Ozarks Alive

01/08/2025

Roadside farm stands = quaint Ozarks moments, in my opinion. I love seeing what eggs, produce and other locally made goods folks have for sale.

Most of the ones I see are open-air. But the folks at P&D Honey farm near Fair Grove take things to the next level: An adorable self-serve honey cottage allows passersby the chance to stop by and stock up on a variety of honey-focused products. Of course, I had to get a jar to take home with me. ☺️

What are some of your favorite stands to stop by?

01/05/2025

One’s own culture can be complex and multifaceted. That’s the case for Nathan McAlister, an Ozarker whose work to live his own story includes Ozarks music – and expertise playing fiddle, banjo, guitar and dulcimer – his abilities as an artist and teacher, and his celebration of his Wyandotte heritage.

“I think you can have both,” Nathan says of his Native American and Ozarks identities. “The way I see the Ozarks is people moved here or were moved here due to their circumstances. Obviously there were people here a long time ago that were originally here, but when it comes to Wyandottes, we're just another part of that story. I definitely see myself as an Ozarker and a Wyandotte citizen. So I think you can have it both ways.”

More of Nathan’s story is shared in this article, which includes his role as a master fiddler in the Missouri Folk Arts Program's Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, and time as a participant in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s 2023 program featuring the Ozarks.

Nathan McAlister is a musician, artist, tornado chaser and member of the Wyandotte Native American tribe. Those elements (and more) combine in a story that has taken him from the Ozarks to share his talents, including this moment in 2023 when he performed in Washington D.C. as part of the Smithsonia

01/05/2025

It feels like winter has arrived! What are things like where you are?

01/05/2025

Topaz is a tucked-away time capsule that keeps drawing me back. About a century ago, the tiny Douglas County community included a mill, a general store, post office, barbershop and more. Today, long after their operation ceased, its mill and store still stand as time capsules to the past, drawing hundreds of visitors each year.

I began visiting several years ago, and have returned several times over the years. Today I stopped by to see its caretakers, Joe Bob and Betsy O’Neal, for my next Ozarks Notebook column in The Daily Yonder. The topic: Ozarks mills, and how they have shifted from centers of community to centers of nostalgia.

The question — why are mills still so important to us? — intrigues me, and I want your opinion. Most of us never saw rural mills in action as they were traditionally intended, but significant interest in these landmarks remains. Is it because they’re rare? Or because they tie to a simpler time and, at least in this one way, that’s a place we wish we lived? Or something else?

What do you think?

01/03/2025

This little church has long caught my eye as I drive along Highway 60 -- but I never stopped until this week, when I pulled in to take a closer look.

A hand-painted sign tells me its the Wolf Creek Primitive Baptist Church. I don't know if it's still meeting or not; I'm inquiring, and hope I'll hear something soon.

But regardless if it does or not, I think the reason it caught my eye was the contrast. Drive off the highway and the scene looks like one that should be far from fast-moving traffic. The people who built the church and now are in its cemetery -- which goes back to the late 1800s -- could never have fathomed the world that literally is next door.

Newspaper accounts tell of singings and church-and-community meetings at Wolf Creek, perhaps the same one we see here. ("Prayer meeting at Wolf Creek every Saturday evening when there is nothing else doing," the Mansfield Mirror noted in 1922.)

They used the church as part of their life. Today, we can use it to remember the past.

01/01/2025

I wanted to start 2025 in one of my favorite places in the Ozarks — and the road led me to Champion and the weekly meetup at its rural general store.

What are you doing on the first day of this year we’ve never seen before?

01/01/2025

A dwindling number of minutes remain in 2024 as I write these words. Every year about this time, it feels like there should be something profound to say: Things that have gone well, things we wish would have gone better. Hopes for what the next year may bring.

I think those thoughts, too, my mind's whirring accentuated by that of the oven. But as I pause at this mile marker in life, something even bigger strikes me: The fact that we are collectively feeling these things. And people many years ago were probably pondering the future, too. (Perhaps even these century-ago high schoolers from Elkland, Missouri were thinking them as well.)

There are few realities in our worlds that unite us these days. Yet this endures. Regardless of our personal beliefs, we can all hope and strive to be a better version of us.

And perhaps the start of a new year -- with that momentum of collective enthusiasm -- is the perfect time to remember that every person's actions can make a difference.

I hope that in 2025 we remember that efforts to be kind are within our individual power each and every day -- and although perhaps they are quiet in their presence, they are loud in their impact. It is us who can make individual and collective impacts in the Ozarks.

