Trout Capital News
Volume II Number 2
Published by the City of Cotter, Arkansas
October 2005
Cotter Cuties in Action
by Carolyn Gill
On September 20th past, the Red Hats were a flyin’! Sixteen of the Cotter Cuties Red Hat Chapter converged on The Dinner Bell, owned by Cotterites Bill & Judy Nazarenko and Chris & Vicky Francis. Amid laughter, chatter and lots of fun, the ladies were able to experience the new meal preparation service offered by The Dinner Bell.
Monty Manchester of KTLO heard about the fun and “dropped by” with a phone interview. The “special session” at The Dinner Bell was marked with a delightful lunch, and each person’s choice of a meal to assemble and take home. The afternoon was overwhelmingly enjoyed by all!
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New Scoreboard at the Ball Field The new scoreboard furnished by Coca-Cola has been received and installed at the ballfield. It will be wired by Rick’s Electric, hopefully before this newsletter is published. It is larger than the old board and looks great. Stop by and have a look. Kent Newman has volunteered to make an announcers booth to accommodate a scorekeeper and a person to run the score board. It will be a wooden structure with a cement floor. The City Crew will pour the floor and Kent will build the structure. He plans to have it done before the girl’s season starts in late February. Thanks Kent!!! |
 Ladies’
Fly Fishing ClassLori Sloas will hold a ladies’ fly fishing class on Saturday, October 15, 2005 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at River Bend Trading Company located at 102 Combs Ave. This is conducted in a relaxed casual setting with a small class size to give you the perfect environment to take up the quiet sport and allow for a lot of individual attention.The course is geared to the beginner or novice angler and is designed to give you confidence on the stream. Learn to cast a fly rod in a relaxed non-threatening manner from an experienced instructor. The cost of the course is only $75.00. This includes lunch and all equipment is provided. You don’t need to bring anything but a curiosity about this exciting sport and a willingness to learn all about it on one day. To register or ask any questions, stop by River Bend Trading Company, call Lori Sloas at 435-2169 or email her at berrybrothers@infodash.com |
Spotlighting Cotter History
By Wanda
Fielding
Paradise Theatre to open December 3
This article is from the Cotter Record, 11/21/1931
Cotter, Arkansas November 21, 1931
Thursday night next week, December 8, the Paradise will open its doors
to the public, the initial show will be “The Squaw Man,” a picture that
has excited much comment and is rated as one of the best features thus
far produced.
The building was erected especially for sound pictures and the law of acoustics has been closely followed to the smallest detail eliminating the hollow sound and echo that distorts sound. To soften the effect draperies are placed to best advantage. The color scheme is a blending of red, brown, orange and gold. At each side of the foyer is an attractive set in panel with hidden light affects. The seating arrangement is ideal, regular opera chairs with tilt-up seats making it easy to pass in and out. There are two exits in front, and the entrance may also be used so that in case of necessity the house can be emptied in less than one minute.
A heating and ventilating system being installed insures comfort and pure air at all times, a matter of prime importance. Much attention has been given to the light affects. Mr. Yancey states that the objectionable glare so often met with in picture houses is entirely done away with. The light will be ample, but soft and mellow.
A canopy awning brilliantly lighted extends over the sidewalk supported by heavy iron rods. There are no posts. The ticket office opens outside and entrance is through wide doors opening out. Taken as a whole, the Paradise is beyond doubt the best equipped picture house in north Arkansas, and will exhibit the latest releases at the same date as theatres in larger cities. The admission has been placed at 10 and 25 cents for regular pictures and 15 and 35 cents for special pictures. Seats have been provided for
275, and it is expected that all will be filled on opening night, and
should be on each night there after. Theatre goers will show their
appreciation of the efforts of Mr. Yancey has made to provide them with
as high class entertainment as they will find in the cities.
The original theater building still stands
at 206 South Ave. It is currently owned by Sonny and Tina Cooke.
Eagle Scout Appreciated
On September 22, the City
Council presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Jordan Greenway, a
candidate for Eagle Scout. Jordan selected the refurbishing of the
bricked picnic shelter in Big Spring Park as his project. He and some
helpers painted, re-roofed, and covered the wood with metal thereby
making the structure as good as new. Councilman Gil Stammer presented
Greenway with the certificate.
