The 75th White River Water Carnival Parade to Rock & Roll down Chaney Drive
2018 (Batesville, AR)— The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) and Citizens Bank are proud to announce the details related to the 75th White River Water Carnival Parade.
The Parade will begin at the intersection of Myers and Chaney Drive in Batesville at 5:00 P.M. on Saturday September 8th, 2018. The parade will make its way down Chaney Drive, ending at the intersection of Chaney and Pioneer Drive.
The theme this year is Elvis Presley, in honor of the musicians return to the Water Carnival stage since his infamous appearance in 1955.
For parade registration please contact the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce at 870-793-2378 or visit www.whiteriverwatercarnival.com.
About the White River Water Carnival:
The White River Water Carnival is a free, family event that features entertainment, food vendors, craft and commercial vendors, a parade, and kids’ activities. Kids’ activities require the purchase of an admission band and are currently sponsored in part by FNBC, Littlefield Oil, Pepsi, Walmart, and Westrock Orthodontics. The car show is sponsored by the Wood Family dealerships. The parade is sponsored by Citizens Bank. Other carnival entertainment is currently sponsored by ARCare, Bad Boy Mowers, the City of Batesville, Flowers Baking Company, Home Depot, Life Plus, Merchants & Planters Bank, Ozark Mountain Poultry, Precise Heating & Air, Sherwood Urgent Care, Sonic Drive-In, Southern Charm, UPS Store, and White River Now.
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.