(cheerful guitar music) Hello, friends.

My name is Mr. Keith, and welcome to Ozark Folk Center State Park, right here in beautiful Mountain View, Arkansas.

And I'm so glad that you could be here today because I've got something very special that I'd like to share with you.

The craft village is one of my all time most cherished places in all of Arkansas.

There's things to do and see and many wonderful people that are celebrating the music and the craft right here in the Ozarks.

And that's what the Ozark Folk Center Stat Park is all about.

Come on, let me show you.

Wow.

Hey, Tracy.

Hey, Keith.

How are you?

Good.

You've got a lot going on here.

Why don't you walk us through it?

I'm actually putting the final layers of color on this hand-dipped paper candle.

After every dip, this is so hot, I do have to wait in between for the layers to cool.

Here we go.

And I do a lot of upside down dips.

I can get lots of color on there that way and right back out because I don't want to melt it in there.

It's very hot.

Keith: Wow.

That's fantastic.

We wait.

All these colors mix together to make new colors.

So if I dip this now into every color, I'll make a candle that looks just like this one.

But with this one, I'd like to make a rainbow candle.

And so my next dip is yellow.

I'm going to mix the yellow with pink, yellow with white and yellow with blue, yellow and blue make green, yellow and pink make a nice orange.

And now I'll do the tip.

There's blue and red.

Blue and red together make a nice purple color.

Keith: Oh.

I love it.

I love it.

And a little red on the bottom and we'll have the full rainbow candle.

Wow.

This is my very favorite candle to make because there's so many colors there.

Keith: Well, thanks for showing us.

That was really fantastic.

Now we're going to head over to the Shannon Cabin homestead and we'll see you later, Tracy.

See you, Keith.

Keith: Bye.

(light folk music) Well, howdy, Phyllis?

Hi, Keith.

Welcome to the homestead.

This is a Shannon Cabin.

This was built in 1902 about six miles west of Mountain View, and it was lived in until 1962.

What have you got hanging from the rafters?

Well, we have mint, that was used a lot to make some really good tea.

Course sage is good for your dressing.

And then the green beans.

Before canning jars came along, their fruits and vegetables were dried.

Keith: If you were a kid living back in the pioneering days, you'd have a lot of chores to do around the house, wouldn't you?

Oh, yes, you would.

You be helping with the sweeping and cleaning and of course, the outside chores, gathering eggs and the chickens and the cows and pigs.

And there was always something to do.

In fact, we can go out and look at one if you want to.

That sounds like fun.

Let's go.

This is one of the chores that they would do.

The kids would come out and you would (corn clanking) take the corn off the cob, and then the whole corn would put it in here.

And you want to turn it?

Keith: Can I?

Woman: Yes!

Keith: Alright!

This is so neat.

(crank squeaking) That would be chops for your chickens.

Can we go feed the chickens?

Yes, Mr. Parsley and Rosemary would love it.

Hey, Mr. Parsley.

Hey, Rosemary.

All right, friends.

Now we're going to go see one of my favorite things in the Ozarks.

The music.

Come follow me.

(folk music) Hey, Gordon.

Hey, Mary.

Mary: Hey, Mr. Keith.

How are you?

I'm doing even better now that I've heard your wonderful music.

Oh, thank you so much.

Say, Mary, how long you been playing that fiddle?

I've been playing fiddle since I was five years old.

So for about 13 years now.

Keith: Wow.

What about you, Gordon?

Gordon: Well, I've been playing for about eight years now, and I started when I was seven.

I was little, really little.

And it was small so it kind of suited each other.

Keith: Yeah.

All right, all right.

That makes sense.

We love the old time mountain music here at the Folk Center, and we're so glad that y'all are playing.

Would you care to play us an old time tune for us?

Oh, we love to.

Yes, sir.

Do you care if I dance along?

Mary: Oh, not at all.

Go right ahead.

Keith: Awesome.

Thanks.

(folk music) Well, thanks so much for visiting us today at Ozark Folk Center State Park in beautiful Mountain View, Arkansas.

I know I had a wonderful time visiting with you all, and we sure hope that you come back soon.

Until then, take care of yourselves and one another.

So long, everybody.

(folk music)