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Folk Festival This Weekend

58th Arkansas Folk Festival April 16-17

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The 58th Arkansas Folk Festival is set for this Friday and Saturday in downtown Mountain View.

Sponsored by the Mountain View Area Chamber of Commerce, the event features a parade on Main Street Saturday with floats depicting old-time themes, live music, craft vendors downtown and special activities at many area attractions.

The parade theme this year is “Renewed Traditions,” which reflects the season of spring and the reopening of the community as the pandemic subsides. Last year’s event was first postponed and then cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The parade will be run from east to west this year. The parade will stage along School Avenue and enter Main Street at Martin Street between Sonic and First Security Bank. The parade will end at Brewer Avenue, enabling participants to loop back to the starting point using side streets.

Parade participants are asked to be on School Avenue by 8 a.m. so that floats and other entries can be organized for the procession. There will be cash prizes for first, second and third place.

This year’s parade Grand Marshal is Don “Pappy” Mellon, a longtime resident and promoter of Mountain View. He helped establish the Bean Fest and Outhouse Races that began in 1983 and he has been a fixture in the local music scene for many years. He performed with both Jimmy Driftwood and Grandpa Jones at various times through the years. He and his wife Suzie built and operated Mellon’s Country Store, where they eventually incorporated the Hole in the Wall Theater into the business.

The annual Artisans Market on the Square will be presented by the Arkansas Craft Guild with a juried show of crafts and art by current and potential guild members. The show opens at 11 a.m. Friday and is open until 6 p.m. that day. Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will also be vendor booths for handmade items on the east side of the courtsquare.

Live music programs will be presented on the courthouse stage Friday and Saturday, and informal jam sessions are expected (if weather permits) around the square and in nearby venues such as Washington Street Park.

See accompanying graphic for the music schedule. At press time, evening music programs on the courthouse stage were being considered.

For the latest information, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 870-269-8068.

Folk Festival, Mountain View, crafts, music, parade

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