New Hootin an Hollarin car show and many other events planned

Hootin an Hollarin is just around the corner, slated for Sept. 19-21. 

The Ozark County Times official Hootin an Hollarin festival guide, an 84 page glossy-covered magazine-style publication that features all there is to know about this year’s festival, will be inserted into all newspapers with next week’s edition. Until then, readers can review this list of upcoming festival events, and make plans to participate (and preregister if necessary) for events that might strike their fancy.

New this year!

The Hootin an Hollarin Inaugural Auto Roundup car show

This year the Hootin an Hollarin committee has added a new event to the lineup for the 2024 festival, the Hootin an Hollarin Auto Roundup Inaugural Car Show, organized by Wasola residents Mike and Heather Gardner.

The car show will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 (with car check-in at 9 a.m.) in the parking lot off Main Street that sits between 160 Pit Stop and the Phillips 66/White Oak Station convenience store (formerly J-Mart), behind BuckStitch Embroidery & Screen Printing. The location is perfect to allow car show participants to pull out and participate in the Hootin an Hollarin parade, which begins at 2 p.m. that day.

The show has five categories: current rides: 1995-2024; stylin’ classics: 1975-1994; Anne-teaks: 1962-1974; Cedar Pete specials: 1961 and earlier; and custom vehicles: any age customized automobile.

The event is open to all ages. The cost to enter is $20 per vehicle, which can be paid at the time of the show.

Children are encouraged to bring their Power Wheels or other branded electric or motor-powered ride-on vehicles to enter into the car show too. The entrance fee is waived for those entries. All children who enter that type of a vehicle will receive a gift bag.

Prizes will be awarded at 1 p.m. The top three people’s choice winners in each category will receive a plaque.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Gainesville High School students with the funds split between project grad and the auto mechanics class.

To find out more, call Ozarks Wifi at 417-765-9434 or see the Facebook event “Hootin’ & Hollarin’ Ol’ Auto Roundup.”

Hootin an Hollarin quilt show

This year’s Hootin an Hollarin quilt show, sponsored (as always) by the Friendly Neighbors Extension Club, will be held in a building behind the main stage bleachers on the east side of the square (look for a sign on the window).

The only requirement for the show is that the quilt being entered has not been entered in a previous Hootin an Hollarin quilt show.

Quilts to be judged need to be brought to the show site between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17 to be entered.  

Quilts will be available for viewing from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Ribbons are awarded in 10 categories. Ribbons will also be given for people’s choice, judges’ choice and best in show.

Contact Lily Branco for more information, 417-989-1313 or lilybranco@hotmail.com.

Hootin an Hollarin queen pageant

The Hootin an Hollarin queen pageant will be held at its usual time of 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19. The pageant is open to girls who are 14 to 18 and are either homeschooled or attending high school at the time of the festival. Contestants must either live in or attend school in Ozark County. 

The pageant usually includes a good mix of returning queen candidates and new participants who don old-timey dresses and step to the microphone, one by one, to answer questions designed to let them show their creativity and imagination. 

A panel of judges choose the queen and the queen’s court, including a deputy queen and three princesses. Another honoree, Miss Sweetie Pie, is chosen by the contestants themselves after voting in secret for the contestant who has been kindest and most supportive to the group. 

Hootin an Hollarin queen committee chairmen are happy to help any qualified contestant with their dress, speech, sponsorship or transportation needs to the pageant or rehearsals. 

Each contestant receives a Hootin an Hollarin T-shirt and other gifts, and the contestants will enjoy a pizza party and mini photo shoot by Karla Smith during rehearsals. 

The queen receives a cash prize and a tiara, and (new this year) a $500 scholarship to Arkansas State University-Mountain Home and a full photoshoot donated by Karla Smith. Special charms are given to the queen and her court. 

For more information on the queen pageant, contact Becki Strong at 417-989-9617 or Jerri Sue Crawford at 417-331-6538.

Hootin an Hollarin terrapin race

The annual Hootin an Hollarin terrapin races, sponsored by the Douglas Hawkins-Shelter Insurance agency, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21. The race is free to enter, and kids can come to one or both races. They should bring their own terrapin or turtle. There is no need to pre-register. 

Sign up begins at 10 a.m. in front of Shelter Insurance. Once all contestants have gathered, each child will place his or her racing terrapin into a center circle and let them loose. The first terrapin to reach the outer circle wins. 

