The Ozark Heritage Welcome Center is located in a city park shaded by large oak trees and featuring picnic tables, making it a pleasant place to stop and stretch your legs. When two of the park’s aging oaks died, Explore West Plains, which operates the welcome center, commissioned a chainsaw artist to transform the trunks into one-of-a-kind sculptures celebrating some of the community’s most notable residents.
The first honors country music legend and “Mr. Grand Ole Opry” Porter Wagoner. Born on a farm just south of West Plains, Porter later moved into town with his family. He grew up there and was working at a local market when he got his break in the music business. The sculpture is inspired by the custom guitar designed by Greg Rich for Porter’s final studio album.
The second sculpture honors four Major League Baseball players with West Plains ties. Featured are legendary Dodgers pitcher Preacher Roe, Pittsburgh Pirates standout and 1955 National League Rookie of the Year Bill Virdon, and St. Louis Browns players Tedd Gullic and “Sled” Allen. The carving incorporates baseball-themed details and celebrates the community’s rich baseball heritage.
The sculptures can be viewed year-round by stopping at the Ozark Heritage Welcome Center. The welcome center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and West Plains guidebooks and area information are available 24 hours a day outside the front entrance.