Bring your lawn chairs and blankets for a day of FREE entertainment in downtown Newport! Music starts at 1:00 p.m. on the Terry Scoggins Memorial Stage.
Depot Days Festival 2023 – Newport, Arkansas
The 25th Annual Depot Days Festival to be held September 15-16, 2023, on Front Street in downtown Newport. The festival is a showcase of local, regional, and national talent paying tribute to the rich musical history of Jackson County for which Rock ‘n’ Roll Highway 67 was recognized by the Arkansas Legislature and Governor Mike Beebe years ago. This year’s lineup features its most diverse range of music yet from Christian to Country, Blues and Bluesy Rock, R&B to Dance Favorites! Don’t forget your lawn chairs or blankets. Learn more about this years lineup below. Or click on the Schedule Tab above!
Tickets are required for the Conductor’s Reception & Fundraiser indoors Friday night. Tickets can be purchased from the Newport Area Chamber of Commerce. Admission is FREE to the public on Saturday, music will be performed outdoors on the Terry Scoggins Memorial Stage. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. For more info, call 870-523-3618.
Friday, September 15, 2023
6:00pm Doors Open – Conductor’s Reception & Fundraiser, Jane Parnell Performing Arts Hall
6:30pm The Legendary Pacers – Call 870-523-3618 for ticket info
Saturday, September 16, 2023 – FREE ADMISSION
1:15pm Crutchfield (Contemporary Christian)
2:30pm The ShotGunBillys (Blues)
3:45pm Memphissippi Sounds (Blues)
5:00pm Kish & Pamela (Country)
6:15pm The Big Dam Horns (R&B, Dance)
7:30pm Chapel Hart (Country)
For a complete schedule of events, vendor applications and other festival details, visit www.depotdays.org
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.