Hootin an Hollarin is ‘fun for all ages’

Longtime Hootin an Hollarin Committee chairperson Nancy Walker, now retired as chair, has always said our annual hillbilly festival is fun for all ages, "from 1 to 101." 

That age range came close to reality in this year's edition when 94-year-old Dale Ledford enjoyed a ride in the bed races on Friday and 2-year-old Espy Denton won the hog-calling contest Saturday. 

The first-time, 94-year-old bed-racer

Dale Ledford is a native Oklahoman, but he has deep family roots in Ozark County, and during his 94 years, he has rarely missed coming to Hootin an Hollarin since the festival's start in 1961, he said. He is the son of Oklahoman Ted Ledford and Pontiac native Grace Shaw Ledford. After Ted's death in 1961, Grace married fellow Pontiac native Fred Jenkins, but they continued to live in Oklahoma.

Dale said his mother loved coming home, especially for Hootin an Hollarin, and he always came with her. After her death in 1994, he continued to come to the festival, and in recent years he has come with one of more of his adult children. 

This year, his son Gary Ledford drove him here from their home near Shawnee. Gary says Dale loves Hootin an Hollarin, especially the dancing, and he always wants to be on the sidelines for the bed and outhouse races on Friday afternoon. This year, after watching a couple of the bed-race teams zoom down the street, he remarked to a bystander that he'd always wished he could be in the bed race. 

When Dale's wish was passed along to current Hootin an Hollarin Committee chair Paula Rose, who organizes the bed and outhouse races, she made it happen. After the last official team had competed, Paula announced that someone special would be taking an honorary ride down the racetrack. As Dale climbed onto the bed and one of the teams stepped up to push, he quipped that he would have pushed if he had gotten to be in the bed race last year, but now that he's 94, he probably needed to ride instead.

Off they went down the street, with Dale lying prone on the bed, gripping the footboard firmly and happily waving his fingers to the cheering crowd. The smile on his face told them he was living out a Hootin an Hollarin dream come true. His only disappointment, he said later, was that he'd been hoping to go fast and break the winning time. 

His son Gary admitted to him that he had told the team as they left the starting line, "Boys, I want him back," and that's why they pushed at only a trot.

"Oh, so you're the reason," Dale answered.

Still, it was a thrill for him. Gary said Sunday that Dale talked about his experience throughout the seven-hour drive home. "I don't think he ever drew a breath," he said. "He didn't shut up. He had such a good time."

The trophy-winning, 2-year-old hog-caller

On the other end of the age spectrum, 2-year-old Espy Denton prevailed over an intimidating field of older and taller competitors to take home the hog-calling contest trophy Saturday. 

Espy is the daughter of Cassidy Johnson of West Plains and James Denton of Paragould, Arkansas. Espy's mom, with her grandmother Shelly McGinnis Johnson of West Plains and great-grandmother Pam McGinnis of Gainesville, had been helping Espy practice for the event throughout the week, getting her "Soo-Pig!" down pat. They prepared her for the stage, the microphone and the crowd, and told her not to be scared.

She wasn't. Saturday afternoon, Espy climbed up onto the stage (well, she had to be lifted up the big steps) and stepped confidently to the microphone, side-eyeing her cousin Mac Butler, 1, whom she had insisted had to accompany her on the stage. Then she drew in a breath and belted out a pig-perfect performance to triumph over her fellow callers.