From 11 am each day, the Magnolia Room in the Civic Center will be the location where special programs by noted presenters will be scheduled. Each hour will feature a different topic including the influence of Scots Irish culture in the Ozarks; How the movement west changed our culture of food; A family tradition of sorghum -making; Ingenuity of Ozarks Toolmaking; and The Civil War – local history and stories. Meet Father Hogan of the Irish Wilderness and explorer Henry Schoolcraft. Their stories will intrigue and fascinate. Hear how the acapella Gospel tradition connects its roots to the Ozarks. Our presenters welcome questions, comments and interactive conversations.
Antique hand-made tools from the collection of Dr. James Price will be on exhibit.
Presenters and their topics will include:
Rick Mansfield as Henry Schoolcraft – Friday at noon
Dr. Eric “Rick” Mansfield is a retired educator who, along with his wife Judy, lives on a small organic farm outside Ellington, Missouri. He has been a syndicated columnist, ‘Reflections from the Road’ now appearing in several Missouri papers; and a freelance contributor to numerous outdoor magazines. He has now published his fourth book and is working on several more.
Rick draws from experience as he both writes and story tells. In his youth, he worked as a logger, truck driver, security guard, canoe hostler, campground manager and outdoor guide. Even did a fair bit of boxing and rodeo riding.
Rick currently serves as the president of the Ozark Heritage Project, a non-profit that “preserves” and “restores” the culture and the environment of the Ozark plateau and works with today’s youth to “inspire” them to do likewise. OHP conducts numerous stream cleanings and assists with cultural events that honor local heritage. Rick and other volunteers are working to record video history of life as it once was on and around these Ozark streams.
Lou Wehmer – “Battle for the Courthouse” February 19, 1862 – Friday at 1PM
Lou Wehmer is retired after a thirty-two-year career as Chief Telecommunications Engineer for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In retirement he has volunteered in civic groups and has served on numerous boards. With a passion for history Lou serves as a president of the Howell County Genealogical and Historical Society in West Plains, as a member of the Harlin Museum board of directors, and board member of the Willow Springs Historical and Genealogical Museum. In 2003 Lou and John Bradbury of Rolla re-published William Monks’ “History of Southern Missouri and North Arkansas, ” via the University of Arkansas Press. The book has a sixty-page introduction and footnotes that took five years to write. Wehmer and Bradbury have another local history book coming out this year. Lou, since 2011 has written a county history column every other week for the “Howell County News.”
Dr. Jim Price – “Hit was a Hard Way to Serve the Lord” Ozark Ingenuity in Toolmaking – Friday at 2PM
Dr. James Price grew up watching his father make ax handles, gun ramrods, sassafras boat paddles, cedar turkey calls and furniture. Dr. Price wrote in 1985, “Woodworking was important on our Ozark farm. My family owned a small sawmill which produced lumber for use on the farm. We built buildings, repaired wagons, made furniture and boat paddles, and many other objects and structures of wood.”
A joiner, as well as an anthropologist/archaeologist, James Price learned joinery from his father, Acel W. Price, from Doniphan, Missouri, and Bruce Debo of Devil’s Elbow, Missouri. Dr. James Price is a sixth generation Ozark dweller and descendent of Current River Valley settlers who came to the region in 1814.
The careful process of creating useful art is important to Dr. Price. During an outside evaluation in May, 1988, Dr. Price told Dr. Erika Brady, “Without using any fossil fuel source, I can take a pile of boards and make them into an object of beauty. The tools are the instrument, and the piece becomes a kind of permanent music. If it doesn’t burn or blow away, it can last a thousand years—it will be impossible to pull apart.” His joy in creating functional, beautiful, and high quality art put him in high demand as a teacher.
Cindy Grisham – “Bear, Bacon, and Buffalo Meat: Food and its place in History” – Friday at 3PM
Grisham will look at food and the changes that have been made as travelers moved west. Clearing ground for crops in less than hospitable places, dealing with new varieties of wild game, and a less than hospitable landscape. The lack of regular staples and how they were replaced with new ones (wheat flour with cornmeal, for instance). Look at the way that food changed based on changes in migration, integration, and technology.
Cindy Grisham is a seventh generation Ozarkian with ancestors in both Missouri and Arkansas, and a sixth generation Howell Countian with ancestors here before the county was a county. She comes from a long line of farmers, fisherman, and hunters who made their living growing and gathering. She enjoys growing and gathering herself and is a Master Gardener in both Missouri and Arkansas with a long personal history of growing herbs and native plants, as well as canning and creating jams, jellies, and other foodstuffs from those plants, and working with traditional dyes made from native plants.
Kelly Pompei “Making Sorghum: A Family Affair” – Friday at 4PM
Kelly Pompei shares a video interview with her grandparents, long-time West Plains residents Wilma and the late Melvin “Nick” Nichols, about the sorghum mill that has been in the family for 6 generations. Samples of sorghum will be shared along with additional memories and discussion with Nick’s brother, Charles Nichols.
Kelly Pompei was raised in West Plains, and the Old Time Music Ozark Heritage Festival has been a highlight of each year since she was little. Kelly attributes her love of old-time music and culture to her grandparents who grew up in the area and shared their stories and skills with her, along with bringing her to events like the Old Time Music Festival. Kelly resides in West Plains with her husband Kyle (who she actually met at the festival) and their son Landon.
W.I.N.G.S – Women in Need of God Sing – Acapella Gospel in the Church of Christ tradition – Friday at 5PM
W.I.N.G.S. is an acronym for Women In Need of God Sing. It is an a cappella singing group comprised of nine African American women from various Churches of Christ in the Oklahoma City and metropolitan area. The group celebrates its 26th year of performing at various venues across the United States. Their style of music can be best described as compelling, authentic Christian singing with a hint of R&B. Their harmonies clearly reflect years of companionship and sincerity to bless The Trinity and audiences through the ministry of song.
