Travelin' Man
August 18-24, 2014
Folksy fun
By Nan Selz
Did you know that attendance at Arkansas state parks exceeds that at college football games? The parks are not all hiking trails and fishing lakes. They are, in fact, quite diverse. So, after a busy start to the summer, Chris and I decided to enjoy a few days at my favorite state park – the Ozark Folk Center at Mountain View. While we were in the neighborhood, we added a visit to its natural neighbor, Blanchard Springs Caverns.
One-of-a-kind experiences ...
For many years, I have been a member of the Committee of 100, an organization of one hundred women from every county in the state, which seeks to raise public awareness and financial support for this one-of-a-kind state park whose mission is to keep the folk culture of the Ozarks alive.
At the Folk Center we wandered through a simulated village of small cabins each focused on a different craft. We visited a blacksmith, a potter, a basket-maker, a cooper, a man who “paints” on copper with a cutting torch – the list goes on and on. Each of the crafts people was anxious to engage us, explain their craft and, perhaps, sell a sample of their wares. They were enthusiastic in their explanations of what they were doing and why it was done that way in the old days.
Old-time plants as well ...
The grounds were landscaped with native plants, an herb garden and rough-hewn benches. Some traditional buildings (a one-room school house, a log cabin, and a root cellar) along with interpretive signs rounded out the picture of life in 19th century Arkansas.
The musicians at the folk center use only acoustic instruments, some of which are seldom seen these days – dulcimers, zithers, etc. In order to ensure the continuation of the old music traditions, the Committee of 100 has funded a roots music program in the public schools in Stone County.
Producing a prodigy ...
A 7-year-old fiddle player who was a product of that program took the stage as part of the evening music presentation in the Folk Center’s auditorium. We also saw performances by a very elderly cowboy and a clogger who could have gone professional. When there was music for square dancing or clogging, members of the audience were invited to join the musicians and dancers on the stage and some did.
The town of Mountain View reflects the folk culture of the mountains with craft shops, small music venues (mostly outdoors) and antique/resale shops lining the main street and the courthouse square.
Different tastes ...
A diverse group was having dinner when we went to the Rainbow Café for home cooking – about a third were locals, a third tourists and a third Mennonites.
We stayed at the Inn at Mountain View, a 19th century Victorian, with 11 guest rooms, a wonderful porch with plenty of rockers and a number of comfortable parlors and sitting rooms for visiting. The communal breakfast was delicious and plentiful. The Inn is deservedly on the National Register.
Really really deep ...
Blanchard Springs Caverns is a thirty-minute drive from Mountain View but definitely worth the trip. The caverns were not discovered until the 1950’s because the natural entrance is almost inaccessible. The caverns are roughly as deep as the tallest building in Arkansas is high.
We took a tour of the first of three levels of the caverns. We saw an interesting variety of colors and rock formations that left me wondering if the lower levels looked any different. White Nose disease had been spotted in a dead bat near the caverns earlier this season, so all visitors were ask to cross a medicated mat after returning from the caverns, just in case. The National Forest Service manages the caverns, and their knowledgeable guides helped to enhance our experience.
Our two-day getaway in Stone County was full and interesting and our only regret was that it wasn’t autumn in the Ozarks.