Cash prizes will be awarded to first, second and third places. A unique trophy by Todd Freise will be awarded to first place each day. 

Organizers ask participants to not paint or alter terrapin’s shells and return turtles to where they were first picked up after the race to help ensure wellbeing.

Lil Cedar Pete and Lil Miss Addie Lee contest

The Lil Cedar Pete and Lil Miss Addie Lee contest beginning at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, on the main stage. Sign up will be beside or behind the stage 15 minutes before the contest. Sponsored by the Ozark County Chamber of Commerce, the contest, for boys and girls ages 4 and 5, commemorates two of the founders of Hootin an Hollarin. Addie Lee Lister is known as the “First Lady of Hootin an Hollarin,” and credited artistic woodworker Ed Petterson with thinking up the name Hootin an Hollarin. Petterson also designed the whimsical hillbilly character Cedar Pete, who served as the festival’s first logo.

The young contestants will be interviewed on stage by an emcee, who will gently ask them all the same questions, usually about things like their favorite color, family, animals and pets. Then the emcee will ask if they’d like to share anything else – a song, joke or story. Someone will meet the contestants backstage before the judging to tell them what she’ll be asking and to encourage them to have fun. Old-time costume is optional, but serves as a fun added element for participants.

Hootin an Hollarin princess pageants

Must pre-register by Sept. 13

The Hootin an Hollarin princess pageants begin at 2:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, on the main  stage. The pageants are open to girls in first through sixth grades. 

The category of Lil Princess is open to first and second graders. Those contestants will say their first name and then three hobbies or interests or tell a 15-second story.

The Lil Miss category is open to third and fourth graders, and Junior Princess is open to fifth and sixth graders. Contestants in both groups can tell a 20- to 30-second story. They are also able to bring a prop on stage to talk about. There is no dancing, singing or playing an instrument allowed, and contestants cannot use live animals in their performances. Stories will not be officially timed. 

All contestants must pre-register. The deadline for signing up is Friday, Sept. 13. To register, call Janette McDaniel at 417-255-3312 and leave a message in her voice mail or text her with this information: the girl’s name, grade and three interests or hobbies. 

Judging will be based on 25 points: 5 for dress (old time or Sunday), 10 for personality (while talking) and 10 for poise on stage. All contestants are welcome to ride on the princess float in the big parade at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 21. 

Hootin an Hollarin old-fashioned kids games

Don’t miss out on this dose of extra free fun for kids attending the festival, geared toward kids age 4 to 12. 

Old-fashioned kids games will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-21, in the parking lot off the northwest corner of the square, adjacent to City Hall. 

The games are headed up Renee Hambelton, and medals will be awarded to winners. All equipment will be supplied.

Hootin an Hollarin bed race

The Hootin an Hollarin bed race, sponsored by the Gainesville PTO, begins at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, and is open to those age 10 and older.

Teams consist of five members (four pushers and a rider). The bed is provided. Organizers suggest participants wear sneakers or tennis shoes (no house slippers please). 

Teams start at the stop sign on the southwest side of the square and push the bed up Main Street to the finish line at City Hall. Bystanders are cautioned to stay well out of the way. Teams can choose to prioritize speed or to ham it up with costumes, dances and skits in the middle of their run to keep things lively and the crowd entertained. The more original, the better.

Cash prizes will be given to first-, second- and third-place teams in the timed event, and another prize is awarded to the best-dressed team (for those who prefer to saunter down the street in dreamlike-style rather than run like crazy). 

Chairperson Paula Rose appreciates pre-registration (417-989-1282), but it’s not mandatory. Entry is free. Last-minute entries are welcome. Teams should gather on the southwest corner of the square in front of Molly’s Salon at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, before the 5 p.m. starting time.

Hootin an Hollarin outhouse race

The Hootin an Hollarin outhouse race is a one-of-a-kind competition, sponsored by the Gainesville PTO and open to those age 10 and older. The outhouse is provided. 

The outhouse race will start in front of City Hall on the northwest corner of the square. Teams streak to the stop sign on the opposite side of the square, pushing on past it before making a quick change of riders. Then they bring ’er home, skidding over the finish line back at City Hall.

 The race will be held around 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, immediately after the bed races. Teams are encouraged to participate in both events. There’s no entry fee. 

Cash prizes will be given to first-, second- and third-place teams in the timed event. 

Teams can be school, community or business groups, families, friends or strangers. You just need four pushers and a rider agile enough to hop off the pot halfway through the race and swap places with a pusher. 

