How It Started
In July 2024, founder Eden Ellis set out to create Arkansas’s first Pawpaw festival. What began as a spark of an idea quickly grew roots: by September 28, 2024, a community of friends, family, and neighbors rallied together to bring the inaugural Boston Mountains Pawpaw Festival to life in Chester.
Why Pawpaws?
Many of us grew up hearing about pawpaws—or the old rhyme, “picking up pawpaws and putting them in our pockets”—yet few have actually tasted one. The pawpaw is often called a “mystery fruit”: it looks a bit like a green potato, but the flavor is a lush banana–mango with a custard-like texture. It’s also North America’s largest native fruit, hiding in plain sight across the hills and hollers of the Ozark Mountain region.
Rooted in Ozark Culture
From day one, the festival’s purpose has been to preserve Ozark Mountain heritage and pass down almost-lost knowledge—about pawpaws and other native plants and wild foods available to forage in the fall. We celebrate history, culture, native food sources, community, thriving off the land, and staying connected with the seasons.