From the first Ozark Area Community Congress held in 1980, OACC has been an important venue for people to gather and share ideas, and many of the early participants were a part of the 1970’s and ’80’s Back-to-the-Land movement.
Work on an Ozark Back-to-the-Land documentary has been underway for a few years. Longtime journalist Denise Henderson Vaughn initially worked with Andy Cline, a Missouri State University-Springfield journalism professor, to collaborate on the project, videotaping interviews with both early- and recently-arrived Ozark Back-to-the-Landers. After Cline retired, video editor Phil Laaveg has stepped in help move the project forward.