Ozarks Alive

12/13/2025

Costumed volunteers and cheerful musicians helped bring history home tonight at the Drennen-Scott Historic Site.

Two homes at the site showcase long-ago life in Van Buren, Arkansas. The Drennen-Scott home was built in 1836 by John Drennen, an entrepreneur who is credited with helping found the town, and the Willhaf House was built by German immigrants Leonard Willhaf and his wife, Mary Beckelin, who opened a local bakery.

The homes are owned by the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, and offer opportunities for research and study. They had their own lives before they were acquired by the university — which, in the case of the Drennen-Scott Home, went through five generations of the family before it was sold in 2005. Today, the homes offer visitors a look at what long-ago life was like.

"Since acquiring the property, the house and ground have been meticulously preserved and restored, transforming it into a museum and educational facility," notes the university's website. "Students of all ages have studied, researched, served as interns, published articles, and participated in educational programs aimed at honoring and understanding the complexities of the past. As a public museum, the Drennen-Scott House contributes to the local and regional heritage tourism economy, engaging the public in all aspects of the story."

Those words — and nights like tonight — remind that while there is significant history within their walls, even these landmarks' long legacies aren't complete. They are extended when new generations form questions and connections with local history.

It's true anywhere there are historic places: When we create memories or find something new to wonder about, it touches our lives — and lives on in a new way...

12/11/2025

Christmas stamping will soon mark a century at the Noel Post Office. Since the 1930s — at the idea of a long-ago postmaster — volunteers began stamping letters and cards with holiday greetings from “Noel, the Christmas City,” passing through the McDonald County post office.

The effort was propelled to national note many years ago thanks to Kate Smith, a popular vocalist in the 1930s and ‘40s.

She was contacted by Noel via fruitcake, I’m told: Locals sent her a 300-pound cake in the shape of a Christmas tree. It apparently caught her attention because mention on her radio show sent staggering number of letters and cards to the post office for the special stamp, solidifying the tradition that continues today through wreath and tree-themed stamps.

It takes work to keep this tradition going. One key person is Dot Harner, shown in these photos wearing a Santa shirt. Other volunteers like George and Mary Tarwater are also important to its continuation.

“To see the pleasure people get,” Mary told me of why she enjoys volunteering. “They just thoroughly enjoy it.”

I’ve written about this tradition a couple of times over the years — I’ll include links to past stories in the comments so you can read more of its history. But I did a double take when I walked in today: The entire office was decorated for Christmas. There are balloons, winter scenes, tinsel and more.

All of that is thanks to Postmaster Patty Coggin, who decided stamping isn’t enough: She sees the post office as a means of reinvigorating the small town’s Christmas spirit.

“I really, really love Christmas and I want Noel to the ‘Christmas City’ again,” she says, noting that she hopes other public spaces will showcase Christmas spirit. “I don’t want to see it just in the post office. I want to see it everywhere.”

If you’d like to have your Christmas cards adorned with Noel’s special stamps, send them (stamped and in an outer envelope) or drop them off at the Noel Post Office. Just don’t wait too long — a mere two weeks remain until Christmas!

12/10/2025

Bo Brown of First Earth Wilderness School has spent most of his life foraging, studying and working to understand the natural world. He's also a musician, and has spent years playing and touring (including with the Undergrass Boys).

This legacy helped lead him to be selected as one of the Missouri Folk Arts Program's 2025 Living Traditions Sustainer Fellows. And that distinction led me to have the privilege of spending time this afternoon with him to record an interview about his life and work. (Watch for it later!)

One (of many) things that struck me from our interview is the amount of time — years and years of it — that he has put into learning the skills that he shares today through classes and publications. While he was taught to forage in the Ozarks as a child, most of what he knows now is built on decades of work. I'm glad he's here to share that knowledge with the rest of us.

12/09/2025

I went to a funeral the other day, and it wasn’t all that sad. It is sad, of course, that this person is gone — but when you’re in your 90s, active, and suddenly gone without suffering, you can’t hope for much more. Through her faith, she is in a better place.

This person was a stalwart of her community. She had deep local roots, and knew many people through her years as a teacher. It’s clear that while we can be relieved for her, there is also a hole here she left behind.

I suppose that gaping sense of loss has always been felt in small communities, particularly in places where neighbors grow up and choose to stay. The shared history is intricately intertwined, and a breeze of contentment flows: As long as people like this are around, it’s the “same” place.

But when they leave, it seems like the world is different. And the feeling grows as time ticks by.

Where did they go? But as I sat in her service, I realized they’re here.

They’re us.

It’s easy to get busy with life and feel like small-town concerns are for someone else to manage. But for a sense of community and continuity to continue, it takes hands — yours and mine — to carry it on, and to care.

12/08/2025

I’ve unintentionally taken things to a new level: I match my purple pie plate. (No, this wasn't intentional, but it did make me smile.)

I just pulled this new-to-me recipe for Layered Pecan Pie out of the oven. It’s pecan pie on top of a cheesecake-like filling; Jean Roberts submitted it for a Shell K**b Lioness Club cookbook in 1984.

