Ozarks Alive

03/24/2025

This morning: Quilting with my friends at Chadwick on the next of my great-grandmother’s quilt tops. After decades stored away in a trunk, this top is finally becoming a quilt (and I absolutely love the “basket” design)!

03/23/2025

Sometimes I discover stories by simply driving down the road. That was the case a few days ago in Arkana, Arkansas, where a sign made me stop: "Old Arkana School," it read, and "Singing Every Saturday."

I was on my way to an interview, but went back later that night to see the singing that the sign shared.

As it turned out, it was a really heartwarming story. The rural school once served kids near Norfork, Arkansas, until it closed in the 1940s. Years later, locals who remembered it restored the building and began holding music parties there.

But then COVID-19 came. Momentum had already dwindled due to attendees' ages, and the pandemic made some say they didn't care for it to continue -- but not everyone.

There were some who didn't want to see the music disappear. So they took it upon themselves to revive the parties, and last fall, they celebrated one year of the "reborn" weekly gatherings.

I love stories like this: Ones that remind that we have the power to keep tradition and community alive -- if we choose.

The former Arkana School in Baxter County, Arkansas, is home to weekly music parties on Saturday evenings.

03/22/2025

This morning was so much fun! It was the first Ozarks Alive Cooperative member event — we met at the Granby Miners Museum for discussion about the area’s mining history, tour the museum, and enjoy coffee and conversation. It’s my intention that these events are a mix of fun, information, experience and history.

Now on to Greenfield for tonight’s presentation on local history for the Dade County Genealogical Society. The public is welcome to attend — let me know if you have questions. 🙂

03/22/2025

It’s a beautiful day to be in Granby for Ozarks Alive’s first member event! We’ve visiting the Granby Miners Museum for coffee, conversation and a special discussion about the area’s mining history. If you’d like to become an Ozarks Alive member and come to future events, a link is in the comments. More exclusive content and events are ahead! :)

03/21/2025

My latest column for The Daily Yonder was a challenging one to write. Folks connected with our federal lands are (understandably) nervous to share about what's going on with budget cuts. Few would speak at all and the ones who did were very concerned about being identified.

Budget concerns in the big picture are valid. Yet parks are economic drivers through tourism and jobs in rural places -- not to mention their work at preserving our culture and natural resources. I'm not sure how these shifts will change our lands but I worry and wonder what is ahead for them, and what that means for us.

A moment of sunshine was the event shown in this photo at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield a few weeks ago. Folks gathered there to show support for our national parks and the value they add to our world. And I was encouraged by the thoughts of a young attendee:

“In general, this is important to me to know where we came from,” he said. “But also I like the nature around it. It’s just such a beautiful place and I think we should keep it that way.

“I really enjoy these places and I think future generations would, too.”

The trees need us and a good reminder of this reality is “The Lorax,” a children’s book by Dr. Seuss.  Its colorful pages tell of a whimsical world

03/21/2025

The term “community building” is one that can mean a couple of different things. There is the action form – as in, we’re “building” community – but there’s also the physical place: Buildings that have become landmarks in rural spaces for birthday parties, funeral dinners and other gatherings that mark important moments.

They’ve come to mind several times recently in their fragility and importance. A few weeks ago, news came out of Howell County that the Caulfield Community Building had closed due to lack of money.

I wrote about this place five years ago at another moment of concern: Back then, there was worry it might close due to lack of funds given that there had been fewer events in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Folks rallied and raised the needed dollars, keeping it open. Now, however, it’s closed indefinitely – if not permanently – unless a chunk of money can be raised and sustained for its ongoing expenses.

“The CCB requires approximately $5,000 per year to cover basic operational costs, including insurance, electricity, and propane,” noted a statement put out about the building’s closure. “Following renovations completed in 2023, the board opted to maintain low rental fees in response to community needs. However, with rising expenses due to inflation, the revenue generated from usage fees has not been enough to sustain the facility.”

There’s hope it will reopen if that necessary funding is raised, and plans are in the works to that end. But that’s a sad, difficult reality.

“This is where people gather and socialize,” Melody Hubbell, a leader at the building, tells me. “Without it, people in Caulfield have to leave the community.”

Part of keeping a sense of community is having a space to gather and build local connections with people and places. In some instances, they also provide historical context as they are the next life for former one-room rural schools, which is the case in Caulfield.

"See that beam? It separated the two rooms," Betty Meeks asked me in 2020 when I did the first story about the community building. A former Caulfield student, she pointed out the space where the stove used to sit, noting that it heated the entire room.

