Batesville Parks to offer Spin Your Wheels challenge for the month of May.
Same old exercise routine got you spinning your wheels? If so, then we hope you accept the newest wellness challenge this year. Batesville Parks and Recreation is offering just the thing for those cycling fanatics or those just looking to get into biking. For the entire month of May, we are excited to introduce a challenge to Spin Your Wheels! The Spin Your Wheels program is a long-distance cycling challenge where participants have the option to bike 50, 100, or 200 miles throughout the month of May. Batesville Parks and Recreation will also offer a “Beast Mode” challenge for advanced bikers who may opt to do all three options which would total 350 miles. All participants will receive a short sleeve t-shirt for registering and a medal upon completion of the program with registration cost being $25 for members and $30 for guests. Whether it’s indoor cycling, mountain biking, or heading out on the open road. Make your miles count for this very cool program being offered this month. You can register online at www.batesvilleparks.com or at the Community Center front desk.
The Spin Your Wheels challenge coincides with National Bike Month as well as our Bike Batesville program. May is National Bike Month, where many communities and government entities encourage members to bike regularly with Bike to Work as well as Bike Everywhere campaigns. We also have a free cycling program open to everyone called Bike Batesville. Our Bike Batesville program is every Thursday beginning May 2nd, we will meet in the South Parking lot of the Batesville Community Center and the ride will start at 6:00 PM. Everyone is invited (ages 10 & up). We will ride approximately 10 miles with the ride taking an hour or so to complete. This is a beginner friendly bike ride with helmet. Come join the fun, bring all your friends and family!
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.