Festival in September will pay tribute to Red Oak II’s late founder Lowell Davis

The Red Oak II complex near Carthage, Missouri, will hold a Red Oak II Festival on Sept. 11 to pay tribute to the faux town’s creator, artist Lowell Davis, who died at age 83 in November.

The Red Oak II Festival, according to a post on Facebook, will feature hayrides, Dutch oven cooking, children’s games, boutique clothing, crochet demonstrations, a music jam, pie-eating contest and craft vendors that will include Davis’ art booth.

“Come join us at 9 a.m. for one last tribute to Lowell Davis,” the post stated.

Admission will be free, and the festival will last until 5 p.m.

The festival is offering 10-by-10-foot booths for $50. All items at each booth must be handmade, crafts, antiques or junk. Those interested should call or text Rose at (417) 793-1655.

Davis, who made his fortune in the 1970s making art about idyllic but whimsical rural life, created Red Oak II as an homage to his hometown.

The sprawling complex consists of a Phillips 66 service station, schoolhouse, feedstore, diner, town hall, jail, blacksmith shop and general store — several of which were picked up and hauled from Davis’ hometown — plus a smattering of Davis’ whimsical sculptures.

Davis lived at Red Oak II for many years and, appropriately enough, he was buried there, too.

The original Red Oak lies about 20 miles east of his re-creation, also just off Route 66.

Red Oak II sits about a mile north of Route 66, northeast of Carthage. It’s a popular side trip for many Route 66 travelers, mostly because of its unique nostalgia angle.

(Image of Lowell Davis via his Facebook page)

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