Greta Cross, the Trending Topics Reporter for the Springfield News-Leader, recently researched and wrote an article about the white oak logs that were transported from the forests of the Missouri Ozarks to the National Mall in DC, to be used for demonstrations of white oak basket making during the Ozarks Program of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. 

In her reporting work, Greta Cross focuses on localizing national trends and highlighting Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ and arts communities. Greta also enjoys long-form feature reporting and exploring Ozarks’ history. Greta is a 2021 graduate of Missouri State University.

In her article about the white oak logs, Greta Cross explained how the logs were harvested in late June, just a few days prior to the start of the Festival, then kept moist on the north side of Duane G. Meyer Library before they were loaded onto the truck containing all types of supplies for the Ozarks Program at the Festival. The supplies included a johnboat, a Marshallese canoe, quilts, gigs and gig-making equipment, plants and seeds, and many more items. 

Many visitors to the Festival enjoyed watching the basket makers from several places and cultures ply their craft.