The annual Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage festival returned for its 27th celebration, bringing the music and culture of the Ozarks Highlands to the heart of West Plains.
For more than 25 years, friends and neighbors have volunteered to bring a celebration to West Plains — a celebration of the distinctive music and folkways of the region.
With support from more than 150 volunteers, the festival committee was able to present two full days of Ozarks old-time music and traditional arts once again, including a pie baking contest, mule jump, jig competition and old-time cooking, showcasing stories, recipes and dishes from the past.
“This year’s event is especially meaningful following two years of canceled events and activities, and points to a brighter future,” said Paula Speraneo with the West Plains Council on the Arts. "We appreciate everyone who had a part in helping bring this West Plains City signature event to life once again. "
Highlights from this year’s festival held June 3 and Saturday in and around downtown West Plains:
PIE COMPETITION
Residents found old-time cooking with a healthy dose of Dutch oven cooking both days at this year’s What’s Cookin’ Stage outside the West Plains Civic Center.
2022 marked the 17th year for the cooking stage, sponsored by Aid Downtown Antiques. This year’s cooking stage theme was “Ozarks Comfort Food - Dutch Oven Cooking,” and the demonstrations were given by Alison Skinner.
Attendees found activities at the cooking stage including demonstrations on making venison chili, beef stew and blackberry cobbler.
Saturday’s session kicked off with the third annual pie competition.
Participants were invited to bring their homemade pies to the Redbud Room at the West Plains Civic Center between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. that day to enter their baked dishes into the competition.
The competition included three categories: Fruit pies, other dessert pies and savory pies.
Judging began shortly after 10:30 a.m. with tough decisions made between judges Chef Ty Bien from Ozarks Healthcare, 142nd District Rep. David Evans and West Plains City Councilwoman Jessica Nease.
Judges awarded blue ribbons to one pie in each of the three categories, including awards for the best homemade crust and best in show.
Out of the three pies entered into the fruit category, judges awarded the first-place blue ribbon to the lemon pie made by Eli Wortley.
Judges then sampled four entries in the other dessert category of the competition and awarded the first-place blue ribbon to Grandma B’s Buttermilk Pie made by Abby and Jaylee McBride.
Shortly after, judges sampled two entries in the savory category and awarded the first-place blue ribbon to the loaded baked potato pie made by Krista Pendergrass.
A persimmon with black walnut streusel and dandelion drizzle made by Krista Pendergrass was selected as the entry with the best homemade crust; Pendergrass also won best in show from the judges for her loaded baked potato pie. The prize for that accomplishment was a new pie plate.
MULE JUMP COMPETITION
The Missouri folk art of mule jumping also returned to the Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival, with the official contest taking place Saturday evening.
Mule jumping seems to have developed when raccoon hunters began training mules to jump over fences so that they did not have to interrupt the hunt to locate a gate.
“It became a competitive event unto itself, and mule jumping contests began to take place at county fairs and town picnics through much of the rural Southeast and Midwest, especially Missouri,” according to festival committee member Matt Meacham.
A demonstration of mule jumping was held in the parking lot near the West Plains Senior Center, at the corner of East Main and South Curry streets. Shortly after, the 14th annual mule jump competition, sponsored by Hirsch Feed & Farm Supply, commenced.
Mule Pedro, owned by Richie Dement of Centerville, placed first in the small division for mules 48 inches and under; Baxter, owned by Jerry Nelson of Cameron, placed first in the medium division for mules 54 inches and under; and Kitty, owned by Cyndi Nelson, also of Cameron, placed first in the large division for mules over 54 inches.
Second place winners of the competition were Benita in the small division and Dexter, in the large division. Both mules are owned by Jerry Nelson.
All trainers of jumping mules were invited to participate in the festival’s mule jump competition, which was split into three classes based on the mule’s height.
Festival committee members awarded the first-place prizes of $100 each to Dement and Jerry and Cyndi Nelson.
Dement awarded the second-place prize of $75 Jerry Nelson for Benita’s and Dexter’s accomplishments,.
Dement, who also works as a preacher in Winona, coordinated the competition.
JIG COMPETITION
The festival once again featured traditional jig dancing in downtown West Plains, with organizers holding the Bob Holt Old Time Jig Dancing Competition at 2 p.m. Saturday in the civic center theater.
Participants brought their dancing shoes to the annual event to celebrate Ozarks' music and culture.
Live musical accompaniment for the dancing was provided by experienced string band musicians from south-central and southwest Missouri who are familiar with regional square dance traditions; led by guitarist Kim Lansford of Galena, fiddler David Scrivner of Mansfield, and banjo player Nathan McAlister of Neosho.
Contestants in the 2022 jig dancing competition competed in four age divisions: ages 17 and younger, ages 18 to 50, ages 51 to 70 and ages 70 and older.
Organizers awarded over $500 in prizes to winners of the jig competition.
Simon Barry earned first place and Brandon Myers earned second place in the division for contestants ages 17 and younger.
Cameron Shaver earned first place, Keith Symanowitz earned second place and Genise Eldringhoff earned third place in the division for contestants ages 18 to 50.
Bev Neal earned first place, Rose Collins earned second place and Kennee Betz earned third place in the division for ages 51 to 70.
Lonnie Garrett earned first place, Larry Sanders earned second place and Andy Elder earned third place in the division for ages 70 and older.
Cathy Marriott, of Ava, a master artist with the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program of the Missouri Folks Arts Program, was emcee for the competition.
The competition was named in honor of the late Bob Holt, a longtime Ava resident renowned for his old-time fiddle playing for Ozarks square dancers. He received a National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1999 for his music and was a master artist with the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program in the Missouri Folk Arts Program.
After a successful weekend that included an array of vendors, workshops and performances by headliners Snorty Horse and Alferd Packer Memorial String Band, Speraneo said the arts council would like to thank the West Plains community for another successful Old-Time Music, Ozark Heritage Festival.
"Our attendance this year was exceptional," she said.
