Welcome to the home page of the signature event for West Plains, Missouri – The Old Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival.

June 14 and 15, 2013

Come celebrate Old Time music and the distinctive culture of the Ozarks Highlands.

Three ideas are central to the festival:

Acknowledgement of the many able local performers
The need to save these expressive traditions
Maintaining a focus of authenticity

Old-Time Music will be performed for two full days, from our main stage, featuring outstanding local and regional artists representing the musical traditions of the Ozarks.

Back in its second year is The 2nd Stage, designed to bridge the gap between the generations of musicians in an effort to keep the traditional music of the area alive and well through the interpretations of the new performers.

See artisans in action, blacksmiths,

spinners and weavers,

quilters,

candle makers, traditional basketmaking and more.

Enjoy everything from Mule Jumping,

Pickin’, Grinnin’,

Singin’, Cookin’,

to who knows what you’ll get when you get Ozark folks together.

This year’s new activities include a demonstration of Missouri Fox Trotter Horses, an Interpretative Bike Ride, and our first-ever sanctioned Turkey-Calling Competition! See the Events and Demonstrators page for updates as confirmations come in.

Inside the air conditioned comfort of the West Plains Civic Center you can enjoy various workshops and jammin’ sessions. All featuring outstanding local and regional artists representing the musical traditions of the Ozarks.

Around the Festival you’ll find jig dancers, workshops, fiddlers, banjos, string bands, pickers and more.

On the What’s Cookin’ Stage you’ll find demonstrations of traditional Ozark cookin’ with a dash of entertainment thrown in to boot!

The festival was established and has been supported by the West Plains Council on the Arts through funding by the Missouri Arts Council. The festival is being produced through a partnership between West Plains Council on the Arts, Missouri Arts Council, Missouri State University-West Plains, the City of West Plains, Ozark Heritage Welcome Center, and the West Plains Civic Center.

Festival organizers have incorporated audio and videotaping sessions for the benefit of the artists and to establish a collection for the conservation of knowledge and awareness of the traditional arts.

Festival organizers encourage Facebook users to “like” the Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival’s Facebook page to keep informed as plans develop.

Comments welcomed – email us at info@westplainsarts.org

CALL FOR ARTISANS/DEMONSTRATORS

The festival has featured many different material art and craft genres throughout the years. Most of these arts and crafts originated for entirely utilitarian reasons or to meet basic needs of the region’s early settlers, organizers said. But as a result of regional economic changes, especially increased availability of manufactured goods since the mid 20th century, these arts and crafts are no longer practical necessities; however, many talented artisans and craftsmen in the Ozarks continue to practice them both as outlets for their creativity and as means of celebrating the region’s rich cultural heritage, festival organizers explained.

Area artisans and demonstrators who are keeping these traditional crafts alive and would like to share their talents with festival goers are encouraged to contact the West Plains Council on the Arts at info@westplainsarts.org or call 417-293-2325.

CALL FOR VENDORS

Organizers said they welcome booths from vendors that are in keeping with the historic theme of the festival; however, space is available for non-profit groups, businesses, school fund-raising efforts, churches, civic groups, public officials and individuals. In the event of duplicate offerings, first consideration will be given to early registrants. Final approval rests with festival committee members, organizers added.

Booth spaces measure 10×15-feet. Space rental fees for the two-day period are $60 for for-profit vendors, $30 for non-profits, and $85 plus 10 percent net profit for food vendors.

Vendor registration forms are available from Terri Combs, TSCombs@MissouriState.edu or 417-255-7988, or they may be downloaded from the festival website, http://oldtimemusic.org. Registrations should be mailed by May 10, 2013, to West Plains Council on the Arts, P.O. Box 339, West Plains, MO 65775.

Organizers said they plan to provide this year’s vendors with a diagram/map of the festival grounds, which will be available at the festival information booths. All early registrations will be listed on the diagram with the vendor’s name and specific location on the grounds.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are sought for the 19th annual Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival, set for June 14 and 15 in downtown West Plains.

There is no paid staff, never has been, organizers said, adding the festival committee spends many hours over several months preparing for it, including coordinating logistics, choosing the stage performers and accepting vendor applications.

Most volunteers are asked to take part for an hour or two each day at the information booths. One booth is under a canopy on East Main Street, the other in the lobby in the West Plains Civic Center. This means a volunteer could be at the outside booth for an hour, then another hour in the air-conditioned building on one or both days. The booths are open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 14 and 15.

The jobs are easy – hand out written information on hour-by-hour shows on the two stages, ask out-of-towners to fill out surveys, sell festival items, including T-shirts, and field questions vendors or others might have, organizers said. For example, a vendor may need ice. The volunteer at the booth will get it from nearby or another volunteer will be paged by cell phone to come take care of that. If you’d rather just stay at the booth, that’s fine, too.

Bring a lawn chair. Bring your cell phone.

West Plains Daily Quill City Editor Carol Bruce coordinates volunteers, and she said one of her goals is to see that no volunteer is left alone with a job.

Sign-up forms are available to submit. Click here to download.

For more information or to set a time to help, call Bruce at 417-256-9191 (The Quill) during the day, 417-256-8886 after 6 p.m. any day, or email info@westplainsarts.org.

You can ask to volunteer at a certain time of day; usually at least two volunteers are at each booth. Bring a friend.

AT A DRIVEWAY

There is also a call for people who would spend an hour or two at a small barrier at one of the driveways beside the civic center to assure only those who are allowed to park beyond that point get to do so. The information needed to do the job will be in writing and other volunteers will be available to help. Help is just a cell phone call away, if needed. This is easy work.

ATV RIDES FOR THE MUSICIANS

A few rooms at the civic center are set aside for the performers who will be on the main stage. It is stocked by the festival committee with snacks and water for them. Artists and their musical instruments are transported by four-wheelers to and from the main stage at their allotted time to perform.

Volunteers helping with that must have a driver’s license. It is hoped that each volunteer would work in two- to three-hour increments. For example, three hours on that Friday and three more that Saturday. No volunteer will be alone on the assignment.

HELP THURSDAY EVENING

Help is always needed to set up the Thursday evening before the festival, including at the main stage, and helping vendors find their assigned locations on the street. Specific people are already assigned to the big jobs…

HELP SATURDAY EVENING

Help is also needed from about 8 to 10:30 p.m. when crews will be closing up and cleaning up to end the festival.

VOLUNTEERS’ MEETING

There will be a volunteers’ meeting sometime in the next few weeks. Each volunteer who signs up between now and then will be notified by phone of the exact date

“For the many who volunteered last June, you did an excellent job, and we want you back,” Bruce said.

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.

Major sponsors 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