Thursday, September 4th
Hedgehoppers with Still on the Hill
The Auditorium
Thursday, September 4th 6:00pm
Get ready for a heartwarming tradition that’s been going strong for over 70 years – the Hedgehoppers! This class of third graders from Eureka Springs performs a traditional Ozark dance and song, preserving a form of Ozark square dancing that’s been around since 1947.
Along with Eureka's longest tradition, Still on the Hill will be performing at The Auditorium. Still on the Hill is a national and international touring group from Arkansas that has been described as “Ambassadors of the Ozarks” for the work they do to preserve a rich culture that is quickly disappearing.
Kelly & Donna of Still on the Hill are award-winning ‘storytelling-song writers’. Different than most singer-songwriters, this dynamic duo embellishes their songs with a host of unique instruments from the hills they call home. Many of these were hand-made by old-timers and have amazing stories that go with them. Their 'low tech' Power Point has become a trademark of shows. Every song has a photo quilt to go with it. A picture is worth a 1,000 words.
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Barefoot Ball
The Auditorium Lower Level
Thursday, September 4th 7:30pm
Get your dancing shoes or keep them off for the Barefoot Ball! This year, Front Porch & The Patti Steel Band will be bringing the tunes!
Front Porch is high-energy bluegrass blended with an old-time mountain sound. Front Porch consists of Petey Wesley on banjo and fiddle, Alex Hawf on mandolin, John Henry on guitar, and Cameron Keeling on bass. Each member sings lead and harmony vocals, bringing a diverse style of authentic songwriting to their original music.
Patti Steel’s music is a soulful fusion of genres, weaving together the heart of roots and jazz, the raw emotion of blues, the honesty of country, and the electrifying energy of rock and roll. Her sound is deeply personal yet universally relatable, driven by powerhouse vocals that convey vulnerability, strength, and passion in equal measure. Whether performing an intimate acoustic ballad or a full-throttle band set, Patti’s live shows are marked by authenticity, emotional depth, and a magnetic connection.
Ozark Folk Festival
Friday, September 5th
The Hillbenders with Handmade Moments
The Auditorium
Friday, September 5th, 7:30pm
The HillBenders are an acoustic ensemble from Springfield, Missouri, deep in the heart of the Ozarks. Blending the raw energy of rock 'n' roll with the heart of bluegrass, their music feels as comfortable and familiar as your favorite t-shirt. With more than 15 years of touring experience and a trove of accolades, The HillBenders have built a reputation for high-energy performances, a diverse and dynamic song catalog, and a sense of humor that brings audiences together. Whether you're dancing in the aisles or soaking it all in, their shows are about living in the moment and sharing the joy of music.
"Anna Moss and Joel Ludford’s endearing, intoxicating personalities guide us through diverse musical flavors of American music. They serve up ornate instrumentation and simple yet sophisticated song craft. Their live show offers a memorable mix of intoxicating vocals, bass clarinet, saxophone, sousaphone, guitar, upright bass, percussion, and tag team beatboxing."
- Moab Folk Festival
The Mountain Gypsies
Basin Spring Park
Friday, September 5th, 11:30am
Originating from the Boston Mountains, the unbreakable harmonies and seamless musicianship of the Mountain Gypsies have captivated audiences everywhere. With devout followers on social media, this trio yearns to show you their love of music. The key to the Gypsies is their ability to interweave past and present, hard knock mountain soul to pop polish, taking you to a different stratosphere with a fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and stand-up bass. Be sure to give a shoutout to this friendly, down to earth family of musicians who look forward to seeing you at every performance!
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Songwriting Finalists Showcase
Basin Spring Park
Friday, September 5th 1:00pm
Join the 6 finalists from the Ozark Folk Festival Songwriting contest perform their original songs. Winners will be announced at 3:30pm.
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March to August
Basin Spring Park
Friday, September 5th, 2:30pm
March to August is an Americana-Roots duo with melodies that merge influences of Folk, Americana, Bluegrass, and Celtic music and lyrics that capture the essence of the human experience. With every song, they offer poignant snapshots of life’s diverse emotions and stories, inviting listeners to reflect on the moments that shape us all. Hailing from diverse musical backgrounds, Derrick and Jodi Mears bring a plethora of influences to their work. Their lyrics often empower the voices of those silenced by circumstance, allowing each character’s narrative to be heard, while their instrumentation draws listeners into those tales with their unique Ozark Mountain sound.
Matt Axton & Bad Moon
Basin Spring Park
Friday, September 5th 5:00pm
Matt Axton is a gifted singer/songwriter. Granted, that’s a claim made by many artists that inhabit the world of Americana these days, but in Matt’s case, it’s more than a mere boast. The ability to make music is firmly infused in his genes, courtesy of a family history that implanted that ability in him early on.
