A Memorable Evening Planned at Old Independence Regional Museum
A fun and memorable event, called “Main Street Memories,” will take place on Saturday, August 24, at 7 p.m. in Old Independence Regional Museum. An evening filled with hilarious and sweet memories will be shared by nine people as they remember specific moments on Main Street, Batesville. They are Fred Wann, Lucy Yeager, Nelson Barnett, Gene Crawford, Cindy Barber, Suzanne Magouyrk, David Thompson, Butch Ketz, Mandi Curtwright, and Neva “Cookie” Ball. There will be a time for others to share their own.
Interspersed throughout the shared memories will be music. Luke Stroud, Sonya Rucker, Jon Healey, Danny Dozier, Lucy Yeager, and two more yet to be named, will entertain with songs from several decades. Ned Metcalf, who orchestrated many White River Water Carnival beauty contests and who was also a “King White River,” will serve as master of ceremonies.
The Main Street Batesville organization is also supporting this event. Several Main Street businesses are donating hors d’oeuvres: Elizabeth’s, Unique Nosh, Bigs and Sweetie Cakes. Wine and punch will also be served.
Since this is a fund-raising event for the museum, tickets are $20 each. They can only be purchased at the museum. Laura Reed, museum administrative assistant, said, “We hope people will take advantage of buying theirs right away because we have a limited number of tickets, since the museum’s theater can only seat 50 or 60.”
Twyla Wright, museum exhibit curator, explained how this event relates to the museum’s new exhibit Down On Main. “Our museum worked with Southside High School’s EAST program this spring to create this exhibit. The partnership also included funding through the Smithsonian Institution’s pilot program about Main Street America. The students decided which historical businesses they wanted to feature, created a large timeline, a magnet matching game, a kiosk of information, and several large standing pieces.”
Wright added, “We have a large 8-pointed star on display that once hung in what many people remember as the Sterling Store, and we also have on exhibit the last known “Naked Lady” wall sconce from the former Landers Theater! We are excited about sharing all of this while also celebrating Main Street history through memories and music. Come join us!
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.