New Quilting, Sewing, and Crafting Group to Meet at Old Independence Regional Museum
Old Independence Regional Museum is hosting a new group for anyone interested in quilting, sewing or crafting together. Novices and skilled practitioners are all welcome! The group will convene on Thursday, March 5 at 10:00 a.m. at the museum.
For the first project, the group will make lap-sized rag quilts. Rag quilts are fairly simple to make using only basic sewing skills, but the finished products can be both useful and beautiful. Mrs. Ruth Kent Cook will lead participants in creating their own quilts to take home.
Participants are asked to bring two or three yards of flannel or cotton material, coordinating thread, scissors and/or rotary cutter, a cutting board, and sewing machine if possible. For those who do not have these supplies, a limited amount of sewing equipment will be available for group use. Cost of the meeting is $5 per person.
The group will meet regularly on the first Thursday of each month from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. with a fee of $5 per person. People of all ages and skill levels are invited to participate. Anyone who has a special crafting skill to share is also welcome! Future projects will be determined by the group and its leaders.
The quilting group is open to the public. For more information, contact Terri Crawford, Humanities Educator, at (870) 793-2121 or oirm.educator@gmail.com. The museum is located at 380 S. Ninth Street in Batesville and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission fees are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, students, and military, $2 for children (6-12), and free for children 5 and under.
Old Independence serves a 12-county area: Baxter, Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Marion, Poinsett, Sharp, Stone, White, and Woodruff. Parts of these present-day counties comprised the original Independence County in 1820s Arkansas territory.
This humanities program is made possible by local support from Independence County and the City of Batesville, as well as by Challenge Grant Endowment funding from the National Endowment of the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Phone: (870) 793-2121
E-mail: oirm.educator@gmail.com
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.