Artisans Market on the Square at Bean Fest in Mountain View will be Oct. 25 and 26. Friday, hours are 11 to 6, and Saturday, 9 to 4 with returning flame-worked bead makers Maria Smith, and Sage and Tom Holland. Look for Liz and Lewie Lloyd, knifemaker and woodturner, Doris Fountain’s fabric décor and Santas, Tammy Sue Pope’s goat milk soaps and lotions, and Christy Marchand’s, Whimzee Glass art. Dave and Deb Leedham, the Spoonworks, will bring their hand-carved boat paddles as well as kitchen spoons. Aaron Gschwandeggar, Fallen Pine, photographs and frames prints of birds and butterflies, creates fabric designs for home decor. New to the Artisans Market will be Barney and Gail Kyzar with their painted gourd art and Barb Cornett will bring stained and fused glass creations for hanging or tabletop display. Cindy Rice’s crocheted accessory business, Bad Hair Day Hats, in case it’s windy and cold, you’ll be covered.
Cherie and Jon Brandhorst, Beers & Gearz, have knitted glass jar carrying covers for craft beers, plus their gear themed jewelry. Marty and Norma Matthews will again bring lots of quilts and woodcrafts. Casey Marshall, Flying Pig Guitars, makes novelty instruments like cigar box guitars and toilet seat banjos, with optional amplification, in case you forget to bring your instrument for the jam sessions around the Square. Muffet Pirani, Ponderosa Bliss is makes candles inside vintage glass glassware.
Don’t miss Bean Fest and the colorful fall foliage of the Ozarks. Artisans Market on the Square is behind the white picket fence north of the Courthouse at 113 W. Washington featuring arts and crafts by members and juried guests of the Arkansas Craft Guild. Learn more about the 2 day festival with parade, outhouse race, free beans and cornbread on Saturday sponsored by the Mountain View Area Chamber of Commerce.
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.