Red Oak II Mill Barn

Red Oak II

Red Oak II by Joshua Heston [JASPER COUNTY, MISSOURI] — A sharp wind whistles across the rolling Missouri plains east of Carthage. Here, less than a mile north of famed Route 66, is Red Oak II, a community that isn’t a town, but a tourist attraction that is a homey neighborhood of museum-esque eccentricity. The…

State of the Ozarks Fest '22

StateoftheOzarks Fest ’22

The Order of the Red Boar pose before the noon fight. StateoftheOzarks Fest ’22 by StateoftheOzarks staff StateoftheOzarks Fest ’22 took place Saturday, September 17, on Historic Downing Street in Hollister. The street festival is hosted by Hollister-based StateoftheOzarks.net and is the company’s sixth annual event. “This was our biggest festival,” notes editor-in-chief, Joshua Heston.…

Dave Loftin Bubble Lights

Bubble Lights

Bubble Lights by Dave Loftin One of my favorite memories from my childhood years was going to Paw-Paw and Granny’s house. They were fantastic grandparents and I remember Granny doing certain things that didn’t happen at home. I remember that Granny would freely provide between meals and she never seemed to run out of store-bought…

persimmon bark (Diospyros virginiana)

Persimmon Snow

PLATE 1. Detail photo, persimmon bark (Diospyros virginiana). Persimmon Snow by Joshua Heston It was a persimmon snow that fell heavily across the Ozarks just prior to the 72nd anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. Branson tourism came to a stormy halt as the week’s previously balmy 70-degree temperatures were replaced by icy winds and a…