Mountain View -- Since opening in 1973, the Ozark Folk Center has served as the only state park in America devoted to the preservation of Southern mountain traditions and music. Fun and educational for visitors, the center will be hosting more musical guests and introducing a revised calendar of operations during its 2003 season.

Following herbal workshops and the second annual Ozark Folk School in March, the new season will officially open April 18-20, to celebrate the 41st annual Arkansas Folk Festival. Free admission to the park's Crafts Village and shuttle rides between downtown events and the center will be offered during the festival. Nightly musical concerts will feature well-known local talent and musical guests, "The Hammer Sisters." Lillian and Ruth Hammer of Neosho, Mo., have been performing sentimental folk tunes since their childhood and hosted one of the first musical radio shows in the Ozarks. Admission will be charged at the 1,000-seat Folk Center Music Theater.

After the folk festival, the center will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays until May 21, when the crafts village and music theater will open for regular daily operation through Aug. 3. During August and September, the attractions will be closed again on Mondays and Tuesdays. In October, the center will close on Tuesdays only. The regular season will end on Oct. 26, but the first annual Ozark Winter Holiday Festival will be staged Nov. 27-30. The park's lodge is open the year around, and its Skillet Restaurant is open daily, April 18-Oct. 26, plus during holiday festivities.

"We will be placing more emphasis on the educational part of our events," says Music Director John C. Van Orman. "New artists, along with our old friends, will be conducting workshops and classes in connection with many of our concerts at the center."

The 26th annual Dulcimer Jamboree, April 24-27, will feature concerts and workshops by some of the finest dulcimer musicians in the country, according to Van Orman. Among the artists scheduled to appear are Linda Thomas of Kansas City (former Texas champion) and Rick Thum of Eureka, Mo. (dulcimer maker and former Southwest regional champion). Others include Aubrey Atwater of Rhode Island (songbook author who has toured internationally), and Karen Mueller of Minneapolis (Celtic, folk and bluegrass).

The popular "American Roots Music Series" will debut its new season May 2-3, with Leela and Ellie Grace, a Columbia, Mo.-based sister duo that performs a variety of folk harmonies, blended with string music and dance. The young women grew up traveling and performing with their folk-singing parents, Paul and Win Grace, who will also appear on the programs. "They were a hit here last year," Van Orman notes, "and we are lucky to have them returning."

The National Thumbpicking Guitar Contest and Tribute to Merle Travis will be staged May 16-17, with numerous guitar virtuosos paying tribute to the legendary musical artist. Special guests will include Eddie and Martha Adcock of Nashville, Tenn. Their unique blend of bluegrass, folk, blues and gospel have taken them to appearances around the country and earned them Grammy Award nominations. Other noted guitarists scheduled include Steve Rector and Moon Mullins.

The second annual Resophonic Guitar Festival, May 30-31, will include performances by David Holt, the Grammy Award-winning host of "Folkways" on PBS-TV. The Texas native is also a noted storyteller and music historian, who has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and numerous television shows. Others scheduled include Texan Steve James, an acoustic blues artist who has toured North America and Europe; and Johnny Bellar, a Nashville-based dobro artist and composer who regularly appears on the Opry.

Resophonic instruments (dobros and steel guitars) were created before electrical amplification so large audiences could hear the stringed instruments. After more than 80 years, the sound is still a popular part of country and blues music. "Visitors may enroll in classes and workshops offered during the event," Van Orman said.

The Autoharp Jamboree, June 12-14, is expected to attract harp enthusiasts from across the nation. Artists slated to perform and teach workshops include Les Gustafson-Zook, the 2001 International Autoharp Champion from Goshen, Ind.; Mike Fenton, a Warfield International champ, from Worcester, England; Charles Whitmer of Houston, Tom Schroeder and Bonnie Phitts.

