Aug. 18, Joyce and Desmond Simmons, Lake in the Willows Apiary, members of the Arkansas Craft Guild, will spend the day at the Arkansas Craft Gallery from 10 to 5. Taste samples of their delicious honey products, including flavored creamed spreads like chocolate, lemon, or cinnamon. They also make shaped beeswax candles, lip balm, and wood conditioner. They bring an observation hive, tools needed for beekeeping, and a video that explains their harvest methods and commitment to saving bees from extinction.
Desmond has been called the “bee whisperer.” He works with youth to teach beekeeping. Anyone considering becoming a beekeeper should come in and ask questions. Their apiary (honey farm) has over 60 hives in production at Scott, AR. As a community service, they capture and remove swarms of bees that are in the way of human activities.
The Arkansas Craft Gallery, just off the Square in Mountain View (Bee City USA) has been home to Arkansas Craft Guild members’ crafts since 1962, a cooperative fostering excellence. Desmond and Joyce Simmons also will be at the Guild’s 40th Annual Christmas Showcase, to be held in Little Rock Nov. 30, Dec. 1 & 2 at the State Fairgrounds Hall of Industry.
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(501) 920-1381 phone for Lake in the Willows
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.