Sturdy running shoes are recommended, as are creative team names – but race coordinator Paula Rose reminds teams  their name “must be something that can be announced to the crowd.”

Call chairperson Paula Rose for more information or to pre-register for the event (417-989-1282). 

Hootin an Hollarin 5k

Runners and walkers are invited to participate in Ozark County’s oldest 5K, the Hootin an Hollarin 5K, set for 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. “This is the granddaddy of them all,” said 5K coordinator Doug Hawkins. Walkers are also welcome and are encouraged to participate.

Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the Gainesville High School running programs with funds split between the GHS track and field team and the GHS cross country team.

The race is a pet-friendly event,  Hawkins said. 

Sign up is at 7:30 a.m. race day next to Gainesville City Hall, or participants can pre-register by mail with registration forms that can be picked up at 5K sponsor Shelter Insurance before the Hootin an Hollarin festival. 

Mail the completed form to Doug Hawkins, Shelter Insurance, P.O. Box 115, Gainesville, MO 65655.

Registration is $25 per participant. Make checks payable to Gainesville High School. 

All participants receive a commemorative T-shirt.

Unique custom trophies made by Todd Friese of Bargain Bin in Gainesville will be awarded to the race winners.

Hootin an Hollarin pet show

All different types of pets are welcome in the fun, lighthearted Hootin an Hollarin pet show, which will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. The show is directed by Ozark County veterinarian Konnie Plumlee and emceed by Katlin Hornig of the Gainesville Veterinary Hospital. 

Contestants and their owners are asked to sign up in front of the main stage on the east side of the square between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m. Saturday before the pet show that starts at 9:30. No contestants will be allowed to sign up after 9:15 a.m. due to the tight festival schedule Saturday morning that includes the 11 a.m. costume contest following the pet show. 

Some pets come in costume, some show off fancy tricks and others wow the judges simply by being adorable. 

Bring your companion of any species, show the crowd and the judges what it can do, and share in all the fun and animal love.

Pet show judges are quite imaginative in creating categories and awards so most contestants win a ribbon or a title of some kind. Past categories have included hardest working, best behaved, best wagger, most unusual, best costume, best personality, most talented, friendliest and best in show. Who knows what title your pet might win?

All animals must be restrained. Konnie also emphasizes that temperatures inside vehicles quickly reach dangerous levels, and pets should not be left inside them before or after the show. A container of drinking water is provided for pets at the show.

Hootin an Hollarin shotgun and archery shoots

The annual Hootin an Hollarin shotgun and archery shoot begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. The event is held across Highway 160 from the Gainesville square in the grassy area near the Barney Douglas Bridge and features shooting competitions in 12- or 20-gauge shotgun (aiming at paper targets) and archery (aiming at 3D targets).

Multiple matches in each category will be held to involve all participants who want to compete. Competitors can choose to compete in one or both weaponry categories It costs $3 each to enter each round of competition (per shot for shotgun and per four targets on archery), and there is a 100 percent payout in Town and Country gift certificates for the winners. Those wishing to participate should register just before 9 a.m. at the competition site.

 Participants in the archery category should bring their own bow and at least four arrows. Participants in the shotgun competition should bring their own firearm; shotgun ammunition will be provided. The event generally takes less than an hour to complete.

Hootin an Hollarin cornhole tournament

The third annual Hootin an Hollarin cornhole tournament will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, in the parking lot of Donald Amyx’s building, off the northwest corner of the square, across from City Hall. 

Teams consisting of two people are encouraged to pre-register; however, preregistering is not mandatory, and competitiors can sign up just prior to the event. There are no differing age categories, so teammates can be of any age. There is no entry fee. 

Tournament organizers say there will be several cornhole boards and bags available for use, allowing multiple games to be conducted at the same time. Gift bags with prizes will be awarded to first and second places. 

To pre-register contact Renee Hambelton at 417-989-0116 or Gabe Blackburn at 417-838-3369.

Hootin an Hollarin costume contest

One of Hootin an Hollarin attendees’ favorite events is the annual costume contest, when folks young and old – and sometimes whole families – dress up in old-fashioned  attire to wow the spectators and judges. The contest is held at 11 a.m. Saturday morning, Sept. 21, on the main stage. The time and shady location behind the stage usually provides mild temperatures for participants who are many times wearing heavy and hot costumes. Participants can sign up behind the main stage beginning at 10:30 a.m. At contest time, 11 a.m., the participants will be led in front of the main stage to have an opportunity to step up before the judges and give ’em his or her best smile. Children and adults of all ages are welcome to join in the fun. There are several age categories ranging from infant to adult, as well as new dress, old dress, small group, large group and judges’ choice. 

