A LOT can happen in 63 years! But despite all the changes over the past six-plus decades, one thing has remained constant: the Original Ozark Folk Festival. From humble beginnings, it has grown up to become the oldest folk festival in the country!
(Press Release) – Sep 08, 2010 – (EUREKA SPRINGS, AR) – The year was 1947. TV’s were just being tested, the phrase “baby boomers” was years away from being coined, and a little getaway town in the Ozarks held its first folk festival. 63 years later TV’s are omnipresent, baby boomers are seniors, and that little gathering in Eureka Springs has become the country’s oldest continuously running folk festival. Gilkyson is a politically minded, poetically gifted singer-songwriter who has become one of the most respected musicians in roots, folk and Americana circles. Over the course of 13 albums, Eliza Gilkyson has built a reputation as one of the most original and influential folk artists of our time. In 2006, she was recognized with 3 Austin Music Awards and 4 Folk Alliance Music Awards, one for Song of the Year for her tune, Man of God.
Opening for Gilkyson will be 3 Penny Acre and Wes Casto, who won last year’s Ozark Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Contest. Tickets are $15.
A short performance by the Hedgehoppers precedes the talent competition. A student group has performed under that name each year since the festival’s earliest days. This year, Eureka Springs Elementary School teacher Sheila Payne leads this music and dance group of elementary school students. Doors open at 5:30 and the Hedgehoppers take the stage at 6 p.m. A staple of nearly every Ozark Folk Festival has been the craft show, celebrating the diverse skills of our many local craftspeople. This year the free Back to the Ozarks Craft Show happens Nov. 5 and 6 from noon until 6 p.m. There will be displays of historic Ozark arts and crafts in Basin Spring Park, and artisans will be demonstrating their skills. Visitors to the crafts show will also be entertained by free live folk music in Basin Spring Park from noon until 6 p.m.
ince its inception as part of the folk festival on June 23, 1948, the Barefoot Ball has had a long and rich, if not uninterrupted, history. Doors open at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 for the 2010 edition of this festive, unpretentious dance. The 1905 Basin Park Hotel’s Barefoot Ballroom, named after the event, will once again be the venue. Fayetteville’s Cletus Got Shot opens, and regional favorites Big Smith, from Springfield, Missouri, headline. Tickets are $10. Despite the event’s name, shoes are optional.
The festival’s final day, Nov. 6, is the fullest. The free concerts and craft show continue in Basin Spring Park from noon until 6 p.m. The Singer/Songwriter contest finals are from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Auditorium. Admission is free. The folk festival parade winds its way through historic downtown at 2 p.m.
Tickets for the Barefoot Ball and the Ozark Folk Festival Featured Show with Eliza Gilkyson go on sale Sept. 13. For tickets, entry forms, rules for the contests and schedule updates, go online to www.ozarkfolkfestival.com or call 888-855-7823.
Most shows at this year’s festival are free. Scheduled to play are regional folk favorites Rebecca Loebe, Raina Rose, Lyle Strickland, Kim Richardson, GBmojo, 3 Penny Acre, Susan Shore, and Michael Cockran.
THEe Extraordinary Escape," Eureka Springs is an eclectic getaway town in the heart of the Ozarks famous for our art, architecture, unique, locally owned shops, outstanding restaurants, historic hotels, BnB's, beauty, romance, & outdoor adventures.
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