The musical gathering, held in a building originally homesteaded by the ancestors of the current owners, began in 1983. Weekly picking sessions on the porch eventually grew until the house interior was rebuilt into a small auditorium with a stage.
Musicians gather in a semicircle on stage and alternate singing before a listening audience.
Ozarks folk music, country music, gospel music, original songs, and ragtime piano music are featured. Photographs are from July 14, 2000. A hand-painted sign tells drivers where Manes Music Makers is held every Friday night. The performance is similar to an opry in that performers are on a stage playing to an audience, but the musicians alternate singing as with a jam, and anyone who shows up can perform. On this particular performance so many musicians came, the organizers cleared the stage once and allowed other performers to play.