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Spend time on the back porch of the Ozark Folk Center auditorium this weekend with mandolin maker Mike Holmes. He'll be out there demonstrating and making his mandolins. 
“My grandfather was a furniture maker and I have been making furniture and other things of wood most of my life,” said Mike.  “My son-in-law is a mandolin player and I wanted to learn how to play.  I couldn't afford an American mandolin and didn't want to buy a Chinese one so I built my own.”
A retired National Park Service Ranger, who spent all but four years of his career in the Ozarks, Mike prefers to use wood that comes from the Ozark Mountains in building his mandolins. He uses some exotic woods for the top plate. Mike is developing a recognizable style in his instruments and is starting to be sought after by mandolin players.