In 1992, Kathy Downs and her husband were ready to build on their land in Newton County. They had previously asked local realtors to look for land that was all trees and rocks (no lawn) and they wanted a stream, and it should be close to their favorite put-in and take-out spots on the Buffalo National River.  They found their spot on Mt. Sherman, 15 minutes from Ponca and 15 minutes from Kyles,  and they put down roots.  Loving the river, Kathy worked for eight seasons as an interpretive ranger.

In the meantime, Kathy also pursued her interest in folk music. She played with the local music group, “Jazzper”, in Jasper.  Kathy studied and gathered information about the Ozark mountain culture and songs, putting all that into programs. She will share interesting history about our American culture through the medium of Ozark mountain songs.