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Festivals & Events
The Ozark Gateway Region plays host to a variety of festivals and events throughout the year. Festivals celebrating the culture that is unique to the Ozark happen year-round. Harvest time celebrations occur throughout the area in the fall, allowing visitors to see both the history and present of agriculture. Film festivals for adults in the fall and children in the summer provide a unique opportunity to experience local art. Golf tournaments for the ardent golfer are always interesting as are the unique races and contest that occur throughout the year. Carnivals and homecoming festivals occur year-round throughout the region and the Fourth of July celebrations (and the fireworks displays that follow) are always worth a visit. Seasonal events like heritage festivals draw crowds from around the world and special events even occur underground amid the beautiful caverns of the region. With something interesting happening in the region virtually every day, there is always something to see or do. The Ozark Gateway Region truly has something for everyone, so plan your visit today!
Arkansas Folk Festival
Each April, Mountain View presents the Arkansas Folk Festival, highlighted
by an old-fashioned hometown parade complete with school bands,
patriotic veterans groups, show horses and decorated floats. Live
folk music seems to never stop in the friendly, inviting atmosphere
of the town’s courtsquare. Come out and share the fun, bring
your own instrument and sit in during Pickin’ on the Square.
Take a trip back to the good old days, and see firsthand why Mountain
View is known as the Folk Music Capital of the World. [Visit
their website...]
 The Legends Tour Announces a New Event for 2008, the Horseshoe Bend Invitational
The Legends Tour, Official Senior Tour of the LPGA, announces an addition to its 2008 calendar with the Horseshoe Bend Invitational. Twenty Legends of the LPGA will tee it up at The Golf Course on Turkey Mountain September 28-29 for a one-day charity pro-am, bringing LPGA Legends to the state for the first time ever, and marking only the second event featuring the LPGA in Arkansas in over 50 years. Children's Hospital of Little Rock is the benefactor to this exciting addition to the north central Arkansas community. [More].
Calico Rock Trout Tournament
Each May Calico Rock, Arkansas, located on the beautiful White River, hosts its annual one day trout fishing tournament. Come enjoy our world-class trout fishery and land a beautiful rainbow or brown trout; you may also hook a cutthroat or brook trout. The event begins at daylight with weigh-in through early evening. From mid-afternoon through weigh-in there is a hosted BBQ for event participants and the awarding of cash and merchandise prizes for the single heaviest fish presented and two runners-up. A special grand prize is awarded if a trout weighs-in and breaks the current Arkansas state record for that species. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission trout fishing regulations apply. Each May Calico Rock, Arkansas, located on the beautiful White River, hosts its annual one day trout fishing tournament. Come enjoy our world-class trout fishery and land a beautiful rainbow or brown trout; you may also hook a cutthroat or brook trout. The event begins at daylight with weigh-in through early evening. From mid-afternoon through weigh-in there is a hosted BBQ for event participants and the awarding of cash and merchandise prizes for the single heaviest fish presented and two runners-up. A special grand prize is awarded if a trout weighs-in and breaks the current Arkansas state record for that species. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission trout fishing regulations apply. www.calicorocktrouttournament.com
Ozark Foothills FilmFest
The Ozark Foothills FilmFest celebrates all things cinematic for two
weeks every spring. Screenings, panels, workshops, and social events
take place at venues around Batesville. The festival includes new independent
features, short films of every variety, classics, animation, and special
events. Attendees have opportunities to meet and visit with filmmakers,
writers, and actors. Past festival guests have included Levon Helm, Jay
Craven, and Judge Reinhold. Recognizing the importance of racing to the
region, the festival also spotlights independent films about racing,
drivers, and fans with its Start Your Engines programs. www.OzarkFoothillsFilmfest.org
BeanFest & Great Championship Outhouse Race
Autumn is a time for celebration, and there’s none bigger in
Mountain View than the Arkansas Bean Fest and Great Championship
Outhouse Race. For more than 23 years, thousands have flocked to
the town to enjoy 2,000 pounds of free pinto beans and cornbread
along with lots of great folk, bluegrass, Cajun and gospel music.
Then comes the Parade of Outhouses, where crowds cheer for their
favorite “people-powered potty” team as they maneuver
their wheeled outhouses into place for a race the likes of which
you’ve never seen before.
For complete information including an entry form for this year's
talent show please visit the Mountain View website: www.OzarkGetaways.com.
Mountain View Bluegrass Festival
Rain or shine, the Mountain View Bluegrass Festival kicks off in high
gear every March and November with some of the hottest bluegrass music
you’ll find anywhere in the country. Indoor and outdoor jamming
areas at the beautiful Ozark Folk Center Auditorium and Grounds showcase
top-notch national music groups across three full days of fun for the
whole family. Plenty of food and lodging and possibly more friendly
people than you’ll ever meet in one place what a great
way to spend March and November weekend! The Mountain View Bluegrass
festival is held the second weekend in March and second weekend in
November. www.MountainView-Bluegrass.com.
