Batesville Christmas Parade Plans Announced Thursday, September 4, 2019, Batesville, Ark. — Christmas may seem far away but the Batesville Kiwanis Club is already making plans for the 2019 Batesville Christmas Parade. The long-standing tradition of glowing Christmas lights filling the streets in historic downtown Batesville continues on Monday, December 2. “This parade has grown so much over the years, and it’s quite a fun community spectacle! Each year we’re blown away by the float designs, lights, and smiling faces. It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” States Landon Downing, parade coordinator. The theme for the 2019 Batesville Christmas Parade will be A Cinematic Christmas. “From the Grinch to Uncle Eddie, Buddy the Elf to fragile Leg Lamps, our community will surely have a blast celebrating their favorite Christmas movies,” continued Downing. Line-up will begin at 4:00 p.m. at the Town Plaza Shopping Center (on Main Street, across from Centennial Bank). The parade will begin at 6:00 p.m. Participants who are entering a float are encouraged to arrive by 4:00 p.m. Parade entry forms will be accessible on the event’s facebook page. The Batesville Kiwanis Club kindly asks everyone to not incorporate Santa Claus in their entries since the real Santa Claus will be riding at the end of the parade.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place parade float winners will be announced Tuesday, December 10, 2019. Categories to be judged are: Commercial & Non-Profit/Civic Organization. All winners will be notified. All judges’ decisions will be fair, impartial and final. The Kiwanis Club of Batesville assumes no responsibility for injury before, during, or after the parade.
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.