28th Annual Herb Harvest Fall Festival October 5 – 7, 2017 at the Ozark Folk Center State Park

The 28th Annual Herb Harvest Fall Festival takes place October 5 – 7, 2017 at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. This year the Festival will connect the herbs and foods of Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean Basin to the Ozarks. The Heritage Herb Garden began this herbal exploration in 2008 to portray how plants join the Ozarks with the world.

A Lavish Herbal Feast begins at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 5 with a garden party reception, sponsored and produced by the Herb Society of America Ozark Unit. This dressy feast will feature a taste of the Caribbean. Preregistration is required. The cost is $30 and early registration is advised. Call (870) 269-3851 or print form from www.ozarkfolkcenter.com to register.

Herbal friends will gather at the Ozark Folk Center to create a sensational Herb Harvest Fall Festival on October 7 and 8. Kathleen Connole studies plant origins and the history of botanical explorers for fun. Her contagious enthusiasm brings history to life every year.

Together, Susan Belsinger and Dr. Arthur Tucker will present Flavors of Mexico Up Close on Friday. They collaborated on the recent Timber Press release, The Culinary Herbal: Growing and Preserving 97 Flavorful Herbs and will be signing books between sessions. The Committee of 100 for the Ozark Folk Center is sponsoring Dr. Tucker’s trip to the Ozarks this year and we look forward to his pictorial on the herbs of Mexico. Susan Belsinger selected the foods and created most of the recipes for the Lavish Herbal Feast and the lunches included in the Herb Harvest Fall Festival in collaboration with the staff at the Skillet Restaurant.

Author and photographer Steven Foster, and Pat Kenny, insatiable student, educator, gardener and illustrator, will take us to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean Basin through stories and photographs. A walking tour, led by the teachers through the Heritage Herb Garden will enlighten attendees with a visual display of the crops, floral and herbal plants that originated from the region. Well wishes for the fortitude of the people and the plants of the Caribbean and Mexico will be observed throughout. Contact the Ozark Folk Center for registration details.

The mission of Ozark Folk Center State Park is to perpetuate, present and promote the Ozark way of life in an educational and enjoyable manner; through craft demonstrations, musical programs, the Heritage Herb Garden, workshops and other special events.