I haven’t tried it yet – it’s headed to the McClurg Jam tonight, so taste is yet to come. So far, though, I will share two things that came to mind about this recipe…

I like the texture of pecan pie, but the overwhelming sweetness can be a bit much. I’m excited to see how the cream cheese helps cut that (although there is still a lot of sweetness to this pie). I also like that it can be made with just one bowl if you rinse it out in between layers. I’ll report back later on how it tastes.

I will also say: We’re down to the wire when it comes to shipping pie cookbooks in time for Christmas. If you plan to order copies, please do it ASAP – a link is in the comments. Alternatively, I have a few events coming up where you can buy them in person:

Saturday, Dec. 13: The Boston Mountain Heritage Society is hosting a free lunch and potluck dessert event near Mountainburg, Arkansas. I’ll be speaking about the pie project, too! Check out their page for more info.

Sunday, Dec. 14: I'll be signing and selling books at Arrow Creative Reuse in Springfield. Come by from 1 to 3 p.m. for books and to see this super-cool expanded arts thrift store.

Saturday, Dec. 20: Stop by and visit with local authors at the Sip & Sign Event at The Garden Exchange in Aurora. I’ll be there with books from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

I’d love to meet you in person. However, at last note books are still available at these retailers (but please contact them first to confirm before driving in):

Turners Station Mercantile in Turners, MO near Springfield, Hammons Black Walnut Emporium in Stockton, Amyx Place in West Plains, Jean's Healthway in Ava, Echo Bluff Lodge in rural Shannon County, Henson's Store in Champion and through the Little Farm Association. Later this week, it will also be at Pearl's Books in Fayetteville and the History Museum on the Square in Springfield. Please check with them first before heading over in case they’ve run out.

As always, thank you for supporting this project!

12/07/2025

Murray Young links Ozarks eras at Cave Spring Memorial Church & Cemetery, a towering two-story former school-and-church in rural Greene County, Missouri.

The 97-year-old lifelong local was born on a nearby farm and first saw the landmark as a center of community. It was where his mom went to school, and where the family attended church.

Yet times changed and the church closed.

He and his family emerged as caretakers for the aging building which nowadays remains largely silent. But last night, people filled its pews during a Christmas open house. And he linked past and present as he told the “The Night Before Christmas” and the biblical Christmas story – both from memory, I might add.

Most of the people who he first saw this place with are gone, he told me. They’re resting in the graveyard. Yet seeing Murray visit with friends felt like I witnessed the overlap of worlds.

There is still opportunity for others to care about this place, too.

That’s how historical preservation happens: As one generation lets go, landmarks are handed down from their hands to the next. They're closely held not simply because they're old, but because they're important to our lives today, too.

If you're interested in this landmark, mark your calendar for some dates in 2026. Monthly Sunday services are being planned on "second" Sundays in January, February and March at 11 a.m.

12/06/2025

I admire this level of Ozarks Christmas parade preparation…

12/05/2025

I visit a lot of coffee shops in my reporting journeys — you might say I have dozens of offices as I get out my laptop and write for hours. Of the many wonderful stops, one of my favorites is in Mountain Home, Arkansas: Cove Coffee, where I am today.

The colorful, vintage-vibe, eclectically decorated space (let alone great coffee) makes me relax just walking through the door. But the thing that made me smile today is that I heard them tell a customer they’ll be open hours late for the Christmas parade.

I know businesses can’t always adjust hours for community events, but it feels like an extra level of local spirit when we all come together — even when we don’t “have” to — in an aim to create even greater community experiences.

12/04/2025

Tradition is built both in big moments and little details. Like at the Gainesville Lions Club, where for decades Linda Harlin has played “God Bless America” and everyone sings to start meetings. Or around the meal, shared family-style, made by ladies in the kitchen. Today it was fried chicken, bowls of steaming peas, baked potatoes and macaroni salad.

As I type this, the meeting is over, already faded into history. It may not feel super significant. But it is.

It’s these types of moments, and the people who make them, that we will remember.

12/03/2025

12/02/2025

I would argue that Porter Wagoner is one of the Ozarks' most important musical voices. The famed musician was born in Howell County, grew up in West Plains (where he was first on the radio), and then moved to Springfield where performed on KWTO and the Ozark Jubilee. That led to the Grand Ole Opry, his own long-running TV show and introducing the world to Dolly Parton.

Learn more here:

Porter Wagoner grew up in the Ozarks. From a young age he was dedicated to music, and that love — and some local big breaks — ultimately took him to the national stage.

11/30/2025

The Historic Bunker Union Church and Timber Museum along the Reynolds-Dent county line reminds of importance and impact of handing off history from one generation to the next.

The church was built in the early 1900s for the logging community founded by Sylvanus J. Bunker. Long after that operation ended, the church was used by folks like Carolyn Barton, who attended it as a child.

Today, she's one of the leaders who have transformed the church into a museum and community magnet, helping other generations form their own stories tied to this place.

“I didn't want to see it fall down. It's too many memories,” she told me. “I got married here, went to church here as a little girl.”

This coming weekend (Dec. 6) is a great time to visit during the annual Christmas service. Read more here: https://www.ozarksalive.com/stories/bunker-union-church-links-past-and-present-with-heartfelt-ties