Happy last little bit of 2024, everyone, and let's have a wonderful 2025. I'm excited to share the year with you!

12/31/2024

As we get ready for 2025, you might want to take these "tips" from old-time Ozarkers under advisement.

It's always interesting for me to look back at customs, traditions and superstitions from years gone by. Such beliefs helped entertain and explain the world when less information was available than we have today.

The Ozarks region has many traditions tied to New Year's Day.

12/29/2024

Today's highlight: When I was working in a coffee shop and a couple came up and asked if I was Kaitlyn of Ozarks Alive. (This always makes my day, BTW - if you ever see me out and about, please say hello!)

But then it went a step further. When I said yes, the man pulled up his sweater to show that he was wearing an Ozarks Alive t-shirt! Thanks to my new friends for making my day!

12/29/2024

I’m drinking my coffee this morning, considering a question: What folk traditions define my life?

It’s not a new question in my mind, but I’ve been mulling it more since Friday when I was at a museum exhibition that focused on traditions that had been passed down from one generation to the next.

The functional and artistic skills on display were not ones that my ancestors practiced. But it got me thinking about the traditions that we might take for granted that are part of who we are.

These things don’t have to be complicated. In fact, most of them are simple things we may not think about much at all. It might simply be ways of doing things “just because” Mom did.

For me, food is the place my mind went first: To the recipes, no matter how simple, that I continue to make because my mom made them. These taste good, but they also provide a link between generations. That’s profound for a pan of cornbread, but it feels special to do something a certain way because others who were close to us did the same.

Another example in my life is quilting. Even though my grandmother didn’t teach me herself, I feel a special connection now that I’m able to do something that she, and her mom, and probably her mother’s mother learned how to do. It also reminds that we can “reclaim” these traditions that are part of the line that led us to where we are.

We don’t want to let skills die out. But to me, thinking about these traditions isn’t a mission because it’s something we need to know. It’s also because it provides comfort and a smile to think about how, even if a loved one is long gone, little moments connect us to them in our very own, personal, one-of-a-kind folk life with links to a greater story. These are moments that can help make us who we are.

What are things you do – or do a certain way – because your ancestors did them like that?

12/28/2024

A dwindling number of variety stores — those stops filled with a little of everything from toys to underthings — exist across the Ozarks today. One of them, however, remains in Aurora, Missouri, where the town’s Modern Variety celebrated 62 years in business in 2024.

The store opened in 1962 — says a celebratory painting on the front window — and still carries a little of a lot.

I ended up coming away with a pair of shoelaces and a set of quilt blocks that I’ll cross stitch. I’ve been looking for a cross-stitch project for quite some time and was excited to find an ample supply of options on their shelves. And I was even more excited to “hear” my grandma’s voice as I turned to pick out the correct embroidery floss: “Always get all you need at once so the dye lots match.”

She wasn’t there in that moment, but the memory made me smile. And so did the store. If you’re in the area, consider stopping by. (There’s also a Modern Variety in Monett, too.)

12/26/2024

The clock is ticking, reminding that the Christmas memories have been made for another year.

I write a lot about traditions and the impact they have. These elements bring joy, fun and meaning to our lives. But what happens when those traditions change or disappear?

My family has experienced these shifts over the years, and I bet you have too. People pass away, lives evolve; such things can change expectations for days like today. It feels odd to say, but this melancholy comes if we’re lucky — it’s because we were fortunate to have wonderful memories in the first place.

But when those things change, there’s a great opportunity: Of finding new traditions.

Even small things can feel meaning when they are repeated. Which takes us to Chateau on the Lake near Branson.

I don’t know how or why, but years ago my family and I began stopping here for cake when we were in the area. We didn’t eat at the restaurant or stay the night, but you could (and can) buy slices of dessert at the sweet shop. We’d get a couple to share and sit out on the deck.

Eventually we became aware of the gingerbread displays the Chateau shares every year for free in the lobby. Now, for many Decembers, we’ve trekked here to see the ornate, candy-laden creations.

None of these things costs much for us to see, and the enjoyment is significant. It’s something I hope we can continue for years, because even though it’s a simple idea, it’s resulted in many wonderful memories — both from the relatively short time we’re at the Chateau, but also from the car rides together.

Traditions don’t have to be difficult or expensive. They just have to create memories.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

12/25/2024

I spotted this church near Fordland this evening and had to stop for a photo to share. It felt so calm in the dark and quiet. As Eve turns to the Day of Christmas, I hope your night is full of a similar peace and rest.

