An Ozark County tradition returns to downtown Gainesville this weekend.The 60th annual Hootin an Hollarin festival begins on the Ozark County Courthouse square Thursday evening and continues through Saturday night.
Nancy Walker, one of the coordinators for this year’s event, talks about how Hootin an Hollarin came to be.
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Walker talks about some of the attractions visitors will find at the festival.
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The festival opens Thursday night with the mayor’s welcome at 5:45. Rio will perform from 6-7, and the Queen pageant will be held at 7. The festival will recognize the Gainesville citizen of the year and the festival’s parade marshal while judges tally the votes at the pageant. Square dancing from 9 to midnight closes out the night’s schedule.
Friday’s events open with free kids games and terrapin races beginning at 10 and continuing until 2. Live music includes Sunny Dee with guest singer Jessica Suits performing at 11, Joe Myers performing at 11:30, and Sunny Dee with Regan Blackburn on fiddle performing at 12:30.
The festival’s costume parade and contest will be held Friday afternoon at 2, and Backyard Bluegrass will perform at 4:30. The festival’s bed and outhouse races will begin Friday evening at 5, and Stringed Union will perform at 5:30.
Old-time kids games will be offered beginning at 6, and the FFA bullriding will start at 7:30. The Baker Family will also take the stage to perform at 7:30.
Friday’s schedule closes out with another three-hour block of square dancing from 9 until midnight.
Saturday’s events open that morning with a 5k run/walk and an archery/shotgun shooting competition. A pet show and horseshoe pitching are both scheduled to start at 10. Kids games and terrapin races will also begin at 10 and continue until 2.
Backyard Bluegrass will perform at 11, and the event’s pie-eating contest will be held at 11:30. At noon, the Jericho Quartet will take the stage and will be followed by the McCool Clan at 1.
The Hootin an Hollarin parade will begin rolling through downtown Saturday afternoon at 2, and Missouri 65 will perform at 3:30. Michia Jenkins will take the stateg at 5, followed by Magnolia Wind at 6. At 7, the festival’s raffle winners will be announced, and New Grass Attack will perform at 7:30.
Like the previous two nights, square dancing closes out Saturday’s slate of activities, beginning at 9 and continuing until midnight.
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