THANKS JORDAN!!!!
Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival
September 24, 2005 brought cloudy skies but an enthusiastic crowd to Big Spring Park. The Fall Festival featured the “Soda Pop Cruiser’s” Car Show. There was a group of fine show cars in the park.
The festival also featured several craft vendors’ booths, a dunk tank, an inflated slide for the kids, and plenty of good festival food.
The Chamber had a “Chinese Auction” of nice items donated by local merchants. The day was topped off with a BarBQ Dinner in the evening and music by Rio and Cuttin’ Loose. After the dinner, the school students had a dance in the pavilion, with music DJ’d by Jim Seamon. A “good time was had by all”!
Cotter Jr High School Choir fund raiser booth. The best 50¢ bag of
popcorn around!
Quin’s Tree City Booth at the Fall Festival.
Quin is joined by
supporter, Mo Mosley and helpers Margie Beaver and Wanda Fielding
Beverly Pence presents a check from the Chamber of Commerce to complete
funding of the lights at the Ball Park.
The
Backyard Birder
By Marilyn Crane
“House Finch Disease”- A new contagious disease in wild
songbirds.
Bird feeding is one of the leading pastimes in the U.S.. Many of us
enjoy feeding our backyard wildlife and have become avid bird watchers
within our yards and communities. With the joy of having feeders and
birdbaths comes the responsibility of keeping the health of our bird’s
top priority. House Finch disease was first noticed in 1994 in the
Washington D.C. area. Birds infected with the disease (also called
mycoplasmal conjunctivitis) appear to have red, swollen, runny or crusty
eyes: in extreme cases the eyes become swollen shut or crusted over and
the bird becomes blind and unable to fend for itself. While some
infected birds recover, they remain carriers of the disease and may die
of starvation, exposure, or predation. Recent reports indicate that this
disease has also spread to the American Goldfinch and has been
documented west of the Rocky Mountains since 2003.
If a sick bird is observed at your feeder, minimize the risk of infecting other birds by cleaning your feeding area thoroughly. If you see several birds take down or empty your feeder for at least a week to give the birds a chance to disperse.
Remember Prevention Is the Key to avoid the spread of the disease. Regularly clean feeders and bird baths even when there are no signs of disease.
Birds can transmit diseases at feeding stations and water sources. They can become ill from leftover bits of seeds and hulls that become moldy as well as bird droppings that accumulate. Therefore:
• Clean feeders once every two weeks
• Drill plenty drainage holes in the bottoms of feeder trays
• Rake up accumulated seeds and hulls
• Clean with soapy water then soak or rinse in a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water
• Dry thoroughly before reuse
• Empty and clean bird baths often with bleach solution regularly!
Cotter Crossing Apartments
By Pamela Woods
Tom Embach of Leisure Homes Corporation is proud to present Cotter Crossing Apartments. Cotter Crossing was named with the help of the Cotter Community. The name reflects Mr. Embach’s support of the wonderful railroad heritage of Cotter, Arkansas.
The grounds and community room, situated in the middle of the complex will display memorabilia of the great railroad era. Plans are to lay railroad track to cross as you enter the property and pass a replica of a railroad crossing gate. Mr. Embach is inviting anyone with railroad memorabilia to donate, sell, or loan their items for display at the property. He wishes to thank the entire city of Cotter for their wonderful support of this project and looks forward to being a part of their community.
Cotter Crossing is a sixteen unit complex designed for persons 55 years of age or better. The complex is situated close to highway 62, just a mile from the White River. The very efficient apartments have front and rear private patios, washer and dryer hookups, refrigerator, range, mini blinds, and spacious living area of 702 square feet. The Community Room will offer space for residents to meet and has a kitchen, bath and rental office in the building.
Thomas Embach, the general partner, said completion of the complex is scheduled for October 2005. Applications for residency are now being taken. Call 870-405-4256 for more information.
Students Rally Support for Hurricane Katrina Victims
Information provided by Dr. Kathryn Norman, Cotter High
Student Council Sponsor
The students, faculty, and administration of Cotter Public Schools thank
the Cotter City Council and Mayor for their support in raising funds for
victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Cotter High School Student Council
sponsored “Hats On” day on September 9. Student donations of $1.00 per
student and contributions from Cotter city leaders and businesses,
enabled the students to present a check for over $1200.00 to the
Salvation Army. During the presentation to Officer Dancer of the
Salvation Army, Cotter Schools Superintendent applauded the generosity
of the students and community.
