A weekend of Ozark traditions and storytelling will help ring in the fall at Alley Spring.
The annual Haunting in the Hills will be held Friday and Saturday.
Folkway demonstrations, hands-on activities, food vendors, traditional dancing, bluegrass music and other performances will bring to life the spirits of the past, according to organizers with the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
The weekend starts with storytelling and skits from 6-9:30 p.m. Friday.
Illuminated pathways will guide the way to Ozark legends, folktales, mysteries, superstitions, and natural wonders with spellbinding age-old storytelling, staff say. All storytelling sessions will run concurrently and will repeat every 30 minutes, so that visitors can attend sessions in any order they choose.
Several talented, well-known storytellers will be featured at the event, they say.
Pioneer legends and lore will be told by accomplished storyteller Diane Moran of Richwoods, while Champ Herren of Marshfield is expected to captivate audiences with Ozark tales and superstitions, organizers said.
Larry Brown from Fulton will share the legend of the Missouri skunk monster and Eric Mansfield of the Ozark Heritage Project takes on the role of Sheriff Deatherage during the famous Baker hanging. Local musician Doug Harris also offers mournful melodies and traditional tunes.
The Eminence High School Drama Club will perform an Ozark folklore skit, "Curse of the Healing Spring."
A hike will also be held to search for the Ozark Karkaghne monster.
Visitors are encouraged to bring along flashlights and folding lawn chairs.
Activities will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with demonstrations from local crafts people.
Visitors can experience Ozark pioneer folkways and traditions such as basket making, weaving, spinning, wood carving, blacksmithing, chair caning and the making of household supplies of soap, candles, rope, brooms, apple butter, head cheese and hominy and apple cider. They can also learn about Ozark natural and cultural history from local organizations, staff say.
Youth can become Ozark pioneers by trying their hands at dipping candles, making rope, or shelling corn from the cob.
They can also attend the one-room Storys Creek School and experience a school day from 100 years ago or play with toys and games that would have been enjoyed on the playground long ago.
Traditional bluegrass music and dancing will be demonstrated throughout the day.
Performances will be given by Jim Orchard and the Boys and Buzzard Run, as well as square dancing demonstrations by the Country Ho'Downers.
Saturday music and dance schedule:
* 10 a.m., Jim Orchard and the Boys
* 11 a.m., Country Ho'Downers Square Dancing
* Noon, Buzzard Run
* 1 p.m., Country Ho'Downers Square Dancing
* 2 p.m., Jim Orchard and the Boys
* 3 p.m., Buzzard Run
Food vendors will be on site Friday and Saturday, cash sales only.
Alley Mill is located six miles west of Eminence, Mo., on State Highway 106. For more information, call 573-226-3945 or 573-323-4236; visit the park's Facebook page, or website at www.nps.gov/ozar.