Water Carnival to Feature First Frozen Custard Eating Competition
(Batesville, AR)— The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) and Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers of Batesville are proud to announce the addition of the frozen custard eating competition to this year’s festival.
The competition will occur on September 7th at 6:30 PM at Riverside Park on the Main Stage There will be a limit of 12 competitors for each division. Competitors will be chosen by lottery and contacted on September 5th, 2019. The winner from each division will receive a gift certificate to Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.
Divisions include: Children (8-under), Teen/Tween (9-15), and Adult (16+).
“We are thrilled to partner with one of Batesville’s favorite restaurants to bring this competition to life. Frozen treats are a staple of summer and we want to celebrate that!” said Tourism Director Kyle Christopher.
To register please visit www.whiteriverwatercarnival.com or stop by the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information please call 870-793-2378 or email tourism@batesvilleareachamber.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 and the Patriot Slide require the purchase of an admission band and are sponsored by Bank of Cave City, Littlefield Oil, Pepsi, Southern Bank, Tooth Be Told, UAMS North Central, and Walmart. The River City Cruiser’s Car Show is sponsored by Wood Family Dealerships. The parade is sponsored by Citizen’s Bank. Other carnival sponsors include ARCare, Bad Boy Mowers, City of Batesville, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Home Depot, Life Plus, Mark Martin Ford & Kia, Merchants & Planters Bank, Ozark Mountain Poultry, Sherwood Urgent Care, Sonic Drive-In, Southern Charm, UPS Store, and White River Now. For more information, please contact Kyle Christopher at (870) 793-2378 or tourism@batesvilleareachamber.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.