Calico Rock will be a magical place to spend the holiday season. We’re beginning the Christmas season with a full complement of activities. Our community will deck Main Street in garland and Christmas lights on Wednesday, November 8. Anyone willing to help with the decorating can meet at 10:00 a.m. Everyone’s help would be appreciated.
The highly successful Mistletoe and Holly craft fair will be held in The Nook (in Peppersauce Alley behind Main Street) on Friday and Saturday, November 10-11. This is a great opportunity to buy locally made items for Christmas gifts.
We encourage everyone to shop local on Small Business Saturday on November 25. Looking for unique gift ideas? Our local businesses have them. For a complete listing of all our local businesses (most of whom offer gift certificates) visit www.ExploreCalico.com.
Our annual Living Windows and Lighted Christmas Parade will be held on Saturday, December 9. There is still opportunities for your group, business, or church to participate. For more information or to sign up, call the Calico Rock Museum & Visitor Center at 870-297-6100.
To get into the Christmas spirit and support our local students in the arts, mark your calendars to attend the Calico Rock Music & Band Concert on Monday, December 18. It will be held in the Elementary Campus Auditorium at 6:00 p.m. This year, the music department will feature songs from Christmas movies!
As you’re shopping for Christmas presents, don’t forget to shop Main Street! These are all local, small businesses who put money back into our community. While you’re downtown or while family are visiting, be sure to take them for a visit to the Calico Rock Museum & Visitor Center. If you’ve never been, it’s worth a visit. You will be impressed.
For more information or to help plan your Christmas in Calico, call us at 870-297-6100.
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.