The annual Christmas In The Village celebration at the Cherokee Village Town Center will be held on Monday, December 5.
The event, a collaborative effort between the City of Cherokee Village, Community Developer, Arts Center of North Arkansas and Spring River Innovation Hub, includes live music, the annual tree lighting ceremony, shopping at the Christmas Bazaar and a visit from Santa Claus.
The Highland Jazz Band will perform at Center Stage at 5:30 pm. Members of the Community Chorus will be on hand for caroling and the Arts Center of North Arkansas gallery will be open to host photos with Santa.
As part of the Christmas in the Village Event a Christmas Bazaar is being held by the Arts Center of North Arkansas in collaboration with the Spring River Innovation Hub. Artisan and craft vendors will be set up inside the Innovation Hub on Saturday, December 3 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Bazaar will be closed Sunday and will open again on Monday, December 5 from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pmso that those attending Christmas in the Village can enjoy holiday shopping. Boy Scout Troop 639 and Girl Scout Troup 6-258 will be on site selling hot chocolate and chili.
On Monday only there will be vendors selling funnel cakes, snow cones and kettle corn. Be sure to stop by Town Center to enjoy this annual community gathering and to help kick off the holiday season.
Admission is free and open to the public
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.