Ozark odyssey — Small mountain town preserves music, history, lore of earlier time

Amid the "cricks" and "hollers" and "bald knobs" of northern Arkansas' Ozark Mountains, there grew up a hardy and hearty people. In this rugged land, they learned to survive by their wits and their knowledge of local flora and fauna. They had barely enough to get by, but that didn't dampen their spirit or their joy of life.

Almost any occasion could be reason for celebration; any celebration was reason for music, with fiddle, banjo, guitar, dulcimer and more.

These folk have been stereotyped and caricatured as hillbillies, and as with any such case, there are elements of truth in the common view. They were poor; they sometimes made moonshine and took great delight in outmaneuvering the government's revenue men; there was occasional feudin' and fightin'.

But, as with any such case, there is truth that goes beyond the stereotypes. And these mountain folk were good neighbors, hard workers, faithful believers and, above all, accomplished musicians.

They still are.

That's what you will discover if you visit Mountain View, Ark., a tiny little town with a big heart and and a bigger outlook. Mountain View, quite simply, bills itself as the "Folk Music Capital of the World."

It's not an idle boast. These hills are truly alive with the sound of music. On any given weekend or, for that matter, any given day during the season — which kicks off with the Arkansas Folk Festival the third weekend in April and goes until the BeanFest & Championship Outhouse Races on the last weekend of October — you'll hear mountain, folk and bluegrass music everywhere.

The festival features nonstop music at the Historic Courthouse Square as well as concerts at other venues in town. There's also a parade featuring antique cars, marching bands, clowns, horses, a dog show, an amateur talent show and more.

But even after the festival, the music goes on. Jam sessions are held almost nightly, and often all day on weekends, on the square for anyone who wants to bring a musical instrument, a pair of spoons, something else or nothing else, and wants to sit in. As they like to say, "you can't hardly spit without hitting some grinning guy strummin' a banjo."

There are also a variety of music theaters and "pickin' barns" that offer somewhat more formal entertainment.

John Taylor owns one of those theaters, where almost every weekend from mid-February on and several times a week during the season, he and his sons offer down-home music, dancing, food and crafts.

Taylor began playing the banjo with he was 12. "Around here, there wasn't much else to do," he said, joking. But his dad played; his granddad was a fiddle player. "I was raised where music was so a part of life it was like eating," he said.