Across the Mississippi into Arkansas

Neighboring Southern States

When Cliff and I went on our eight-southern-state tour in 2015 I learned that you can actually get around many of the southern states fairly rapidly, except for Texas and Florida, and that each state has something to offer. But perhaps the one thing many of the southern states offers is talent, in both writing and music, and much of it reflects what is uniquely American. One can still hear the Irish influence on much of the music, especially in the fiddle tunes. My own father played the fiddle and it was not a great jump listening to him play than it was listening to some of the Irish music I've listened to as an adult. 

In the South, it is inevitable, when you get a porch full of musicians and they bring out their instruments, you will get banjos, acoustic guitars, fiddles, bases, mandolins, steel guitars, and other uniquely Southern instruments. When they come together in the folk music capital of the world, Mountain View, Arkansas, you can move from porch to porch, to the gazebos in the park, kind of like you can in New Orleans, moving from street to street in the French Quarter and no sooner does the strains of music from one group die away than you begin to hear music from another group...When the weather is fine and it's a Friday night in Mountain View people in this small town of about 3,000 people will play in the late afternoon, into dusk, and on into the night.

It is not clear just what part of the White River this
is, But it runs in the northern part of the state in the
mountainous region.

One my friends who is a Southerner by birth hopes to move back to Mountain View, which was her home for many years. Sherry White and her husband have an expansive and beautiful property on the outskirts of Las Cruces, New Mexico, but she is planning to move back to her roots. I've not talked with Sherry in several years, but she enjoys reading this blog and often comments to Cliff about its content. Sherry is active in Las Cruces, and one of her perennial avocations is the Renaissance ArtsFaire in Las Cruces. 

After 44 years, the Renaissance ArtsFaire has perfected the art of this annual event. Set for a weekend beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Young Park,  whether a repeat customer or a first-time faire goer, here's something to be aware of going into each year's event. Several courts attend the annual Renaissance ArtsFaire, but there is only one official court. Queen Chérie de la Décolletage, played by Sherry White, has been reigning over the Merry Court of the Sherwood Oak for 25 years. Her court of about 25 is made up of ladies in waiting, knights, and the Bawdy Balladeers (who entertain the queen), which now includes a harpist. 

She and Cliff talk about property, and Sherry wants to buy a home in the country around Mountain View, which lies in the Ozark Mountains. It's a beautiful part of Arkansas, and it is near Batesville, Arkansas, and both towns are near the beautiful White River that runs through that part of the state.

And really, Mountain View is just a hop, skip, and a tank of gas from Columbus, MS, about a six-hour drive. You can stop in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and eat a real Southern bowl of gumbo and cornbread in the town square cafe.