Hootin an Hollarin pie contest

The 2024 Hootin an Hollarin pie-baking contest will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Shelter Insurance office on the southwest corner of the square. Area bakers are encouraged to show off their best pie-baking skills with any type of pie. Past contests have included pot pies, mincemeat pies, berry, strawberry rhubarb, cream pies and more. 

Pies will be accepted beginning at 10:30 a.m. There are no age limits, residency requirements or other qualifications for entrants. A panel of judges will sample all of the pies and choose a grand champion as well as first, second and third places. Pies are judged on appearance, taste and crust. 

After the winners are announced on the main stage, the office will be opened (likely around 12:30 p.m. or so) for guests to come and sample the winning pies.

The grand prize pie contest winner will receive a unique trophy handmade by Todd Friese of Bargain Bin in Gainesville.

Hootin an Hollarin big parade

The Hootin an Hollarin big parade begins at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. Parade co-chairs Kerrie Zubrod and Heather Bushner say five marching bands are expected, along with a number of floats, antique cars, other vehicles, horses and all sorts of different imaginative entries. 

More floats are needed for this year’s parade. Keeping in mind this year’s festival theme – “A Harvest of Memories Past,” – area organizations, families and individuals are encouraged to round up friends and neighbors, tap into their inner creativity and build a float on a pickup bed or a flat-top trailer (or whatever else they can make work) to join the parade. Floats are judged with cash prizes: $150 for grand prize, $100 for first place, $75 for second place, $50 for third place and $25 for fourth place.

Floats must be available for judging at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the parking lot off First Street between 160 Pit Stop and White Oak Station/Phillips 66 (formerly J-Mart/Bullseye) behind the BuckStitch Embroidery log cabin in that parking lot. (This year’s Hootin an Hollarin inaugural car show will also be housed in this parking lot). Judged floats will wait there for their turn to enter the parade lineup.

Vehicles that are not part of the car show along with horses, fire engines and all other entries should check in behind Dollar General and line up on Highway MM just west of the entrance to the MoDOT shed.  Line-up begins there at 1 p.m. with step-off an hour later.

Horse riders can wait in the grassy area near O’Reilly Auto Parts for their turn to enter the parade lineup. 

The 2024 Hootin an Hollarin queen and her court, the 2024 Lil Cedar Pete and Lil Miss Addie Lee and the 2024 Lil Princess pageant contestants will be among the smiling and waving parade people. And of course the winners of Saturday morning’s costume parade are invited to stroll around the square to show off their prize-winning attire. (Costume winners gather at Clinkingbeard Funeral Home to walk in the parade from that point.) 

The parade route proceeds east on First Street from Highways 5 and MM, turning onto Main Street in front of Town & Country Supermarket and entering the southwest corner of the square, going around it and then exiting the square onto Third Street and dispersing from there. 

Former Senator Karla Eslinger, now Missouri’s Commissioner of Education, will serve as this year’s parade marshal. She will be joined by a host of other folks waving from all sorts of vehicles, including Kerrie Zubrod, the Barney Douglas Citizen of the Year, and Ozark County’s 2024 Farm Family, Eric and Jaime King.

Hootin an Hollarin calling contests

Don’t be alarmed by the hollering you hear coming from the east side of the square around 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The hoots, hollers, tweets, squawks and tunes are just the sounds of the annual Hootin an Hollarin calling contests getting underway. Enjoy the fun as contestants yip, yell and yelp to bring home the herd, flock or husband – and possibly win a trophy. 

You may want to try your hand at the skill too. There have been years when inexperienced city-slickers have taken home trophies after letting loose their inner-hillbilly voices on the Hootin an Hollarin stage. The four calling categories include cow, pig, turkey and husband. 

Those who wish to participate should sign up behind the main stage just prior to the show. Then, when your turn comes, step up to the microphone and let loose your best hill country call.

Find out more

For more information about the annual Hootin an Hollarin festival, visit www.hootinanhollarin.com, follow the “Hootin an Hollarin” Facebook page or contact festival chairman Paula Rose at 417-989-1282 or paularose1979@gmail.com.