Some places are losing those old-time crafts, Edwards said. "We sure don't want that to happen here. Or to lose the music, either."

That was the original idea behind the Folk Center. Plus, Edwards said, back in the late '60s, Congress was looking for ways to help America's rural areas as part of the war on poverty. At that time, Stone County, of which Mountain View is the county seat, was the second-poorest county in the state. Nearby Izard county was the poorest.

The '60s also brought radical changes to society. And some people hated to see the old ways go, Edwards said. So the Ozark Folk Center was created for a twofold purpose: as a place where the "cabin crafts, music and lore of the Ozarks could be studied, preserved and performed" and to provide jobs for the local people so they wouldn't have to leave the area.

One of the unique features of the center was the creation of a Committee of 100, comprised of women from each county in Arkansas, to oversee the functioning of the center.

Under the committee's auspices, the center provides traveling exhibitions, demonstrations, concerts and educational programs. And there is a crafts apprentice program for people who live in the area. College level workshops and other educational programs are also done in cooperation with Arkansas College of Batesville.

The Ozark Folk School, which is held in March, offers classes on everything from the art of storytelling to country chair making, gourd banjo making, rug hooking, spirit carving, stained glass, tinkers trades, weaving and white oak basketry.

It may seem like it is all about crafts and music, but the Ozark Folk Center is really "a people place," Edwards said. "It tells the story of a unique way of life."

The people here, he said, are not professional entertainers. "But if you come with an interest in getting to know its people, you'll go home with a much more complete appreciation of Ozark tradition."

(By the way, if you happen on up the road to Branson, Mo., another music center, you can learn more about Ozark history at the IMAX movie, "Ozarks: Legacy & Legend," made by Academy Award-winning — and Utah connected — director Kieth Merrill. It's well worth a look.)

The setting for the Ozark Folk Center — as well as for the town of Mountain View — is a beautiful one: hills, forests, flowers in all directions. The terrain is filled with dips and hollows as well as slopes and peaks (the things that are known locally as hollers and knobs). In the spring, they are all dusted with blooming dogwood for a breathtaking view.