12/23/2024

Larry Dablemont has spent his life understanding and sharing the Ozarks' natural world. People across the region may recognize the Texas County native's name from newspaper columns, which has appeared in dozens of Ozarks papers for decades. He also spent time working as a naturalist for Arkansas State Parks.

Soon, he will accomplish a new dream: The Big Piney River Nature Center, a new facility on the outskirts of Houston. When complete, it will be a hub for where local outdoor knowledge, culture and more.

I recently had the chance to go to the center, which is currently under construction, and visit with Larry about his efforts. You can learn more in this story, which begins with his time of being a river guide before he was a teenager.

“I’m not religious, but I’m a man of a lot of faith, and I think God wanted this done,” Larry told me. “If I’m going to give credit to someone or something, I’ve got to give credit to God because I think He wanted something done that tells people how important nature is.”

https://www.ozarksalive.com/stories/the-dream-of-a-lifetime-larry-dablemonts-big-piney-river-nature-center

12/23/2024

Thanks to everyone who donated to this fundraiser -- Turners Station Mercantile posted that they collected about $4,800, which has been delivered to the Logan-Rogersville School District to help with students' lunch payments. Efforts like these really make a difference!

12/21/2024

Just in case you’re wondering, this is a Sugar Plum Tree.

This candy-laden “tree” first appeared at my grandparents’ farm one Christmas when I was a child. I’d heard about them in one of my grandma’s Childcraft story books, and wouldn’t you know, one magically appeared.

My grandpa said he found it in the barn. I didn’t quite understand how that worked but didn’t question it. And it kept coming back year after year.

My grandparents are no longer here — but I’m fortunate that I can now “find” this tree and can take it to family celebrations. That gathering is today, and this year, the first great grandchild in our family — my cousin’s daughter — is present. Although she won’t remember this tree, it feels sweet to have the tradition extend to another generation.

The Childcraft books where I first heard this story isn’t inherently Ozarks. But to me, the tradition feels like it’s become part of the region because it happened here. Those types of moments are special because they give points of shared connection.

What traditions in your family do you continue each year (or wish you still did)? Maybe that’s a certain dish that you can’t do without, or a game that always is played? Or something else that makes you tie yesterday to our lives lived now?

12/21/2024

I have some sweet Christmas cheer to share...

Today I had the pleasure of attending Thornfield School's Christmas party. You may recall this rural Ozark County district, which I wrote about in February: With just about 50 kids kindergarten through eighth grade, it's a tiny place – yet its size hasn’t stopped the school from receiving some of the state's top test scores.

In many ways, it reminds me of a modern-day one-room school.

That thought was reinforced when I walked through the school along with some excited kids, many dressed for pajama day, and saw stacks of presents on the floor of the gym.

Those gifts were there because of an effort – which began with funds donated to the school for emerging needs – to give presents to all students. That decision cost around $1,500, which allocated approximately $30 for every child.

“We knew we could put some money with it and help everyone,” says Melissa Campbell, the school’s superintendent and principal, of the decision to serve all children and not just a few.

And everyone became part of the process, too. Because it was the “big kids,” those grades five through eight, who chose the presents the younger students received.

The gifts were found in Ava, a town with a Walmart about 30 minutes away from Thornfield. There the older students shopped for the younger kids (and themselves, as they were allowed to select their own gifts) before enjoying lunch at McDonald’s. Back in Thornfield, they also helped wrap the presents.

Those colorful stacks were opened and enjoyed in a matter of moments today. Smiles abounded at the stuffed toys, a doll, a dress and more that were excitedly found within the colorful paper. Thanks to a grant from the Slusher Foundation, the students also received new pairs of shoes.

Do you like them? I asked one child, who didn’t hesitate before replying: “Yes!”

After the paper was unwrapped, kids headed back to their classrooms for a few more sugar-filled minutes before Christmas Break officially began. That began with steps down from the native-stone school, built in 1937, where kids still attend classes today.

Those connections go deep – as memories created through moments like today.

“It’s so much more than just the gifts,” says the school’s leader.

12/20/2024

I took a trip into the hills today to visit my friends Butch and Dawn Stone at their home near the Douglas/Ozark county line. Butch, a generational Ozarker, is a flintknapper; it’s why I first visited the Stones several years ago.

We have remained friends since. Those connections are one of my favorite things about Ozarks Alive.

Today represented another memorable moment when Butch gave me one of his creations as a Christmas present.

It’s a work of functional art. It also reminds: There can’t be any shortcuts in flintknapping. These items simply take the time they take.

It’s not the only thing in life like that.

I think we forget that sometimes in our hyper-drive world. Some efforts just take time — and that process is part of the joy of what you’re doing.