"This is where I got my education," she told me.

These buildings still play an important role in our rural places but sustaining them can be challenging in a world where expenses keep increasing yet use fees need to remain affordable.

I feel safe saying that’s true across the region. I know it’s the case in rural Christian County, where I’m part of the Chadwick Friendship Club and I see the regular use of that building, and the work it takes to keep bills paid.

Another example is in Douglas County where the Vanzant Community Center – also a former school – has long been home to local events and a weekly music party on Thursdays. This Saturday (tomorrow), a pie supper fundraiser is being held at the building to help its empty coffers.

“The donation jar at the Thursday Jam brings in some, but not enough to cover the cost of insurance and all the upkeep,” Wilda Moses, a local newspaper correspondent and regular attendee at the jam, told me. “There is a nominal charge for benefits and other uses, but they keep it low so it can be affordable.”

So, for folks in the area around Vanzant, I hope you’re able to make it out for tomorrow’s benefit. (You can find more info on the building's page -- I'm sorry I won't be able to make it!)

But for everyone else in the Ozarks, let’s remember these community spaces and support them the best we can. They are a (relatively) easy means of keeping community local and building connections close to home.

03/21/2025

I just want to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteer fire departments across the Ozarks. There have been many blazes in the last few days that have required their ongoing focus, time, attention and resources — the latter quite literally in terms of their time. Volunteers by nature aren’t compensated (either adequately or at all), and often are pulled away from their livelihoods in order to serve their neighbors in these scary, stressful moments. We owe them a lot.

If you have a volunteer association in your area, please support it in word and deed. Pay membership dues, and contribute financially as is possible. Participate and attend events. Let’s help our firefighters see how much we appreciate their service!

03/20/2025

Ozark Winds Bake Shop is a tucked-away sweet destination near Tunas, Missouri. A while back, I got to spend a morning at the bake shop and learn more about its history and operation, which is run by women of the local Old-Order Mennonite community.

The group's religious beliefs mean they don't use a lot of modern technology (or want their faces shown in photos), but that doesn't keep them from baking a wide variety of breads, pastries, cookies, pies and more in their little shop. It's led by Sherrie Horst, whose mother opened the shop in 1998. Today, she oversees it with other women in the community, many who come to work there between school and marriage.

“I enjoy baking and working with my friends,” one of them told me.

Please note that the bakery is open seasonally. In 2025, it opens April 2.

Ozark Winds Bake Shop, established in 1998, is located near rural Tunas, Missouri. It is one of several businesses operated by members of an Old-Order Mennonite community.

03/19/2025

Mary Palmer-Scott is a fiber artist and a friend to sheep of the Ozarks. Trained as a fisheries biologist, Mary moved to the West Plains, Missouri, area many years ago, where her expertise in raising sheep, spinning their wool and creating wearable art really grew. She ultimately moved to the Yellville, Arkansas, area, where she continues to raise her sheep today.

“I want to be friends with them,” she told me of her flock of sheep, known as Mary's Little Lambs. “I want to be able to feel comfortable. When we go over there later, I’m going to open the fence and they’re going to come out and nobody’s going to run away. They’re going to munch around, and they’re going to hang around.”

It was wonderful to visit with Mary and her friends, and share her story here. These traditions, skills and art are important.

Mary Palmer-Scott, formerly from the West Plains area but now of Yellville, has long raised sheep and uses their wool for socks, hats, headbands and more.

03/19/2025

Micro-moments are opportunities.

I said that today with a friend at coffee and thought I’d share it here, too. We spend our lives looking forward to the “big” things. Yet those seemingly small encounters are of what life is made.

In the Ozarks, that might mean taking a few minutes to appreciate a scenic view, or visiting with an elderly friend from church about their memories. Or detouring off the main road to pop in at that general store, even though you really “should” get on down the road.

They don’t have to take a lot of time or money to make an impact. To make a difference, they just have to happen.

03/18/2025

As the world becomes more manufactured and mass-produced, things that are hand- or human made will have greater value than they ever have.

I’ve thought this before but was reminded of it tonight as I headed to McClurg, the Monday-night music party in rural Taney County.

Whether it’s the pie (raisin tonight) or the basket I have in my hands or the homemade jar of jam sitting on the table, I think we will savor these “touches” of humanity even more than ever. They will tell us of the talent in the world around us; they remind of our imperfect, yet rich and beautiful, shared humanity.

