Whitey Herzog is coming to Cotter for ball field fund raiser!

Major sports figures are part of the attraction being planned for March 12, 2005, to raise funds for renovation of the ball field at Big Spring Park. Upgrades will include the addition of lights, a press box, concession stand and improved rest rooms. Such a facility would not only be available for more play for Cotter kids but would also help attract tournaments to Cotter.

Local businessman Kent Newman is spear-heading the effort and has been joined by the City of Cotter, the Cotter Area Chamber of Commerce, Cotter Schools and other private individuals. At this time plans are for Whitey Herzog, former manager of the Saint Louis Cardinals, to headline the event, which will include a banquet and silent auction at Cotter Schools. Details are being developed and a limited number of tickets will be sold by the Cotter Area Chamber

of Commerce. More information will be provided in the near future.

At their September 23rd meeting the Cotter City Council provided a major boost to the project. Kent Newman made a preliminary proposal to confirm support by the City as the basis for grant applications in the near future. Estimated costs for lights alone were $26-$30 thousand. Newman got that support plus a firm commitment of just under $15,000 from the sale of three lots on Harding Avenue.

The effort has been joined by Bev Pence and the Cotter Area Chamber of Commerce and Don Sharp and Cotter Schools.

Tax deductible contributions can be mailed to the Cotter Area Chamber of Commerce, “Ball Field Lights” P.O. Box 489, Cotter, AR 72626.

Light the Loop Christmas Lighting Contest Winners

Cotter winners in the Light the Loop area Christmas lighting display and contest were:

Lights, Lights, Lights

First:       Mike & Debby Mason     514 Dalton
Second:   White Sands Motel 107Harding
Third:       Gil & Margaret Stammer 374 Sunset

Traditional/Theme

First: Steve & Peggy Hammack 338 Melba
Second: Denis & Emilie Dunderdale 428 Combs

Overall Money Winners:

$75.00 Mike & Debby Mason 514 Dalton
$50.00 Steve & Peggy Hammack 338 Melba
$25.00 Denis & Emilie Dunderdale 428 Combs

New Visitor’s Center at Bull Shoals-White River State Park
to be completed in 2006

The Arkansas state parks system’s newest facility will be a $5 million visitor center at the 729-acre Bull Shoals-White River State Park upriver from Cotter. To be constructed on a highpoint in the park that affords a spectacular view of the White River, Bull Shoals Dam and Bull Shoals Lake, the 15,744-square foot facility will be named in honor of Jim Gaston of Lakeview, owner of Gaston’s White River Resort and a longtime supporter of the Twin Lakes region. Construction has begun, and the visitor center is scheduled to open in the spring of 2006.

The center is being placed on the Marion County side of the dam in an area that is easily accessible to the public and will provide sweeping spectacular views of the White River, Bull Shoals Dam and Bull Shoals Lake.

The center will serve as the primary visitor contact point at Bull Shoals-White River State Park, which attracts almost 600,000 visitors annually. It will promote the region’s numerous attractions, as well as interpreting the area’s history and culture. It will share the story of the fisheries of the White River and tell about the purpose of the White River projects in the areas of recreation, flood control and hydroelectric power, along with their related impacts on the state and local economies, and on the environment. In addition, the visitor center will serve as an education center for the area’s school students.

As visitors step into the building, they will notice large, hanging vintage postcard banners hanging from the ceiling that will be the unifying theme. Visitors will find exhibits throughout the lobby, gift shop, Johnboat Theater and Exhibit Hall, a 1,720-square-foot area filled with images of the river, lake and dam. Large fish sculptures arranged in formations like they are swimming will hang from the high ceilings. The exhibits will include life-like models of champion fish for visitors to touch and examine.

A large digital relief map of Arkansas will be located at the entrance to the Exhibit Hall. On either side of the map exhibit will be two aquariums holding species of fish representing the cold-water fish of the river and the warm-water fish of the lake.

One of mid-America’s premier trout streams, the White River is renowned for its catches of record rainbow and brown trout. Bull Shoals Lake, at 45,440 acres, is Arkansas’s largest lake, with waters stretching into southern Missouri. Anglers and water sports enthusiasts are drawn to its clear waters and Ozark Mountain scenery.

