The Tomlinson Art & Science Center will reopen a week from Tuesdayon March 4th after a winter break. The Center will feature an expanded Brushstrokes gift shop and a completely refurbished art gallery. About 70% of the paintings and works we will show have never been seen before! We are so excited about the new works, including a gallery focusing on the American South.
The science center is being expanded and the Crime Lab Detective relocated into the new expanded space. New science exhibits will be installed throughout the science center, including a full-size human skeleton, a tornado vortex, the dinosaur dig, and so much more. The science center will reopen in early April.
The Tomlinson Art & Science Center will be open Tuesday-Saturdayfrom 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Special tours or classes and programs can be scheduled.
Adventures in ScienceOur Adventures in Science program will resume in late March. We are looking for volunteers! Volunteers will not be responsible for teaching or large groups. We break the students out into smaller groups and need volunteers to help our staff with the smaller groups. The volunteers help the students with their activities. If you are willing to help us with this amazing program, please call us at 870-297-6100.
We also want to extend our appreciation to Harp’s Food Stores for their sponsorship if our Adventures in Science Program. Harp’s will sponsor four days of the upcoming Adventures in Science program. If you’d like to help with this program, please call us at 870-297-6100.
Explore MagazineThe 2nd issue of the Explore magazine is at the printer and will be ready for distribution to every state-operated visitor center and throughout our community by early March. We are really excited about our second edition and very appreciative of all our sponsors and advertisers who make the magazine available for free to the public.
Low-Wattage Visitor Information Radio StationVery soon, the Calico Rock Museum & Visitor Center will be kicking off our low-wattage Visitor Information Radio Station. The radio station will broadcast from Main Street and should be available for up to a 5-mile radius of the museum. Information will be looped for visitors.
There’s an App for ThatThe Calico Rock Museum & Visitor Center is pleased to offer a free app for visitors that want to take a virtual tour of our museum or learn more about our community. One neat feature is the ability to find every business licensed to operate by the City. Users can visit each business’ Facebook or website page or call the business from within the app. It makes finding out about or visiting Calico Rock easy for anyone.
To download the free app, visit the iTunes App Store, Android store, or Google Play and search “Calico Rock” to download the “Welcome to Calico Rock” app.
New Exhibit WindowThe museum is pleased to feature a new exhibit window on Homesteading at the Heritage & Visitor Center. The exhibit has several new artifacts on display. Come by and check it out.
Come visit us at the Calico Rock Museum & Visitor Center.
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Calico Rock Museum Foundation
104 Main StreetCalico Rock, Arkansas 72519
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 is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership 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.