Photo on right: Musicians play for crowds of festival-goers in Mountain View, Arkansas.


Photo on left: Curtains decorate the inside of an outhouse which is lined up to try and outrun its competitors at the Beanfest and Championship Outhouse Races.


100 MILES TO EAT BEANS AND WATCH OUTHOUSES RACE EACH OTHER?

We recently attended the Beanfest and Championship Outhouse Races in Mountain View, Arkansas. How many people can say that? Well, it turns out, a lot of them. Probably millions! Especially RVers and musicians.

The last weekend in October each year sees the town holding its fall festival, and there are few places that can match it for fun and festivities. Mountain View is a small town, 2500 friendly people or so, that is big on charm and fun. Since the 1960s, crowds have been flocking to the community for festivals such as the one mentioned above and the Spring Festival in mid-April.

Musicians gather around the Courthouse Square to jam and sing on the lawn, porches and sidewalks. During festivals, they even get together in the streets surrounding the Courthouse. You see, Mountain View is the folk music capitol of the world!

You won’t find rock and roll or rap. What you will find is the traditional mountain music that original settlers brought over from Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland. You’ll also hear some folk music like the songs that were brought back to popularity during the early sixties.

The reason this town is the gathering spot for this type of music: When Jimmy Driftwood, a local school teacher wrote, then performed “The Battle of New Orleans” for country music moguls in Nashville, it was recorded and became a colossal hit. Jimmy traveled the world and performed this song and others he wrote along with other musicians interested in folk songs and music based on history.

About this time, Jimmy realized traditional music and old crafts needed to be preserved. He gathered up a bunch of musicians from Mountain View, many of whom had never been outside Stone County, and took them to Washington D.C. to perform for Congress. His goal: to get a few thousand bucks to build a folk center where tradition could be preserved. He came back to Mountain View with a few million dollars, enough to build the Ozark Folk Center and install a new water system for the town.

The Ozark Folk Center now sits on a mountain top in Mountain View. There you’ll find craftspeople dressed in old-fashioned clothes demonstrating traditional crafts, and musicians performing on stage in the theater. The Center also holds workshops on traditional music, including bluegrass, where students are taught how to play instruments like the mountain dulcimer, the hammered dulcimer and the autoharp.

But in October, most of the action is downtown! Musicians surround the downtown Courthouse playing all types of traditional music, and outrageously decorated outhouses line up for hilarious races while crowds cheer them on. Dozens of cooks come from all over to prepare their special recipe for beans, which are furnished by the town. After being judged for the best taste, the beans along with cornbread are served free to festival goers.

There’s always something going on around the Square in Mountain View, so anytime is a great time to visit. The views from surrounding mountains are breathtaking. Mountain View is in north-central Arkansas, below Mountain Home and in the Ozark foothills. Several RV parks dot the area as well as motels, bed and breakfasts and inns. You'll leave town full of beans and warmed by the friendly hospitality of these humble, talented mountain folks.