This pic is from another recent trip to McClurg when I wandered down the nearby country road. Tonight’s walk didn’t get captured with a photo, but the stars are just bright and the air was scented with spring…

03/15/2025

This building is recognized as the oldest public structure in the state of Arkansas. The Jacob Wolf House is located in Norfork, Arkansas, a little town southeast of Mountain Home. It was built in 1829 – nearly 200 years ago! – and was the first permanent courthouse for Izard County in Arkansas Territory. I stopped by today on my way to Calico Rock, Arkansas – more on that later – and took a few photos.

The dog-trot-style courthouse is named for Jacob Wolf, who was elected as a representative to the Arkansas Territory in 1826. Later, he donated land for this building and secured the contract for its construction.

“Wolf built a two-story log house with a central breezeway on the first level, typically called a dogtrot, to serve as the courthouse,” notes the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. “The large upper-level room that extends over the breezeway served as the courtroom. Judges and lawyers traveled from distant parts of the territory to appear at the regularly scheduled county and territorial court sessions. The lower level housed the county clerk’s office. John P. Houston, brother of American legend Sam Houston, served as a county clerk in this courthouse. Families from throughout the county camped on the courthouse grounds when court was in session, socializing and competing in games.”

Today, the former courthouse is a historic site and open to the public through the Division of Arkansas Heritage.

03/15/2025

Numerous places across the Ozarks are waking up to the aftermath of last night’s storm. This is Bakersfield, a small town near the Missouri-Arkansas line where I have heard (per the Ozark County Times) that several people tragically lost their lives. I know other places are suffering, too. I am so sorry, and I’m praying for your recovery efforts.

03/15/2025

Stay safe tonight, everyone! (This part of the lightning show is from rural Ozark County.)

03/14/2025

Some folks recently asked me to put together a list of upcoming events where I'll be speaking. Thanks to their request, below is a link to a page that I'll keep updated with those gatherings as they are scheduled.

Some events are sponsored by Ozarks Alive (like the Ozarks Alive Cooperative member events and the Folk Lure Exchanges at the Kindall Store) while others are sponsored by other organizations.

(Just a hint: It's going to be a busy spring thanks to the Dade County Missouri Genealogical Society, the Boston Mountain Heritage Society, the Cedar County Historical Society, the Ozark County Historium, the Springfield-Greene County Library District and the Missouri Humanities.)

Hope to see you out and about this season!

Upcoming Events 3/22: A Visit to the Granby Mining Museum10 a.m.Granby Mining Museum Granby, MissouriAt this inaugural Ozarks Alive Cooperative member event, we will visit the Granby Mining Museum for coffee, conversation and connections. A live Q&A with a museum leader will also share more about th...

03/13/2025

Like old schools and churches, old water pumps represent another time (such as this one out in rural Barry County). How many of you used (or still use) one of these?

03/12/2025

Good news for your morning that reminds of the opportunities yet ahead in rural communities.

I’m in Greenfield today for a ribbon cutting at Dade County ArtConnect’s new space: A former church that was given to the arts group as a dedicated home.

I share this moment for a number of reasons, as I think there are lessons we all collectively from rural communities can consider. What buildings do you have in town that are important to keep (or still have life that’s not being utilized)? Can they serve in a new way if connected with the right people?

That’s the reality here, as the art group’s new home was a longtime church in the middle of town.

On the flip side, what are grassroots resources a small community could benefit from that don’t take a lot of money to create? That’s the case with this arts group, that offers classes and experiences that serve the community.

I’m here writing a story for the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, so stay tuned for more. But I wanted to share this here as food for thought in hopes it might prompt ideas in other places, too.

03/12/2025

In my next column in The Daily Yonder, I focus on the importance of rural community -- and talk about several great examples across the Missouri Ozarks.

Look for mention of the Nimble Thimble quilters in Wasola, Bill's Store in Peace Valley, the McClurg Jam, the Gentryville Store, the McDowell Gold Jubilee, Twin K***s Chapel (where, last I knew, just four people meet for church services)...

And Champion, that often-mentioned small place in rural Douglas County, which made the top mention as I attended proprietor Betty Henson's birthday party earlier this year. The tucked-away general store still offers goods and a way to know your neighbors.

As a local man put it as he gave the blessing over the party's fare, “Thank you, Lord, for Betty and her place here that we can come and visit and fellowship."

Community can mean a lot of different things in today’s world, with social media groups and virtual chats and connections with people whom you may never