Planning continues for the big Ozarks Program at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in DC from June 28th through July 9th of 2023. Here are some updates:

• The open call for online expressions of interest has resulted in over 180 proposals from individuals and groups. Various groups involved in planning the Ozarks program at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival are busy reviewing and ranking all of the proposals. 
• Several sponsorships recently have come in. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements of major new sponsors of the Ozarks Program at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, levels, and benefits, please contact Tom Peters at the MSU Libraries (tpeters@missouristate.edu or 309-660-3648 (mobile)). 
• In addition to all the great festival activities and programs being planned during the daytime hours of the ten days of the festival, the Ozarks program will have evening concerts and events on Thursday and Saturday evenings of both the first and second weeks of the festival, as well as a big event in the late afternoon of Independence Day, which falls on a Tuesday in 2023. Please watch for updates about these five bonus events. 
• The steering committee is now meeting at least twice each week via Zoom to advance and finalize all of the details concerning this massive program.
• Working committees are preparing additional recommendations about facets and possible presenters and experts related to music and dance, foodways (including cooking, gardening, and foraging), crafts and artisanship, recreation and tourism (including such things as mountain biking and kayaking), and religion and spirituality in the Ozarks.