14th Year for Mountains, Music and Motorcycles
Annual Event Draws Bikers From All Across America
Riding enthusiasts agree, some of the best motorcycling in America is in the Ozarks. Built on that simple premise, a festival organized fourteen years ago with no budget and heavily dependent on volunteers. The first event drew about 350 motorcyclists. Now, thousands of bikers are expected to this annual event.
The 14th annual Mountains Music and Motorcycles will be held August 17, 18 and 19 in downtown Mountain View, AR. Visitors to the event, which is open to all ages and free, will be able to take part in a variety of activities.
Friday events will include shopping on the square, special contests and live music downtown starting at 7pm.
Saturday events will kick off at 8am with the start of a Motorcycle Poker Run, Car Show and Bike Show. At 10am there will be the opening ceremonies. Biker Games, a crowd pleasing favorite, comes next on the schedule.
New for this year will be a firetruck pull, pitting teams of Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters and First Responders, to see who can move a fire truck the furthest- using just pure muscle. Also back for the third year- the Pepper Eating Contest. Contestants will have a chance to try their ability to eat the hottest peppers on earth.
“We end the evening on Saturday with two more high-energy bands: The Arkansas Brothers and The Lockhouse Orchestra,” John said. “Both of these groups continue the tradition of having great, crowd pleasing bands playing free to the public on the square.”
Mountains Music and Motorcycles is still operated and managed by volunteers. The Mountain View Chamber of Commerce sponsors this event and all funds raised pay for the event. It is a major fundraiser for multiple charity groups through the years.
“We like to use the Poker Run as a way to give back to the community,” Morrow continued. “This year’s charity will be Royal Family KIDS, the Nation’s leading network of Camps, Clubs and Mentoring for children of abuse, abandonment and neglect.”
All activities are centered on downtown Mountain View. Sunday morning the event ends with a biker church service in the natural setting of the city park amphitheater.
Parking around the historic town square is restricted to motorcycles only during Saturday’s activities. It has grown from the town square to encompass many side streets and other business parking lots. The event brings in visitors that are exposed to the unique culture of this area and generates thousands of dollars for the economy of the region. Mountains, Music, and Motorcycles focuses on the fact that Mountain View and the region is a motorcycle destination for motorcycle enthusiasts from around the nation. Roadrunner Magazine has named the Ozark Mountain Region around Mountain View one of the top 10 riding destinations in America.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current publicity chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.