Angel Food Ministries
On Saturday, September 24th,
Cotter’s White River Church of the Nazarene successfully distributed the
first shipment of food through Angel Food Ministries. Approximately 3 ½
tons of food was distributed to over 300 people. The Mountain Home ROTC
helped unload the delivery truck and volunteers from the church and
Wal-Mart helped set up, distribute food, and carry boxes or laundry
baskets of food to cars. This service is available to anyone and
everyone who wishes to reduce the cost of their monthly grocery bill.
The October menu is posted at City Hall. Orders must be placed by
Monday, October 17th for delivery Saturday, October 29th. For more
information call the church office 435-2660 or visit the website
www.angelfoodministries.com
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Rediscovering the Woolly
By John Berry
The other day, I was fishing
by myself. I had been left home alone and the only alternative was to
paint the house. The decision was easy. I loaded up the boat and headed
for the river. I motored up to my favorite spot between the new Cotter
Bridge and the rainbow bridge, hopped out of the boat, and started
fishing. I began by nymphing but had no luck. I tried soft hackles to no
avail. I looked for surface activity but saw none. Finally in
desperation, I changed to 4X tippet and tied on a woolly bugger. It was
as if the clouds parted and the sun shone. The fishing turned
spectacular. I began catching one great fish after another. They were
big fat sassy trout that had been out of the hatchery for a long time.
This fisharama went on for several hours before I tired of the constant
action. As I was motoring back to the ramp I was thinking, why don’t I
fish Woolly buggers more often? There was a time, my woolly bugger
period, when I hardly fished anything else. I often have my clients fish
them, but for some reason I haven’t personally fished them much lately.
I had been lured by the siren song of small nymphs and dry flies and had
forgotten the resounding thump of a good fish hitting a woolly.
I remember the day over twenty years ago when my brother Dan introduced
me to this new fly he had discovered. “It’s called a woolly bugger.”
“How do you fish it?” “Just cast it and hang on!” Since then I have used
it to catch trout (rainbows, browns, cutthroats, brookies and bull
trout), small- and large-mouth bass, bream, crappie, sunfish, walleye,
speckled sea trout, and even a shark. I have caught more fish on it than
any other fly. In addition, I have caught literally all of my big fish
on it.
The secret of fishing the woolly is to put
it on the bottom. I used to tie my buggers with 17 wraps of #2 buss fuse
wire (a heavy lead wire) on a size ten hook. Now I tie them bead head
style and they seem to work about the same but are easier to tie and are
not as toxic. I tie them in olive, brown, and black. I use the brown and
olive ones to match the bottom and use the black ones for fishing at
night. When fishing them on a floating line, I use a 7 & ½ foot 3X
leader with an 18-inch 4X tippet. It is important to use at least a 4X
tippet because the palmered hackle on the woolly will cause it to spin.
This will eventually kink up the tippet. I also wrap an inch or two of
strip lead above the tippet knot to ensure that the fly scratches the
bottom.
All of this weight makes the
fly hard to cast. An easier way to fish a woolly bugger is with a sink
tip line. I use a line with a ten foot sinking section that is rated
type six (the fastest sinking). To fish either line I cast the fly
downstream at a 45degree angle. I let the line swing in the current
until it is directly below me. As it swings, I will mend the line up
stream to allow the fly to sink better. At the end of the swing, I strip
the fly back toward me. I generally use short strips (a couple of
inches) and vary the speed of the retrieve until I figure out what the
fish want.
What makes the woolly so
effective is that it is a searching pattern. To get the most out of it
you need to keep moving. I generally cast 2 or 3 times to the left, cast
2 or 3 times to the right, and then take one step down stream. If I
begin catching fish I slow down or stop until I am no longer hooking up.
I then move on. Fishing in this manner I can cover large sections of
water.
If you fish woolly buggers
regularly, good for you. If you haven’t used them lately, give them a
try. It will be like running into an old friend!
City-Wide Yard Sale
October 8
Sign up now at Riverbend Trading in Cotter to be included on maps which
will be available at Riverbend and on the steps of City Hall the morning
of the yard sale. The sale will be advertised in the Baxter Bulletin.
