Local News
Don’t miss out on this dose of extra free fun for kids attending the festival both Friday and Saturday afternoons, Sept. 19-20.
Old-fashioned kids' games will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the parking lot off the northwest corner of the square, adjacent to City Hall.
The games...
The annual Hootin an Hollarin Terrapin Races are a highlight for local kids. This free-to-enter event invites participants to bring their own terrapin or turtle to compete in the 10:30 a.m. races on Friday or Saturday—or both. Sign-up begins at 10 a.m. in front of Shelter Insurance. Most years,...
The Shelter Insurance Kids Corner will feature free games and other activities from 10 a.m. to noon Friday and Saturday, Sept. 19-20.
Looking for free fun for the kids? Don’t miss the “Hootin an Hollarin Kids Corner,” sponsored by Shelter Insurance – Douglas Hawkins Agency, with help from David Murphy and the Freedom Church youth group. The Kids Corner will be open from 10 a.m. to noon Friday and Saturday of Hootin an Hollarin,...
This year’s Hootin an Hollarin quilt show will be held in a new location - on the west side of the square next door to Ozarks Wifi.
This year’s Hootin an Hollarin quilt show, sponsored by the Friendly Neighbors Extension Club, will be held in a new location - on the west side of the square next door to Ozarks Wifi. Look for the quilt show sign out front.
Lily Branco, one of the show’s organizers, says the workers are looking...
It’s a long-standing tradition for Hootin an Hollarin festival-goers to kick up their heels on the square dance platforms in front of the Main stage. This photo, taken by Karla Smith at a festival a couple of years ago, shows a wide view of the dancers on the platforms. Last year’s festival had a very large crowd of square dancers, which extended beyond the platforms and into the streets. This year, organizers have added a dance platform. Photo by Karla Smith.
To find the heart of the Hootin an Hollarin spirit, look no further than the swirling, twirling groups of folks out on the old wooden platforms dancing the night away under the starry September sky.
Every night from 9 p.m. to midnight, Hootin an Hollarin turns its focus to one of its most fun and...
Emma Veach was crowned 2024 Hootin an Hollarin Queen. Emma is a Gainesville High School student and the daughter of Sarah and Levi Treat and Preston and Brittney Veach. In the photo above, she is pictured with her court. From left: Miss Sweetie Pie Ella Sue Barber; Princess Lakely Anderson, Queen Emma Veach, Princess Isabelle Martin, Princess Cami Strain and Deputy Queen Cheyenne Wachtel. Photo by Karla Smith.
The Hootin an Hollarin queen pageant will be held at its usual time of 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18.
The pageant is open to girls who are 14 to 18 and are either homeschooled or attending high school at the time of the festival. Contestants must either live in or attend school in Ozark County. ...
Fiddlemaker Stacy Davenport from Yellville, Arkansas, will be returning to Hootin an Hollarin this year, setup on the courthouse lawn showing festival attendees how to make traditional fiddles. He's pictured here with the first fiddle he made, finished in 1991. He was taught by Violet Hensley, who was 107 at the time this photo was taken last year. The fiddle is also signed by country music legend, Grandpa Jones, he said.
The spirit of Ozark County’s past shines brightest through the many demonstrators who set up at Hootin an Hollarin each year. These talented volunteers give their time freely to share the skills and traditions that once defined daily life in the Ozarks. In response to festival goers’ requests, the...
Hootin an Hollarin Chairperson Paula Rose (center) is pictured here with her husband Randy and her children Tali Rose, far right, and Tyne Burns - along with Tyne’s husband Kellen and their children Jae and Cru.
Welcome to the 64th annual Hootin an Hollarin festival on the Gainesville square! We’re tickled to have you here to laugh, dance, eat and celebrate everything that makes Ozark County the best place on earth.
Our theme this year is “Neighbors Helping Neighbors,” and I don’t know of a better way to...
A 46-year-old Bakersfield woman suffered minor injuries when she struck a deer Saturday evening.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol online crash report, the woman was driving her 2016 Buick Lacross northbound on Highway 101 in Howell County, two miles south of Caulfield. The woman was...
We hope you’re ready to hoot and holler, because the town of Gainesville is just about to be decked out in its celebratory best for the famous three-day Hootin an Hollarin festival, now only a week away. The fun kicks off Thursday evening, Sept. 18, and lasts clear through midnight on Saturday,...