Ozark Folk Center
Ozark music is heard throughout the Folk Center grounds.
Dedicated to the perpetuation and interpretation of Ozark Mountain heritage, the Ozark Folk Center is one of America's cultural treasures. Here, musicians perform traditional acoustic tunes, gifted artisans create heirloom-quality works, and craftsmen demonstrate pioneer skills. Is your life connected to the ways of the past? Yes, and at the Ozark Folk Center, you'll see, hear, and understand how.
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The focal point of the Folk Center is the crafts village, where 24 traditional Ozark crafts are made by talented artisans. Music is the other main component of the Folk Center. Ozark music pervades every corner, and performances take place in the crafts village throughout each day. At night, the music theater attracts amateur and professional musicians from miles around to sing, play and dance in the old, informal tradition of friends and neighbors gathering in the evening.
Building upon the skills of the Ozark people, the Ozark Folk Center continues its mission of perpetuation of Ozark traditions. The Folk Center conducts an active apprentice program, offers workshops throughout its operating season, holds over a dozen Elderhostel programs each year, and hosts an annual Ozark Folk School. The folk school, quickly gaining national attention, is held each spring. Intensive workshops in Ozark song, dance, and crafts are led by the nation's top-rated Ozark artisans and musicians. Workshops include: mountain dulcimer, fiddle, claw-hammer banjo, southern mountain singing, photography, several workshops on herbs cooking and gardening, and 25 different craft courses.
These Ozark Folk Center workshops provide experiences you will remember for a lifetime. Many participants choose to stay on-site throughout their coursework, enjoying Southern hospitality at the Folk Center's Cabins at Dry Creek and Skillet Restaurant.
To find out more about the park's music programs, craft village, lodging, educational workshops, research facility, events, children's activities, Elderhostel programs, and other offerings, visit: www.OzarkFolkCenter.com.
