HOME | Festivals
& Events
Festivals & Events
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].
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.
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.
27th Annual Portfest
John Anderson, Darryl Worley and Vince Neil will be the featured performers at the 27th Annual Portfest “Rollin’ on the River” Festival on June 6 & 7. 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 7th Annual "Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour" will be held on September 12, 13, and 14, 2008. Studios will be open from 9 to 6 on Friday and Saturday and 10 to 4 on Sunday. This free self-guided driving tour has over twenty private working studios. All studios are located within 30 miles of the Court Square in Mountain View, Arkansas. Register for the tour and pick up your free Studio Tour Guide Book at the Chamber of Commerce on the Court Square in Mountain View or on Historic Main Street in Calico Rock. Don't miss this opportunity to meet the artists and craftspeople of the region, glimpse into their lives and see first hand the distinctive work designed and created by these artists. For more information or for registration information call 870-269-8068 in Mountain View or 870-297-4129 in Calico Rock or visit www.offthebeatenpathstudiotour.com.
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.
|
|
All About the Ozarks Today