Saturday, September 6th
Ozark Folk Festival
Ozark Mountain Daredevils & Steel Wheels
The Auditorium
Saturday, September 6th 7:30pm
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils stand as a quintessential American rock band, renowned for their fusion of country, rock, and folk, leaving an indelible mark on music history. Emerging in the early 1972, this Missouri-based group epitomized the era's burgeoning Southern rock movement, crafting a unique sound that echoed the spirit of the Ozarks.
Virginia-based folk-rock band The Steel Wheels has spent almost twenty years writing, recording, and touring, all the while constantly honing their evolving brand of American roots music. Additionally, they are the founders and hosts of the Red Wing Roots Music Festival, a beloved staple of the Shenandoah Valley. Through the years, The Steel Wheels have drawn on both traditional form and modern sounds to capture the beauty in all of life’s varied trials and triumphs.
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Jig Dance & Traditional
Percussion Workshop
Basin Spring Park
Saturday, September 6th 11:00am
This workshop is all about keeping the beat with traditional percussive instruments, including your feet, by jig dancing! Jig dance is a percussive dance from which tap dance developed, and this workshop is for the absolute beginner as well as experienced dancers. You’ll enjoy learning the tradition of this freestyle dance of the Ozarks and the Appalachian Mountains. You will also learn to accompany Old Time music with spoons and bones, as well as simple hambone (body percussion). The instructor, Steve Green, is a percussionist, clogger, flatfoot & buck dancer, and Old Time Square Dance caller, as well as a National Buck (Jig) Dancing champion. He has taught jig dance and called square dances across the US as well as in England, Scotland, and Ireland. His classes emphasize the fun, and we will make a joyful noise! This workshop is for all ages and abilities.
Mountain Alice
Basin Spring Park
Saturday, September 6th, 12:30pm
Mountain Alice is an Ozark County String Band based out of Northwest
Arkansas. Alice Jorris, who fronts the band with her pure and strong vocals, hails from Iowa. She moved to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, two years ago to pursue a music career after being exposed to bluegrass music through the Iowa hippie jam band scene. Her strong big presence and pure vocals draw influence from the likes of Carole King, Patty Loveless, and Allison Krauss.
Old Time Square Dance Workshop
The Auditorium Lower Level
Saturday, September 6th 12:30pm
Traditional (Old Time) square dance is the American Folk Dance that folks used to do in their homes and town halls, and folks of all ages still do across the Ozarks. It does not require special clothes, lessons, or previous experience. This workshop for the complete beginner will be learn by doing! With just a few minutes of instruction, you’ll have learned enough that we can start the music and the fun! The instructor, Steve Green, likes to say, “A folk dance is a dance that folks can do”. We will have live music from Bayard Blain and Don________ to give a lift to your spirits, and make you want to tap your feet! This workshop for ages 13 and up will get you ready to show your stuff at the evening Folk Fest Community Square Dance!
The Bayard Blain Band
Basin Spring Park
Saturday, September 6th 3:00pm
The Bayard band is a traditional Irish high-energy fiddle-driven band. Jigs and reels and songs. Bayard Blain is a multi-instrumentalist and local luthier of Bayard Guitars. He plays guitar, bouzouki and mandolin. Don Killcullen, a resident of NW Arkansas for the last several years, plays fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. Coral Bradshaw is a fiddle player from northwest Arkansas who is becoming in much demand; her harmonies are a wonderful complement. Sid Simon is the most recent member to join last year and playing percussion, a veteran of the Fayetteville music scene.
The Creek Rocks
Basin Spring Park
Saturday, September 6th 4:15pm
The Creek Rocks are a folk group from the Ozarks led by banjoist Cindy Woolf and guitarist Mark Bilyeu. These longtime musical collaborators worked together on Cindy's three albums of original songs starting in 2005. They married in 2013, then established The Creek Rocks in 2015. Mark is a founding member of the Ozarks family band Big Smith, with whom he toured and recorded for sixteen years. Woolf is well-known for her singular singing voice and enchanting performances of her original songs, Bilyeu for his distinct guitar sound and clever turn of phrase. Together they perform a mix of Ozark-inspired original songs and truly unique arrangements of traditional Ozark folksongs, from the fun and frivolous anthems of the hills to the hair-raising and harrowing ballads of the dark holler.
The Old 78s
Basin Spring Park
Saturday, September 6th 5:00pm
The Old 78s, founded by Curly Miller (RIP) and Carole Anne Rose in the late 1980s, and joined by Ray Palmer (PalmerViolins.com), Mel Palmer, and Sara (Miller) White, have followed in the tradition of the great fiddle bands of the 1920s and 1930s. This band is known for their high-energy dance tunes and unique Fiddle/Banjo combinations featuring Ray on Fiddle and Banjo Mandolin, Mel on Bari Sax and Cello Banjo, Sara on Fiddle and Banjo Ukulele, and Carole Anne on a custom-designed, 6-string hybrid 1893 Stewart Banjeaurine.