{"id":3636,"date":"2018-08-16T15:40:33","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T20:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/?p=3636"},"modified":"2019-02-18T10:38:03","modified_gmt":"2019-02-18T16:38:03","slug":"homegrown-ozarks-diversity-soto-fest-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/2018\/08\/16\/homegrown-ozarks-diversity-soto-fest-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Homegrown Ozarks Diversity: SOTO Fest \u201918"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Homegrown Ozarks Diversity: SOTO Fest \u201918<\/h1>\n

HOLLISTER, MO \u2014 \u201cYou\u2019re not dressed like David Bowie,\u201d challenged the timid teenage girl standing before the big man swathed in black, bloody fur and green-and-white face paint. She then weathered the full brunt of this Ozarkian goblin king\u2019s mock anger.<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid Bowie! He\u2019s not the Goblin King. I am the Goblin King,\u201d roared Clint Unruh of Willard, MO. He shouldered his sword and turned to those standing nearby to grumble, \u201cNobody wants to see me in tights.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That was StateoftheOzarks Fest last September, an inaugural street festival hosted by the StateoftheOzarks.net online magazine and dedicated to celebrating the weird, wonderful and diverse element of the Ozark Mountains.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3641″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Editor-in-chief Joshua Heston explains, \u201cOur mission statement is simple: to preserve and celebrate the Ozarks. I guide the narrative of the magazine just as I guide the narrative of the festival. We deal with history and traditional craftsmanship and our collective heritage. But celebrating the Ozarks gives us a lot of freedom. We specifically celebrate elements of today\u2019s Ozarks that are culturally significant, whether that be cosplay [costumed play] or progressive fine arts or minority rights issues. Some people call it a delicate balance. Some question whether we can all \u2018get along,\u2019 but for us, it\u2019s just called another day at the office.\u201d<\/p>\n

A number of festival attendees appeared initially surprised by the cultural mix presented in a small Ozark town last year. Hollister, located across Lake Taneycomo from Branson, Missouri, has a population just barely over 2,000. \u201cYou all at StateoftheOzarks really know how to let your freak flag fly,\u201d shared Jane Ewing, owner of Number 10 Downing Salon. Hollister Police Department estimated the day crowd at over 5,000.<\/p>\n

SOTO Fest \u201918 is scheduled for 10AM to 6PM, Saturday, September 15. The festival will again span the town\u2019s historic Downing Street.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3647″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][vc_column_text]\u201cThe sheer variety of local talent is awe-inspiring,\u201d notes Michael Amburn of Harrison, Arkansas\u2019 DruidCraft Props. \u201cWe had dancers, painters, goblins and fairies, carvers, singers, tellers of tall tales, Jedi and Sith, primitive survival skills, coffee, hand-made soap, and even some free-range, bearded kiltsmen.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year, event newcomers include Springfield, Missouri\u2019s DragonFest Renaissance Faire hosted by Infinity Academy, an interactive Zombie Live Action Role Play (LARP) with Matthew Favazza\u2019s team of dedicated LARPers, as well as the much quieter Taney County Lacemakers.<\/p>\n

Ghost Busters of the Ozarks, Feast of the Goblin King, VisionCon and Caleb Scott\u2019s strongmen will return.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3639″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][vc_column_text]\u201cIt\u2019s an unlikely melting pot,\u201d shares Scott, who will be lifting hundreds of pounds of iron and stone on the street that day. \u201cThe festival gives you an opportunity to leave the modern, hectic everyday and step into a world of wonder and craftsmanship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artists include Beauty from Light (Christine Riutzel), Mary Arneson (Works of Whimsy), Michaela Kershaw (Mike\u2019s Garbage Art) and Mary Evelyn Tucker\u2019s watercolors. Non-profit Skaggs Foundation is part of the street festival, as is Taney County Health Department, Southern Missouri Arts Connection (SMAC), and White River Bowmen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe festival makes you feel comfortable and welcome to share what you\u2019ve made,\u201d says 17-year old Branson artist Kaitlynn Robinson.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone from different backgrounds coming together with one thing in common: we all love the Ozarks,\u201d furthers history author Clint Lacy of Marble Hill, Missouri.<\/p>\n

Travis Archie of Campbell\u2019s Company Camp #2252, Sons of Confederate Veterans, concurs. \u201cWe are honored to be invited to SOTO Fest and really hope to foster open, honest conversations about our history and the activities the camp does to preserve Confederate history of the Missouri Ozarks.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3648″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][vc_column_text]\u201cIt\u2019s where superheroes and Civil War re-enactors mingle, while weightlifters demonstrate next to arrowhead makers,\u201d says Curtis Copeland, founder of the Society of Ozarkian Hillcrofters and longtime local historian. \u201cIt\u2019s that rustic spirit of the traditional autumn Ozarks festival that [also] introduces the visitor to a feast of activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSOTO Fest is representative of the creativity, individuality and traditions of our region. It brings together unique artisans of all disciplines while also fostering connections that highlight the profound impact the arts can have on the health and wellness of the community. It\u2019s also a ton of fun,\u201d shares Tenille Blair-Neff, art therapist and executive director of SMAC.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing event that has not only brought Hollister together but the whole Ozarkian community,\u201d noted Clint \u201cGoblin King\u201d Unruh recently. \u201cI have never been a part of something as massive and as welcoming as SOTO Fest is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Festival sponsors include Prime Lending, Victory Chiro, City of Hollister, PostNet, First Community Bank of the Ozarks, Renewal by Andersen Window Replacement, and Commerce Bank.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3649″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Homegrown Ozarks Diversity: SOTO Fest \u201918 HOLLISTER, MO \u2014 \u201cYou\u2019re not dressed like David Bowie,\u201d challenged the timid teenage girl standing before the big man swathed in black, bloody fur and green-and-white face paint. She then weathered the full brunt of this Ozarkian goblin king\u2019s mock anger. \u201cDavid Bowie! He\u2019s not the Goblin King.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[957],"tags":[455],"class_list":["post-3636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sotoevent","tag-stateoftheozarks-fest","category-957","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3636"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3678,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3636\/revisions\/3678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateoftheozarks.net\/showcase\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}