Festival will honor those who stepped up to help during recent natural disasters: 2025 Hootin an Hollarin theme is ‘Neighbors Helping Neighbors’
Bakersfield Volunteer Fire Chief Greg Watts has been named the 2025 Hootin an Hollarin parade marshal for his decades of dedication to the community.
Ozark County’s famous Hootin an Hollarin festival is three months away, and Chairperson Paula Rose said plans are well underway for a spectacular event this year.
The three day festival, which celebrates the history and heritage of Ozark County’s pioneer roots, will be held Thursday, Sept. 18, through Saturday, Sept. 20, on the square in Gainesville.
The 2025 Hootin an Hollarin theme, “Neighbors Helping Neighbors,” couldn’t be more fitting for a year that’s tested the resilience of Ozark County. From devastating wildfires to floods, tornadoes, and wind storms, the area has endured more than its fair share of hardship. But through every challenge, one thing has remained constant: the spirit of community. Neighbors have stepped up time and again - clearing debris, offering shelter, delivering meals and simply showing up when it matters most. This year’s theme celebrates that enduring Ozark County tradition of looking out for one another, reminding us all that even in the hardest times, we’re never alone.
Paula says she hopes to focus the parade on some of those who helped during the trying times - linemen from the electric cooperatives, volunteer fire fighters, police and ambulance crews, road and bridge and MoDOT workers and the like.
She said in that same regard, the Hootin an Hollarin committee discussed picking someone extra special to be honored as the 2025 Hootin an Hollarin parade marshal. She said she spoke with several people in Bakersfield, the area in Ozark County that has been hit the hardest - by far.
“I kept hearing the same name over and over again when I’d ask,” she said. “And that was the name of Greg Watts, the fire chief over there.”
Bakersfield Fire Chief Greg Watts has been fighting fire and helping his neighbors for 36 years now. He was instrumental in stopping a late February wildfire that almost took the town of Bakersfield. Then, a couple weeks later, he was one of the first responders back in town after a massive tornado hit his beloved community, killing three people and destroying dozens of homes. Watts pulled neighbors from buried rubble, spent countless hours searching for missing residents and helping others in numerous ways the aftermath of one of the most devastating events to ever occur here. In addition to those heroic efforts, he’s continued to fight fire, respond to medical calls and just help anyone out he can - all while being an unpaid volunteer.
The Times will publish its annual festival guide Sept. 10, with a dedicated story on Watts.