Free beading classes sponsored by the Saturday Club at NAYC

Coetia Batarseh of Norfork, who has previously taught beading and water color classes at Annie’s Books and Curiosities, will offer free beading classes at the North Arkansas Youth Center on each Wednesday afternoon in February.

The classes, which are open to adults as well as children, will run from 3:30 to 5:30 on February 2, 9, 16, and 23. To sign up for the classes, call the NAYC at 435-2850.

Bridge to be lit 365 days a year

    On December 17, 2004, after Christmas carol singing in the gazebo at Big Spring Park, new lights on the R.M. Ruthven bridge in Cotter were turned on for the first time. The bridge was lighted for the first time in 1996 under the auspices of the Cotter Care Crew, Doris Anglin, President. Bessie Daffron was also heavily involved in that effort.
      The lights are on both sides of the bridge, so they are visible both upstream and downstream.      Donations to make the project possible were made by hundreds of people who bought bulbs for $1 and wrote their names or the names of loved ones on the bulbs. Additional donations were made by the Cotter Chamber of Commerce, $500; Supreme Boats of Flippin, $500; Peter Pietz, $200; and the October Campers, a group that comes every October to camp in the White River Campground, donated $601.
     The picture above was taken by Kevin Pieper of the Baxter Bulletin and appeared, in full color, on the front page of the Bulletin on Christmas Day. Prints may be available for sale at the Bulletin office.

Who are those flouncy floozies
in fishnet stockings?

Bet you’ve noticed those fancy-dressed women who come to Cotter to support almost every event held in town. In case you wondered, they’re the “Reel Divas,” the women members of the Mid South Fly Fishers.

An article by Diva Joan Judy in the November 2004 newsletter of the MSFF, Tight Lines and Tall Tales, reminds us that for the 2004 Fall Festival parade, “the reel divas decorated four boats with sparkly stuff, marabou boas, and huge trout

pillows...[and] tossed out fish candy and fish beads to the crowd.”

What you may not know is that “the fluff and flaunting also enhances many worthwhile causes, such as the Casting for Recovery program for survivors of breast cancer and Serenity, the shelter for abused women in Mountain Home.”

The Trout Capital News salutes these hard working and hard playing ladies and hopes they’ll return to Cotter many more times in the future.

Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Free Delivery in Cotter
7337 Highway 62W. Gassville 435-5757

Cotter Chamber Continues to Grow

For several years the Cotter Chamber of Commerce has been actively involved in positive programs and activities for the betterment of Cotter. The coming year should see further expansion of their efforts.

New board members announced at the November general membership meeting include Denis Dunderdale, Tina Berry, and Gail Majors. At the Board of Directors meeting Dec 9th, officers were elected for 2005. They are Bev Pence, President; Gary Flippin, Vice President; Gail Majors, Secretary; and Margaret Stammer, Treasurer. The Board clarified procedures for financial management, and plans for increasing membership and committee involvement by members during the coming year.

The second annual “Cotter Area Chamber of Commerce Holiday Party” is scheduled for Thursday, January 13th at “The Atrium” at 1046

Cranfield Road. The evening will include an informalmixer and cash bar from 5:30-7 p.m., buffet dinner at 7 p.m. and play, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” at 8 p.m. The cost is $15 and reservations should be made by January 10. For more information contact Margaret Stammer at 435-2663.

The Cotter Chamber sponsors the annual spring Great Cotter Trout Festival (May 6-7th), the fall festival “Art, Antiques and Architecture . . . A Cotter Open House” (Sept 23-24th) and an annual scholarship for Cotter High School. The Chamber is also involved with other major projects to include band uniforms for Cotter Schools, re-dedication and lighting of the R.M. Ruthven Bridge, and lighting and other improvements to the ball field at Big Spring Park.

The next Chamber meeting is Tuesday, February 15th at 8 a.m. at the White Sands Restaurant. As always, the public is invited to attend.

This newsletter is published monthly by the City of Cotter and focuses on organized activities. It is edited by Sonny and Judi Sharp and printed by Good Impressions Printing. It is also published electronically at www.troutcapitalnews.com. If you have information to contribute, please e‑mail it to judi@thehistorybook.com, drop it by City Hall, or mail it to PO Box 128, Cotter, AR 72626.