Rick Mansfield as Father Hogan of the Irish Wilderness – Saturday at 11AM
Dr. Eric “Rick” Mansfield is a retired educator who, along with his wife Judy, lives on a small organic farm outside Ellington, Missouri. He has been a syndicated columnist, ‘Reflections from the Road’ now appearing in several Missouri papers; and a freelance contributor to numerous outdoor magazines. He has now published his fourth book and is working on several more.
Rick draws from experience as he both writes and story tells. In his youth, he worked as a logger, truck driver, security guard, canoe hostler, campground manager and outdoor guide. Even did a fair bit of boxing and rodeo riding.
Rick currently serves as the president of the Ozark Heritage Project, a non-profit that “preserves” and “restores” the culture and the environment of the Ozark plateau and works with today’s youth to “inspire” them to do likewise. OHP conducts numerous stream cleanings and assists with cultural events that honor local heritage. Rick and other volunteers are working to record video history of life as it once was on and around these Ozark streams.
Dr. Jim Price – “The Ozarks: A History/Culture of the Scotts-Irish” – Saturday at Noon
Dr. James Price grew up watching his father make ax handles, gun ramrods, sassafras boat paddles, cedar turkey calls and furniture. Dr. Price wrote in 1985, “Woodworking was important on our Ozark farm. My family owned a small sawmill which produced lumber for use on the farm. We built buildings, repaired wagons, made furniture and boat paddles, and many other objects and structures of wood.”
A joiner, as well as an anthropologist/archaeologist, James Price learned joinery from his father, Acel W. Price, from Doniphan, Missouri, and Bruce Debo of Devil’s Elbow, Missouri. Dr. James Price is a sixth generation Ozark dweller and descendent of Current River Valley settlers who came to the region in 1814.
The careful process of creating useful art is important to Dr. Price. During an outside evaluation in May, 1988, Dr. Price told Dr. Erika Brady, “Without using any fossil fuel source, I can take a pile of boards and make them into an object of beauty. The tools are the instrument, and the piece becomes a kind of permanent music. If it doesn’t burn or blow away, it can last a thousand years—it will be impossible to pull apart.” His joy in creating functional, beautiful, and high-quality art put him in high demand as a teacher.
Dave Nappier – Civil War – Guerilla Warfare in the Ozarks – Saturday at 1PM
Dave “Doc” Nappier has been a storyteller of renown in the town of Eminence, Missouri, where he
currently lives in a hand-hewn log home. Originally from Van Buren, Dave started as a biology teacher
and eventually became a veterinarian. His special interest in the Civil War has been a lifelong pursuit.
Stories about local people became his hallmark. “Guerilla Warfare in the Ozarks” covers this well-
documented style of fighting, some called marauding, in the impenetrable mountainous terrain of the
Ozarks. By enacting a real character from Shannon County, Dave will share authentic weaponry,
clothing and artifacts. Dave will be accompanied by Kevin Hogan, also a storyteller and historian.
Cindy Grisham – “Bear, Bacon, and Buffalo Meat: Food and its place in History” – Saturday at 2PM
Grisham will look at food and the changes that have been made as travelers moved west. Clearing ground for crops in less than hospitable places, dealing with new varieties of wild game, and a less than hospitable landscape. The lack of regular staples and how they were replaced with new ones (wheat flour with cornmeal, for instance). Look at the way that food changed based on changes in migration, integration, and technology.
Cindy Grisham is a seventh generation Ozarkian with ancestors in both Missouri and Arkansas, and a sixth generation Howell Countian with ancestors here before the county was a county. She comes from a long line of farmers, fisherman, and hunters who made their living growing and gathering. She enjoys growing and gathering herself and is a Master Gardener in both Missouri and Arkansas with a long personal history of growing herbs and native plants, as well as canning and creating jams, jellies, and other foodstuffs from those plants, and working with traditional dyes made from native plants.
Kelly Pompei “Making Sorghum: A Family Affair” – Saturday at 3PM
Kelly Pompei shares a video interview with her grandparents, long-time West Plains residents Wilma and the late Melvin “Nick” Nichols, about the sorghum mill that has been in the family for 6 generations. Samples of sorghum will be shared along with additional memories and discussion with Nick’s brother, Charles Nichols.
Kelly Pompei was raised in West Plains, and the Old Time Music Ozark Heritage Festival has been a highlight of each year since she was little. Kelly attributes her love of old-time music and culture to her grandparents who grew up in the area and shared their stories and skills with her, along with bringing her to events like the Old Time Music Festival. Kelly resides in West Plains with her husband Kyle (who she actually met at the festival) and their son Landon.
Lou Wehmer “Col. William Monks, Hero or Villain?” – Saturday at 4PM
Lou Wehmer is retired after a thirty-two-year career as Chief Telecommunications Engineer for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In retirement he has volunteered in civic groups and has served on numerous boards. With a passion for history Lou serves as a president of the Howell County Genealogical and Historical Society in West Plains, as a member of the Harlin Museum board of directors, and board member of the Willow Springs Historical and Genealogical Museum. In 2003 Lou and John Bradbury of Rolla re-published William Monks’ “History of Southern Missouri and North Arkansas, ” via the University of Arkansas Press. The book has a sixty-page introduction and footnotes that took five years to write. Wehmer and Bradbury have another local history book coming out this year. Lou, since 2011 has written a county history column every other week for the “Howell County News.”
