Missouri town has cultural exchange -- with Alabama

OZARK, Mo. -- You don't need to travel to the Far East or South America to experience cultural differences.

As Ozark community leaders are finding out, such opportunities can be found within the United States.

Residents of Ozark and the Gulf Coast town of Foley, Ala., are preparing to get to know each other better as part of an annual cultural exchange in which Foley residents visit other American communities.

This year, they picked Ozark.

In July, about 300 people from Foley will haul their shrimp boat 568 miles to the Finley River Park in Ozark, also bringing with them oyster shuckers and boatbuilders.

In November, Ozark will send its team to Foley, taking the culture of Missouri there.

"Our country is so diverse that within the country we can learn from each other," said Kathy Danielson, director of the Foley Convention and Visitors Bureau.

While Ozark boasts rivers and hills, Foley -- dubbed the Heart of the American Riviera -- is near the Gulf of Mexico.

"Geographically, we're very different," said Tim Russell, mayor of Foley. "We're flat, and we have no mountains."

Seafood and fishing are a major industry in Foley, Russell said. So is tourism.

Branson and the natural scenery of southwest Missouri have given some folks in Foley a better idea of Ozark.

"I happened to be there several times," said Fran Hopkins, a Foley businesswoman. "People were friendly, the food was good, and the service was good."

Hopkins said cultural programs help people see what they have in common.

"I think it's a great program," she said. "When you travel, you find things are the same."

Foley began doing these annual Heritage Harbor Days exchanges in 2001.

So far they have introduced Foley to Guymon, Okla.; Grapevine, Texas; and Maggie Valley, N.C.

Ozark was chosen not because both cities happen to have a Lambert's Cafe, but through the suggestion of an Ozark woman who retired in Foley.

"I thought it would be fantastic," said Anne Appleby, who moved to Foley two years ago and is now a volunteer at the city's convention and visitors bureau.

Both Danielson and Ozark Mayor Donna McQuay responded warmly to the idea, and they soon paid each other a visit.

Danielson was in Ozark in January, and McQuay in Foley in April.

Both liked what they saw.

"I'm 65 years old, and I had never been on a shrimp boat," said McQuay.

Danielson said she got distracted by a snowfall. "It was the first one in a long, long time," she said.

The program has brought more vacationers and second-home buyers to Foley, said Danielson.

"We promote our area when we're (in other towns)," she said. "We give them a taste of living on the beach."

The program, which receives no funding from the convention and visitors bureau, relies heavily on fund-raising, Danielson said.

And McQuay said she would do the same in Ozark -- asking for sponsorship.

Asked what she would bring to Foley, the mayor hushed.

"We'll surprise them with things," she said.