| You'll
Love the Music on Mount Ida's Frontporch May into October You’re invited to enjoy a tradition of music at
Mount Ida’s Frontporch. There are free concerts and jam sessions
all summer, right here on the Court House Square. The free concerts
start on the first Saturday in May and run all the way into October. The jam sessions go all year long. We move into
the High School cafeteria when the weather gets cold. There’ll be
Bluegrass, Gospel and Country plus a lot of fun. |
A little History,
Several musicians in town started out with a dream to
make Mount Ida a music center for both musician and listener alike. Six
years ago it all started with Jam sessions on the Court House Square.
Folks would bring their lawn chairs and come together to play and sing.
They also do a lot of visiting in between songs. Our Stage is actually
a donated flatbed and with
donated materials the Frontporch Stage became a reality.
As time went on, the crowds grew and three years ago the Saturday night
concerts were started. Bands come from Oklahoma, Hot Springs, Mena
and down the road, to play and have a good time. Folks play on the FrontPorch because it’s fun. We
"pass the hat" for donations to help the bands with their expenses.
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The 2007 Season
, The Frontporch Stage & Possums UnlimitedWe started out in January with our friends at the Montgomery County Council for the Performing Arts
with a live HeeHaw Show that featured the late great Duane Crandall.... then we had shows in February
and March at the High School Auditorium that featured Posey Hill, Bluegrass Revue and The Acousticatz...
This spring we were able to add these speakers towers to the stage which saved a couple of lives out here..
thanks to Mark Wilborg, Joe Carmack, Doug Carmack, Travis Stapp from the PGB and the porch volunteers
who gave up their time and energy to get them up and in place... special thanks to Terry Norris for giving them
a coat of old...also thanks to Dub Clenney for helping us with the steel frame construction that should last for years...
Our 2007 season was a great one which kicked off May 5th with the afore mentioned fellows,The Prairie Grove Band
Our Good Ole Days was really special with the great gospel show on Friday with Eden Bluegrass & The Ouachita
River Ramblers... the next day featured a mix of great music that included John Talley, The Prestons, Lonnie "Grizzly"
Meeks, Steve Johnson, New Generation and The Ouachita River Ramblers and the MCCPA did a hilarious live Hee Haw
Our June shows were special Family Bands...The Hartley Family, The Harvey Boys, Dewayne Hodges,who is in everyones
family, the Nichols with one great show that featured a young banjo player named Kurt Stephenson. We had a very
special show with the Uth Kwior from Flower Mound Texas doing a great show called "Cool in the Furnace".
Thanks to Richard Ray and First United Methodist for inviting them to Mt Ida!!
...In July we had our friends Denimgrass up from the Dallas area and Mountain Bluegrass Boys from Mena
and Family & Friends did a little Irish Music for us. We had to bid farewell to our good friends Sherman & Melina
Bush who moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado...Gone but not to be forgotten,,, well allrighty then...
On the hottest day of the year we had the Cook Mountain Boys trying to fry on the 106 deg stage...August was mean!!!
Sept started off hot but when New Generation came down from Little Rock the rain shortened a really great performance...
The Possum Picnic was a spectacle with the possum parade and coronation. Queen Winnifred "Dumpy" Eggleston crowned
the 2008 Queen, Barbara Black and once more we proved our elections are still the best that money can Buy...The Mt Ida
Kiwanis Club served their "world famous" sandwiches and we wish to thank them for their participation at our Picnic.
We got to enjoy Wilhelminagrass from Mena to close out September...Bluegrass Revue came to town last weekend and
put on a great bluegrass and gospel concert. Our season finale was a great concert by the boys that started the season,
The Prairie Grove Band...
This year we got a new logo design from the mind of Sherman Bush and the artistry of Jane Babbitt...Jane did a
masterful job in designing our "Playing Possums" Logo which is featured on our T-Shirts, Totes and our Water.
We got together a few sponsors, Steve Standridge, Hodge Black's Splendid Splinters and Dominic Babbitt with
Tripwire Productions, who generously provided funds for the Possum Water...it's the real deal, no skunky
water for us... bottled right here in Mt Ida by Alexa Springs.. Ain't no Cleveland or Dallas tap water for us...
Thanks to Ted & Lee Elder from The Songbird Restuarant,,,
thanks to FNB MT Ida...thanks again to Splendid Splinters
for advertising with us and their support throughout the season. Special thanks
to Ted for allowing us use of the grounds
and the courthouse restrooms. Thanks to the City of Mt Ida and the Waterworks
for their support to the Backporch
Snackbar...Thanks to anyone else we might have forgotten to mention...
Special thanks to our jammers who contribute so much more
to our Saturday programs.. Hats off to you all...
Thanks to all the great bands who came to Mt Ida to play
for free... it gets more expensive every year and we sure
appreciate your efforts in our behalf...
Thanks to all our regular crowd for your loyal support!!
Special thanks to all our visitors... You came from
everywhere... all over the world and from every part of the country...
We appreciate you and hope you manage to get back to see us every season...
Thanks to all the volunteers who help week after week, giving
their efforts and energies for free
to help bring the great programs to our community and it's visitors.
AND THANKS to the LORD for blessing us with the ways and means to do all this...
About the Possum Queens
We elect a very special person to represent the Frontporch Stage and
Possums Unlimited each year.
They must be of a certain age, live in Montgomery County and have a
certain temperment. A good
sense of humor probably being the first.. Granny Clampett pretty
much was the perfect Possum Queen!
At a penny a vote, it's the best election money can buy!!!
Click on the pictures
We've had 12 Possum Queens!
Our first Possum Queen in 1996...Rose Anne Adams
'97 Nadine Eubanks
'98 Toogie Swindle
'99 Wanda Clenney
2000 Patti Lashley
'01 Nolene Bobo
'02 Betty Williams
'03 Mary Offitt
'04 Lynn Howard
'05 JoAnn Cosby
'06 Sue West
'07 "Dumpy" Eggleston (short for Dumplin')
and our 2008 Possum Queen, Barbara Black
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Barbara Black being Crowned as the 2008 Possum Queen by Queen "Dumpy" Eggleston at the 2007 Possum Picnic Sept. 15th!! |
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More about all the queens and pictures to follow real soon |
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| Queen Lynn | Queen Sue | Queen JoAnn | Queen "Dumpy" |
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Wannabees! |
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Possum Queen Barbara Black & Awesome Possum!
Possum Stuff
We've got all kinds of stuff
Click on the pictures
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On the left, Our newest logo "Hang Around With Us! On the right, World's Best BBQ Sauce.. no kidding!!! |
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Our world famous "Roadkill Spread" |
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| Canvas Totes | Our "Store" | Precious Possums |
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This is the real deal!! No Skunky Tap Water for you!!! Bottled right here in Mt Ida by the good folks of Alexa Springs |
All this great stuff is for sale at all our shows and all the proceeds
are used on
maintenance and our every rising expenses. You can email us if you would
like
to buy any of our fabulous merchandise!
Special thanks to Steve Standridge Insurance, Hodge Black, Splendid
Splinters
and Tripwire Productions
for making the Possum Water possible!!!