It is intended that in future years the Festival will encompass most, if not all of the entire historic Wilderness Road, from North Springfield in Missouri, to Berryville and Harrison in Arkansas. BUT FOR 2009: The Festival will be centered on, but not restricted to, the Wilderness Road from the Reeds Spring area to the Blue Eye area of Missouri.

   This year the Festival will have several venues of old fashioned storytelling, several venues of old fashioned mountain music, and there will be other associated events such as: black powder shoots, re-enactors of Civil War and other historic times. There will also be lots of old-timey crafts and historic item vendors, as well as souvenirs, food and drinks.

Come and join us for the Gospel Fest!
7pm - 9pm on March 27th at the 1st Christian Church on Joe Bald Road benefit
$5 admission.

WHO: All storytellers, musicians, crafters, vendors, black power shooters and re-enactors who love the Ozarks and enjoy portraying and presenting the history of the Ozarks are welcome and encouraged to apply for the opportunity to appear and/or present.

PROFESSIONALS: Professional storytellers, musicians and others who are regularly paid for their appearances are encouraged and welcome to discuss possible appearances and arrangements with appropriate members of our Festival staff.

AMATEURS: Amateur and casual storytellers, musicians and others are particularly welcome and encouraged to apply.

Supper is now being served in the main dining hall!

   The Wilderness Road of the Ozarks was planned and started just before 1860. But it was finally constructed immediately after the Civil War by returning war veterans, under the direction of Joseph A. Philibert and W. W. Kimberling, two of the Mid-Ozarks' first permanent settlers. It existed prior to that time, first as thousands of years old game paths, and then as well used Indian and hunter/trapper trails. These were all typical "ridge-runner" routes, following the best and easiest ways.

   The rapidly growing Mid-Ozarks region needed to be physically connected to the brand new and very important railroad that was about to arrive in North Springfield. Our two visionaries, Philibert and Kimberling, gave the returning Civil War veterans useful employment in this major construction, by hand and with simple horse drawn tools. Crews worked from first light to last, cutting down trees, grubbing out rocks and stumps and leveling, as best they could, a wagon route to the new railroad. As it neared completion, impatient wagon masters and anxious travelers began roughing their way south and north on it in every hour of daylight.