Traditional Ozark Mountain string music is alive and well
by Kay Grant
PICKIN' TIME - Musicians gather under a large oak tree on the court square during the Arkansas Folk Festival in April. CNS Photo by Ed Schuh/Stone County Leader.
"Play Me Some Mountain Music," sung by Alabama, words and music by Randy Owen.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Ark. - Those of us in big cities forget the joys of small-town America: gathering in the town square for ice cream on a balmy evening, listening to soft music, talking with neighbors, kids running and jumping, unafraid that anyone will do them harm.
This is the way of life in Mountain View, Ark., in the Ozarks. Music is the lifeblood of their community. People worked hard farming this area. When the day's labors were done, they would take the "devil's box" (fiddle) down to the town square where others joined in with their string instruments. A tradition was born.
Nearly every evening folks gather at the historic court square for impromptu sessions of local and visiting musicians. The music is the way music is meant to be - unamplified, played and sung for the pure joy of it and not for money, in front of an appreciative audience.
If you are under 30, you may not have been exposed to pure, old-style music without echo chambers, electric amplification or synthesizers. Because no loud speakers blare here, several groups of musicians can play near one another without stomping on anyone's toes. Banjos, dulcimers, mandolins, guitars, doghouse basses and sometimes harmonicas are what the mountain folks play.
The pickin' in the evenings is spontaneous and done for the love of music. There may be one person or there may be several who have gathered together. Whether beginner or celebrity, everyone gets a turn, and no one gets paid. Nobody even passes a hat around for money. They play because they love the music. It's pure music and it's pure fun.
Bring your banjo and join in. One sign at a souvenir shop reads: "Aunt Minnie's Pickin' Porch. All pickers welcome." You may discover that the man playing beside you is the sheriff, who has been participating in the pickin' for more than 10 years. Who you are doesn't make a lot of difference at the town square. If you're hesitant or a beginner, the old timers will help you get into the groove.
FIDDLIN' AROUND - Musicians of all ages take part in informal gatherings around the courthouse square in Mountain View, Ark. CNS Photo by Ed Schuh/Stone County Leader.
The community has indoor theatrical presentations of hoedowns, jamborees and other musical events. That music is loud, lively, energetic and fun. The Ozark Folk Center presents a music show with six to eight different groups nearly every night. The show is fun and contagious - you can't help but tap your feet and clap along. They do use microphones to reach everyone in the 1,000-seat auditorium, but they do not use electric instruments and they won't play any song made after 1941, the time when the electric guitar forever changed the sound of music.
Folk festivals are held at various times through the year, but it is that spontaneous quiet pickin' around the town square that is the best of small-town America. Folks bring chairs and sit in the cool evening air to listen. There is no particular starting time; mountain time is "when it happens, it happens."
Most of the pickers look like they've been playing mountain music for a few decades, but on weekends young folk come out and join the fun. The mission of the Ozark Folk Center is to keep alive the Ozark traditions, culture, crafts and music of the area from 1820 to 1920. "A wonderful way to enjoy yesterday," they say.
They take this seriously. The Folk Center goes into every school in Stone County and provides instruments, instruction and music to make sure that traditional southern mountain string band music is kept alive for generations to come and ensure that meetin', greetin' and pickin' at the town square won't die.
At the Ozark Folk Center State Park, visitors wander through shops and meet a blacksmith, a baker (where a freshly made sample of home-baked cookies, made in a wood stove, awaits every visitor), a corn husk doll maker and a jeweler. They watch soap being made by hand, listen to live music and enjoy a donkey swing ride by Rosie, where delighted folks sit on wooden swings, slowly going around in circles with her.
MUSIC IN THE AIR - The Stone County courthouse square is filled with musicians during festivals. CNS Photo by Ed Schuh/Stone County Leader.
One shop sells handmade instruments (fiddles, dulcimers, banjos, guitars, autoharps), repairs instruments and sells Kay guitars ("Since 1890"). A fiddle, explained a sign in this store, is different from a violin in that a fiddler flattens the bridge in order to play two or three strings at a time, while the violinist plays only one string.
History is important in the Ozarks. But some history can't be preserved - legally, at least. Back awhile this was moonshine territory.
"We raised corn by the gallon up here," one local commented with tongue firmly in cheek.
Visitors can enjoy good ole Southern fried chicken and other good cooking at the Folk Center's Skillet Restaurant or stop at Tommy's Famous, a local favorite, half a mile from the town square. A real down-home joint, Tommy's is crowded and noisy. It specializes in pizza and Memphis-style hickory smoked ribs, all of it finger-lickin' good.
A worthwhile side trip is only 15 miles away - Blanchard Springs Caverns, 216 feet below ground level. The words "extraordinary" and "spectacular" cannot do it justice. Though it is millions of years old, explorers discovered it only in the 1960s. Subdued lighting brings out the magnificent features, and three different trails are available to explore this breathtaking natural wonder.
Visit the Ozark country and immediately you feel welcome. When you leave, someone is bound to say with genuine feeling, "Y'all take your time leaving, but hurry back."
IF YOU GO
For more information visit www.yourplaceinthemountains.com, phone
870-269-8068.
The best feature of the site according to me are the job alerts. Renee
Facts
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