A dozen songs by musicians Kelly and Donna Mulhollan have raised awareness of the need to take care of Beaver Lake, the duo says. Their next project hopes to do the same for the Buffalo National River.
A compact disc of songs about the Buffalo, and a series of free concerts, are in the works for the Mulhollans, known far and wide as the Fayetteville folk and bluegrass duo, “Still on the Hill.”
Some songs are already written for the CD, titled “Still A River.” The two have ideas for so many more they’ll have a tough time deciding which tunes will be on the disc. It’s hoped this project will do the same for the Buffalo as their “Once A River” CD and free concerts did for Beaver Lake. That is, getting more people to take care of the Buffalo National River and its watershed.
“We want to follow the same plan as ‘Once A River,’ but with some differences,” Kelly Mulhollan said Tuesday.
The duo released their “Once A River” CD last year with songs about the history, people and personality of Beaver Lake. They toured the region performing free concerts at communities in the Beaver Lake watershed. The first 100 people at each show got a free “Once A River” CD, one per family.
“Throughout those concerts, people said we should do this for the Buffalo, and they were right,” Kelly said. “Like protecting the Beaver Lake watershed, we need to be vigilant about protecting the Buffalo.”
The Buffalo was named the country’s first national river in 1972.
Song topics in the works include camping on the river. There’s a tune about Hemmed-In-Hollow and a hermit who lived there long ago. Another song is about Bee Bluff, named for a honey-rich beehive in the rock. Ideas for songs are almost endless, the duo said.
They don’t plan a song about the controversial hog farm operating in the Buffalo watershed. The Mulhollans want people to come to the free concerts regardless of their views about the hog farm, Donna said.
The music will pay tribute to the late Dr. Neil Compton, a founder of The Ozark Society which waged a successful campaign to keep the Army Corps of Engineers from damming the Buffalo.
“Still A River” will also be a tribute to Ken Smith, author of “The Buffalo River Country” and “Buffalo River Handbook.” Additionally, Smith is a tireless builder of trails along the Buffalo. Kelly and Donna spent time building trails with Smith and other volunteers last October.
Stories Smith tells in “Buffalo River Handbook” inspired some of the duo’s songs for the Buffalo CD, Donna said.
A difference in this project is that Still on the Hill hopes to perform free concerts and hand out CDs across Arkansas, not just in Northwest Arkansas. Another is the Beaver Lake “Once A River” project was already funded when the Mulhollans started work on it. Various organizations teamed up to obtain grants that paid the expenses. Still on the Hill is seeking sponsors to pay for the Buffalo River endeavor.
“The number of concerts and the number of CDs depends on how much sponsorship we get. That’s our challenge right now, looking for sponsors,” Kelly said. The Ozark Society Foundation is the first group to become a sponsor, he added.
It takes about a year to do a project like this, Donna said. That includes research, writing and recording the songs, and putting together an entertaining show. They plan to start the free concerts and CD distribution in spring 2016.
As they work on “Still A River,” they’re wrapping up “Once A River.”
Still on the Hill continues doing their “Once A River” show in area schools thanks to sponsorship from the Beaver Water District, Beaver Watershed Alliance and donor Charlotte Steele. The “official” public concert series is over, Kelly said, but there will be a free encore concert of “Once A River” at 2 p.m., Sunday at the Fayetteville Public Library.
Then, they’ll set their musical sights on the Buffalo National River.
Flip Putthoff can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip