Newport Chamber Upcoming Events
The 35th Annual Tuckerman Hometown Days will be held this weekend. On Friday, bbq sales begin at 11 a.m., vendors begin at 6 p.m. Dustin & Cam Shelton will perform on stage at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the kids fishing derby starts at 7 a.m., volleyball tournament at 9 a.m. The festival will begin at 10 a.m. with activities throughout the day including a pie and cake auction, bbq sales, corn hole tournament, auction and performances by Reborn, Buddy Brown and Maggie Thorn with a fireworks show at 9 p.m.
Saturday, May 11, Jacksonport State Park will be hosting a Beginner Embroidery Workshop from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Visitor Information Center. Each participant will create a hand-sewn sampler to take home while learning six simple stitches. All supplies are provided and the cost is $15 per person. The workshop is best suited for participants ages 12 and up. Registration is required by Thursday, May 9, at 3:00 p.m. For more information call (870)523-2143 or email Jacksonport@arkansas.com.
The ASU-Newport Movies in the Park will be held Saturday, May 11, featuring The Incredibles 2 at approximately 7:45 p.m. Movies are held in the Front Street Park in downtown Newport. In the event of inclement weather, movies will move to the Newport, Business Resource Center, 201 Hazel Street. Concessions will be available. Free for all!
Tuesday, May 14, The Bright Star Children’s Theatre will be back in Newport thanks to Farmers Electric. “Velveteen Rabbit” will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Business Resource Center, 201 Hazel Street. An acting workshop will follow the show and should end at 7:30 p.m. The show and workshop are both free!
Tuesday, May 14, Newcomers of Jackson County’s Annual Salad Lunch & Bake Sale from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. located at the First Baptist Church-Family Life Center. Donations will be accepted.
Saturday, May 18, First United Methodist Church will have Ribs on the Run from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Smoked baby back ribs will be $20 a slab and proceeds fund outreach programs of the church including the Wardell “Poppy” Food Pantry.
Akeem Kemp Band will be performing at the next Arkansas Steel Associates Monster Groovez Concert on Tuesday, May 21, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Front Street Park. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to Frankie’s Place, 306 Front Street. Admission is FREE!
Monday, May 27, Come downtown to honor men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom in a ceremony at the Veterans Memorial at the Front Street Park at 10:00 a.m. The new bricks honoring veterans will be unveiled in the memorial.
First Baptist Church will have Vacation Bible School May 31 to June 2. Class on May 31will be from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. June 1 class will be 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Family Day will be on June 2from 9:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For more information contact First Baptist Church Office at (870)523-6232.
Saturday, June 1, Monster Beats will feature Queen Anne’s Revenge Dueling Pianos. Sponsored by M&P Banking, Insurance and Investment Services, the concert is free and fun for all ages. Show begins at 7:00 p.m. on the Terry Scoggins Memorial Stage in downtown Newport. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will move to Frankie’s Place, 306 Front Street.
The 11th Annual Delta Arts Festival will bring more than 200 artists, authors, and musicians together in Newport for a celebration of talent, skill and creativity at 11 locations downtown. Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 come and look at visual art, read/listen to literary art and dance/listen to musical art.
Newport Area Chamber of Commerce, 201 Hazel Street, Newport, AR 72112
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.