Nezpique, the exciting Acadian (Cajun) band, will make a third folk center appearance June 20-21, as part of the American Roots series. They will be followed by the colorful St. Louis Irish Arts Dancers on June 27-28, and the annual Tribute to Jimmy Driftwood on July 5.

An all-male performance called "Transportation, Labor and Bad Behavior," will return by popular-demand on July 25. Songs about trains, boats, mining and outlaws will be among the selections for the fun show. "Women of Mountain Music" will be featured July 26, with local female musical performers paying tribute to legendary Arkansas folk singers including Ollie Gilbert, Emma Dusenbury and Almeda Riddle.

Kevin Kling, a playwright, storyteller and recording artist from Minnesota, who often appears on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," will be among the guests at the Folk Humor and Storytelling Weekend, Aug. 15-16. Also scheduled will be Lou and Peter Berryman, humorous songwriters and musicians from Madison, Wis.

The park's annual Tribute to Grandpa Jones and the Clawhammer Banjo Festival will be celebrated Aug. 28-30. The Ramona Jones Family Band will return, along with David and Cathy (Barton) Para. The Missouri-based duet performs Civil War-period music, folk, riverboat tunes and gospel on a variety of stringed instruments.

The music series will continue into the fall season with the Kansas City-based group Wilders appearing Sept. 12-13. The group plays a wide range of music, from 1920s string band to 1940s honky-tonk. Fiddle, guitar, dobro, banjo, mandolin and bass instruments back up their vocals. The Jimmie Rodgers Tribute will be held Sept. 19-20, with West Virginian John Lilly and Roy Harper among the guest artists.

The 8th annual Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering will be staged Oct. 17-18, with "Bluestem," a Kansas-based quartet that has been honored with numerous music awards. Also appearing will be Pop Wagner, a western singer, lasso twirler and storyteller; lifelong westerner and guitarist Bob Bovee of Nebraska, and Gail Heil, a Missouri native who plays banjo, fiddle and sings.

The music theater will close for the regular season on Oct. 25 (BeanFest Weekend) and the crafts village will close Oct. 26. However, all facilities will reopen Nov. 27-29, for the first annual Ozark Winter Holiday Festival. Thanksgiving feasts in the restaurant, traditional Yule crafts and decorations, plus joyful musical concerts each night will highlight the new event. The park's Homespun Gift Shop will remain open through Dec. 20.

The craft village, where pioneer skills are demonstrated by more than 20 skilled artisans, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shops include gunsmithing, woodwork, broom making, candles, quilting, old-time printing, tintype photography, basket and furniture making, carving, blacksmithing, pottery and others. Persons wishing to learn a craft from a master may participate in the "Design Your Own Workshop" program by making reservations at least two weeks prior to visiting.

The state's largest array of traditional herbs is also displayed in the village, with thousands of plants surrounding the historic Shannon Log Cabin and root cellar. The garden has become one of the park's most popular spots. Herbal events remaining on the calendar include the Christmas in July Herb Workshop (July 25), and Herb Harvest Fall Festival (Oct. 3-4).

Live musical concerts are staged at 7:30 p.m. in the center's large theater. The park is recognized internationally as a major repository of Southern mountain lore and music. Many of the guitars, fiddles, dulcimers and other folk instruments featured on stage are handcrafted in the area. Jig, square and clog dancing are performed with members of the audience often invited to participate. The Great Smoky Mountain Cloggers will make a return engagement July 17-19. As in the past, gospel concerts will be staged on some Sunday evenings. (Call center for dates.)

The park's music workshops this year will include sessions in clawhammer-style banjo, mountain dulcimer, autoharp, hammered dulcimer, resophonic guitar and folk dance. Free calendar and registration forms are available by calling the center. Also, the center's popular "living history" programs will continue with park staff members performing live skits based on historical characters and events in the Ozarks.

In addition to the music theater and crafts village, the park includes a 60-unit lodge, a restaurant, gift shops, conference facilities and a cultural resource center.