Era of war, peace, love, pickin’ recalled
The 1970s were a turbulent time, with various cultures and subcultures clashing amidst militant feminism, Civil Rights turmoil, the Watergate scandal, and the Vietnam War.
Wishing to escape the hassles of the decade, in July 1974, over 150,000 people flooded into Sedalia, MO, for the three-day Ozark Music Festival. Residents living near the Missouri State Fairgrounds woke on July 19 to attendees sleeping in their yards and bumper-to-bumper traffic clogging the roads into town.
At the time, no one knew the Ozark Music Festival would become one of the largest, least remembered music festivals ever held, or that the festival would change Sedalia forever.
Thirty-five years later, an exhibit entitled “Seventies Flashback: A Look Back at the July 1974 Ozark Music Festival” is on display at the historic Katy Depot in Sedalia. Photographs and event memorabilia feature the music, the attendees, and the aftermath.
The Katy Depot, 600 East Third St., is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free-will donations are accepted to offset the cost of exhibits.
For more information or to share your stories about the Ozark Music Festival please call 800-827-5295 or visit www.ozarkmusicfestivalexhibit.com.