28th Annual Portfest
Molly Hatchet will be the headline act on June 6 at the 28th annual Portfest “Rollin’ on the River” Festival. Hosted by the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce, Portfest is held on the banks of the White River at beautiful Jacksonport State Park, three miles north of Newport off Hwy. 69. [More].
Caroling in the Caverns
Without a doubt one of the most popular special events of any Ozark
holiday season is Caroling in the Caverns, where an evening of
traditional Christmas carols are performed deep within the earth
at Blanchard Springs’ Cathedral Room. The blend of area folk
musicians’ voices and instruments rises from the darkened
room with perfect acoustics to magically create the true spirit
of Christmas, Ozark-style.
T Tauri Film Festival
The T Tauri Film Festival and Filmmaking Camp focuses on filmmakers age 18 and
under. It includes a national competition judged by local youth, screenings
of films by young filmmakers from around the country, and workshops in Community
Documentary Filmmaking, Acting on Camera, and Digital Video Basics. The awards
ceremony, also hosted by local youth, gives the young filmmakers their moment
in the spotlight. The festival takes place the last two full weeks in
July on the campus of UACCB, with workshops also held at the Arkansas Sheriffs’ Youth
Ranch. It gets its name from the astronomer’s term for a new star. www.TTauri.org
Arkansas Scottish Festival
The Arkansas Scottish Festival, held in late April every year at Lyon
College in Batesville, celebrates Lyon’s Presbyterian and
Scottish roots. Festival highlights include competitions for pipe
bands, individual bagpipers, drummers, Highland dancers and Scottish
athletics; sheepdog demonstrations; Scottish food; music; Ozark
crafts; a traditional Feast and Ceilidh on Saturday night; and the
Iona Scottish Worship Service on Sunday morning. A “Kilted” Golf
Tournament is held on Friday. Festival gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday
and Sunday. For ticket or vendor information, call (870) 698-4382
or (870) 698-4298 or visit www.lyon.edu/scotfest.
Watermelon Festival
The Cave City Watermelon Festival is held the 2nd week of August
every year on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It is 3 days
of FREE entertainment. Most musical tastes should be satisfied
with acts ranging from Bluegrass to Country to Gospel. The
watermelon growers donate watermelons for a free watermelon
feast enjoyed by all on Saturday. There are arts and crafts
vendors set up around the park as well as a variety of food
vendors to please any taste bud. Children may enjoy activities
such as the watermelon eating and seed spitting contests as
well as many games at the various booths. Bring your lawn
chairs and comfortable shoes and join us for 3 days of fun. For
more information visit www.cavecityarkansas.info or
call the Chamber line at 870-283-7333 or 1-866-351-7333.
 Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour
The Ninth Annual Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour will be held on September 17, 18 & 19, 2010, when the private working studios of these artists will be open to the public from 9 am to 6 pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. All studios are located within 30 miles of the Court House Square in Mountain View. The Studio Tour is free to the public and includes an artist reception and exhibit at the Citizens Bank on Friday, September 17th, from 7 to 9 pm. For more information, visit the Studio Tour website at www.offthebeatenpathstudiotour.com. A printed Tour Guide Book will be available in August in the tour area.
Fulton County Homecoming Festival
The Fulton County Homecoming Festival is held on Memorial Day weekend each
year in Salem and is one of the longest running festivals in the area. The
festival provides a time for former residents to return to Fulton County
and enjoy a wide variety of activities including street dances, the Mark
Thomas Memorial Apple Pie 5K Run, a squirt race for youth, horseshoe
pitching, terrapin race, street market and food booths, music, and a parade.
The festival provides a convenient time for class reunions and families to
get together. Visit Fulton County on Memorial Day Weekend and enjoy the celebration
of the 58th Annual Fulton County Homecoming Festival. www.salemAR.com.
White River Carnival
As the White River Water Carnival has been held every summer since 1943, it
is widely considered to be Arkansas’ longest-running annual water event. The
Water Carnival includes numerous features such as crafts, foods, entertainment,
sporting events, a car show and a parade. One of the water sports events
is the National Boy Scout Invitational White River Canoe Race, a 3-day, 118
mile event, which reaches its conclusion at Riverside Park. Another highlight
of the festival is the White River Beauty Pageant, which has produced numerous
wearers of the Miss Arkansas crown and two Miss Americas. Even on the
other 51 weeks of the year, Riverside Park is a popular local attraction, situated
at the point where the White River plunges over Corps of Engineers’ Lock
and Dam Number 1.
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