Memorial Weekend 1973, near Hwy. 23 and State Line Drive at the Oak Hill Ecopark, the Ozark Mountain Folk Fair happened. Its concept was “Will the Circle be Unbroken?” Its creators were guys who were friends in the Seattle-Tacoma area, friendly music producers Edd Jeffords and Bill O’Neil. Edd had been an investigative reporter for a Seattle newspaper, but because of a series of death threats he moved to Fort Smith where he had relatives. He called Bill and told him he had found a “magical place” called Eureka Springs.
Edd brought Bill to Eureka Springs and Bill saw what Edd saw, a magical place. They called Frank Egan to help them begin to plan. Albert Skiles, a Fayetteville architect, was hired to design the layout, stage and logo. The wooded site needed trees to be taken down for the natural rock amphitheater would be exposed.
Felled trees and stumps provided seats for the fair goers. This was also a crafts fair and craft booths were around the perimeter of the bowl, along with natural food concessions. The natural amphitheater was 108,000 sq. ft. Carroll Electric had run poles and lines for stage and area lighting. A well was drilled and a dozer brought in. Everything was thought out except the weather.
When the fair goers arrived they came in droves, streaming through the woods. Tickets were $5 a day or $12 for the weekend, and many did not pay. But they came ready to camp. They had planned for 40,000 people. After the fact estimates were from there to a Lawrence, Kansas, paper saying 150,000 were here to enjoy three days of pouring rain! The campers were floating in their sleeping bags and couldn’t get the campfires started to cook. In reading a blog, what was described as “one heck of a party,” also describes the size and number of ticks and “mud that would pull laced boots off your feet!”
The music was phenomenal: Jimmy Driftwood, Big Mama Thornton, Mason Proffit, Earl Scruggs, John Lee Hooker, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Gaskins Switch, Mike Murphey, Leo Kottke, Donnie Shines, John Hartford, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and James Cotton Blues Band.
The festival got fantastic reviews by the fair goers but the chaos in town did not go unnoticed. The native conservative powers-that-be were concerned. The town was out of food and gasoline! Otasco was out of ammunition. There was mud in the dryers at the laundromat and fraudulent food stamps passed at grocery stores – not to mention drugs. Drug Enforcement showed up and the town cleared rapidly.
The town leaders, law enforcement, business people and religious leaders made sure the Ozark Mountain Folk Fair would not be an annual event.
But many fair goers stayed, opened shops and other businesses and became active community members for many years.
And the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is playing the Aud this Friday, Sept. 6, 46 years after their intro to Eureka Springs, and so, yes, the circle is unbroken.
Susan’s books on Eureka Springs are available at the Historical Museum and the Big Dipper in Gaskins Switch.
Not a word about Jack Cross the public relations director for the Folk fair who sold 10,000 advance tickets and introduced John Lee Hooker on stage. What’s up with that?
Rumor has it you actually sold 20,000 tickets. Been meaning to talk to you about this.