Don’t forget the large item trash pick-up will be on Monday, Oct 10.
IESI will not pick up yard clippings, tires or hazardous waste items.
Paint cans must be empty and the lids off. Any item that contained freon
must have the gas removed and appropriate tag indicating it’s removal.
Please do not place your trash out for pick up until after the City Wide
Yard Sale ends. The yard sale will run from 8 am to 4pm.
Saturday Club News
By Judi Sharp
The regular September meeting
of the Saturday Club of Cotter, a General Federated Women’s Club, was
held at the Spring House on September 17, 2005. Wanda Fielding, Chairman
of the historical markers committee, reported that the stone marker at
Hopkins Overlook is finished and awaiting a bronze plaque. Helen
Lacefield, Treasurer, reported that the money for the historical markers
is available and they will be ordered soon. New members joining the club
were Tina Berry, Margaret Stammer and Jane Flowers. Projects for the
year were discussed.
The next meeting will be on October 15
at the home of Wanda Fielding. If you are interested in joining a club
which has been volunteering for Cotter for a century, please call any
member or Judi Sharp, 492-4483.
Hopkins’ Overlook—Saturday Club’s Historical Marker
By Laura Morris
Have you noticed the
beautiful stone pillar as you round the bend at Hopkins’ Overlook on
62B? The historical marker is the first of many sponsored by The
Saturday Club of Cotter.
In 1967, Herbert and Katharine Hopkins Pitman
donated the land upon which the marker sits to the City of Cotter. Mayor
Rex Bayless received the bequest in memoriam of Laura and Clarence
Hopkins, prominent citizens and active members of the Cotter business
community. Laura Hopkins was a founding member of The Saturday Club.
The base of the monument was generously supplied by the City of Cotter
and the structure was provided by Jerry and Marilyn Pitman Morris. The
stone mason was Tim Sutterfield of Leslie, Arkansas. The Morris’ will
place a plaque on the marker including Katharine Hopkins Pitman’s words
honoring her parents. We welcome the lovely addition to our community
roadside and look forward to continuing symbols of our heritage.
Mayor’s Corner
By Mo Mosley
As days get shorter, thoughts turn toward cooler weather. We have had a
dry hot summer and hope for more moisture as winter approaches. I, for
one, look for moisture but don’t wish for snow and ice. I spent 35
winters in Northern Michigan, and even though I like a little snow
around Christmas, I have no desire to see a lot of snow ever again.
I look forward to a “Town Meeting” on October 18 at 7:00 pm. There are
several things I will be presenting for the citizen’s of Cotter to
evaluate. We will meet at the Youth Center. The Center will be one of
the topics. I hope we have a good turn out and will be anxious to get
your feedback in the coming months.
We
have several new houses going up in town, which is always good as it
means we have new folks coming into town. We welcome new residents. The
new “Cotter Crossing Apartments” will be opening very soon. When they
open be sure to go by and have a look. They are very nice.
Quin Berry is the “Tree Commissioner” of Cotter. As such, he is heading
up a group of Cotter Citizens to take part in a National Organization
called “Tree City USA.” He has some outstanding ideas and is welcoming
anyone who wants to do a little work to make our town a better place to
live. If you are up to the task give him a call.
As you can see by the size of this newsletter we have a lot of people
submitting articles. We had to leave some out but will include them next
month.
Upcoming Events
Saturday , October 8
City Wide Yard Sale 8 am to 4 pm
RFPD Aux BBQ 11 am to 3 pm
Street Dance 7 pm to 10 pm on 2nd Street between Dalton to McLeanMonday, October 10
Large Item Trash Pickup
Saturday, October 15
Ladies’ Fly Fishing Class
Saturday ClubTuesday , October 18
Town Meeting 7 pm
Saturday, October 29
Angel Food Ministry Delivery
This newsletter is published monthly
by the City of cotter and focuses on local activities. It is edited by
Mo & Theresa Mosley along with Tina Berry. It is printed by Good
Impressions Printing of Mountain Home. It is also published
electronically at
www.troutcapitalnews.com. If you have information to contribute
please e-mail to
smberry13@hotmail.com, leave
it at City Hall, or mail to PO BOX 9, Cotter, AR 72626/