Music Capital of the World and credited with developing the Rackensack Folklore Society. Driftwood played a key role in lobbying the United States Government for the initial funds to create the Ozark Folk Center. He also built the nearby Jimmy Driftwood Barn where folk and mountain music by local and visiting musicians continues every Friday and Sunday night to this day.
Another musical legend, Grandpa Jones, had strong ties to Mountain View and the OFC. Jones moved to Mountain View in 1979 (he continued to keep a place in Nashville for the tapings of Hee Haw). In 1980 he and his wife opened a dinner theater in Mountain View. His family performed regularly, and Grandpa Jones would join them onstage if he were in town. Grandpa jones home was just outside the entrance to the OFC. He fit in well with the community and became good friends with Jimmy Driftwood.
Self-guided tours of the crafts village at OFC take visitors to shops with demonstrations of basketry, blacksmithing, printing, broom making, quilting, woodcarving, pottery, and several other pioneer skills. Apprenticeships and workshops are offered in music, herb gardening, folk dance, and crafts. Each spring, the park also conducts an Ozark Folk School, offering instruction in traditional Ozark crafts, music, and gardening.
The town of Mountain View bills itself as the "Folk Music Capital of the World" and local and traveling musicians gather to play their instruments in and around the town square after dark during the summer months. Visitors are always welcome to attend these impromptu free concerts and often bring their own lawn chairs.
OFC is open mid-April to late-October. For music schedules and general information check out their website at arkansasstateparks.com/parks/ozark-folk-center-state-park or their Facebook page at facebook.com/OzarkFolkCenterStatePark.
For information on mountain View visit yourplaceinthemountains.com or facebook.com/MountainViewAreaChamberofCommerce.
The Acoustic Shoppe is proud to carry on the tradition of producing and promoting live and recorded music featuring local and national musicians from our Springfield, MO sound stages. Be sure to watch our television show Ozark Music Shoppe and follow us on our social media channels.
For more information, give us a call at 417-720-1223, shoot us an email at info@theacousticshoppe.com, or stop by our showroom at 1913 E Seminole St. in Springfield, Missouri.
