Ozark Heritage Festival brings regional traditions to life

Published 8:00 am Saturday, November 7, 2026

By Kimberly Langston

Another Ozark Heritage Festival is in the books, marked by the return of a popular regional competition and new activities for younger visitors.

The two-day celebration of traditional Ozarks music, cooking, crafting and practical arts opened Oct. 16 under cold and windy conditions that sent some vendors scrambling for cover. Fair skies and calm winds greeted visitors for the second day, bringing a rebound in foot traffic.

Vendors returned Saturday, with many — particularly food truck operators — reporting strong sales, according to West Plains Council on the Arts board member Kathleen Morrissey.

Traditional skills demonstrations gave visitors an up-close look at regional history. Demonstrators included a blacksmith, spinners, flint knappers, basket weavers, a potter and a team operating a sorghum press powered by a Clydesdale horse.

A treadle sewing machine illustrated how clothing and quilts were made before rural electrification, accompanied by an extensive quilt display. A tipi and wilderness encampment showed how indigenous peoples, hunters and early pioneers lived prior to running water and plumbing.

Attendees also explored the Journey Stagecoach, a restored 1880s horse-drawn coach that made numerous overland journeys west and showcased 19th-century passenger travel and mail delivery.

Traditional Ozarks music anchored the festival, featuring bluegrass, Scots-Irish tunes, gospel, folk, blues and Americana.

The traditional jig dancing workshop and competition drew strong crowds.

“Younger people are learning and it’s good to get younger people interested,” Morrissey said, noting the growing willingness among younger generations to preserve regional folkways.

First place in the dance competition in the age 17-and-younger division was awarded to Conner Jefferson of Fair Grove.

In the division for ages 18 through 50, winners were: Travis Barry, Ava, first; Simon Berry, Ava, second; Hattie Barry, Ava, third; Henry Bundi II, Mtn. View, fourth; and an entrant known only as Waylon from Salem, Ark., fifth.

In the age 70-and-over category Jane Elder of Gainesville won first place, followed by Bev Neal of Viola, Ark., second; Lonnie Garrett of Newburg, third; and Andy Elder of Gainesville, fourth.

Festivalgoers sampled native Ozark foods, including pawpaw, elderberry, peach and apple preserves, alongside black walnut ice cream and fresh apple cider.

The annual pie competition named Ellie Gregory champion in the youth division. Her mother, Laura Gregory, claimed first place in savory pies, second in both fruit and cream custard, and won the overall grand prize with her savory pot pie. Robert Arnold took first place in the fruit pie category, and Debbie Horn earned top honors in cream custard.

New this year were two educational wildlife presentations by Dickerson Park Zoo and a chicken chase organized by the West Plains FFA chapter. In addition, the popular mule jumping demonstration and competition returned to the lineup after scheduling conflicts led to its cancellation in 2025 following the festival’s shift from summer to fall.

While the seasonal date change created minor transitional challenges, overall attendance increased over the prior year, Morrissey said.

Morrissey credited the festival’s success to community volunteers and partner organizations, including the West Plains Council on the Arts, Missouri State University-West Plains, Explore West Plains, the City of West Plains, Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Humanities and Comsec Consulting.