Trout Capital News
Volume II Number 3
Published by the City of Cotter, Arkansas
November 2005
New Bridge in Town
By Mo Mosley
There is a new
Rainbow Arch Bridge in the City of Cotter. Saturday, October 29, 2005,
Jim Brooks unveiled his rendition of the bridge as it spans his fish
pond.
The occasion was also a celebration of Jim’s 45th Birthday (if you believe that stop by City hall and I’ll tell you about the ocean front property over by Zinc that I have for sale). The party was well attended and good food and beverage was provided.
Jim’s bridge is a very good likeness of the real bridge and was admired by all in attendance. He has obviously worked long and hard on this project. If he went to all this for his 45th Birthday … I wonder what he might do for his 75th?? Happy Birthday Jim!!
Julia Caradine
White Mist of Cotter
Sponsor of the Month
Sponsors Needed to
Support
Trout Capital News
Tina Berry is contacting prospective sponsors to defray the cost of printing this paper. Sponsorship costs: $100 for a year (12 issues); $60 for 6 months (6 issues); or $10 for 1 month (1 issue). Each month one sponsor will be chosen as the Feature Sponsor of the Month. Call Tina Berry (435-5577) for more information.
Spotlighting Cotter
History
By Wanda Fielding
Lewis Dennis, former Mayor of Cotter and long time resident, remembers the Toll Booth as being located in the middle of the Rainbow Arch Bridge on the Baxter County side. The building had windows on both sides to collect the toll from the traffic coming and going across. Some of the first toll keepers were: Mr. Bodenhamer, Woods, Williams, and Finley. The residence they occupied was a home located on the front lawn of the now White Sands Motel.
After 8 years, Cotter residents complained that charging a toll was unfair since the bridge was their only means of traveling in and out of Cotter and the Lakes Ferry below was no longer there. In 1938, former resident and Missouri Pacific Railroad conductor Carl Bailey was elected Governor of Arkansas. One of his first proclamations was to discontinue the toll on the bridge.
The following are the bridge toll charges as they were printed in The Cotter Record published by Mr. & Mrs. H.D. Routzong on Nov. 28, 1930:
The toll keeper residence was rented for a few years and later purchased by Ted Williams. He moved it across the street to its present location at 102 Combs Ave. It is now an Antique Store and Fly Shop know as RiverBend Trading.
If you have any history of Cotter you would like to share, please call Wanda Fielding at 435-6371.
White Mist of Cotter
Feature Sponsor of the Month
The spirit and strength of the White River, the gentle mist and the historic community of Cotter, inspired Julia Caradine to open White Mist of Cotter. The gift shop located at 106 Combs Ave. opened its doors on October 10, 2005 though its Grand Opening is not planned until Spring of 2006.
The shop offers a range of local area and regional works of imaginative and eclectic art, music and books.
Shopkeeper, Julia Caradine, has met with many local artisans to present their artistic creations and invites you to the White Mist of Cotter to embrace and appreciate artistic gifts made accessible by these devoted, enthusiastic and multi-talented individuals.
Among the many items featured at White Mist of Cotter are Georges Creek functional and decorative handcrafted stoneware by Mary Saintjohn of Yellville; limited edition watercolor prints, note cards and blank journals by artist Roderick W Maclver; vibrant and colorful one-of-a-kind dolls by artist Carolyn Cherry-Oldham; original oils, watercolor art and signed note cards by Phyllis Blackwell; Carol Lynn Pearson’s book series, “A Fable for Our Time” illustrated by Kathleen Peterson; Reel Divas gifts (dedicated to the art of fly fishing and the power of play, based on the belief “that all women should look good while on the water, no matter what type of fishing they enjoy”); and hand woven rugs, wall hangings, and chenille shawls by Fiber Artist Janet L Emery. Ms. Caradine has met with many more local artisans to present their creations in the coming weeks and months.
White Mist of Cotter looks forward to participating with Cotter businesses during the upcoming annual “Holiday Market Open House”. Before then, please stop in to enjoy the “stunning collage of brilliance” already offered.
White Mist of Cotter
business hours:
10 am – 5 pm (closed on
Wednesdays);
Open Sunday 10 am – 4 pm.
Cotter Police Department
Cotter’s Police Department wants our citizens to know they are here to provide aid, service and protection to all of our residents. If you need their help or have questions for them do not hesitate to ask any of them. In the same vein if you have information to share they are always available in a confidential manner. They are at your service and need your support and help in any way you can provide it.
Laura Hodges is our school Resource Officer when school is in session and a Police Officer when school is out. Jackie Stinnet is a full time Police Officer who will soon be going to the Police Academy. Ron Weaver is the Police Chief and also serves as a full time officer. Help these folks help you!!
Tree Trimmings
Tuesday October 24, 2005 brought a cool frosty morning and an arborist from Mountain Home Tree Service to Cotter. The arborist came to perform needed trimming of the Historic Cottonwood Tree in the park and the Historic Walnut Tree in the cemetery. These trees were professionally pruned to help maintain their health.
During the historic tree trimming, other trees in at the park and the cemetery were trimmed and pruned. This project is supported in part by the Arkansas Forestry Commission’s Urban Forestry Program and the U.S. Forest Service. This work is part of Cotter’s effort to become a full member of Tree City USA. The program provides help with maintaining existing trees and the planting and nurturing of new trees.
The arborist, his helper and two Cotter employee’s worked for two days improving the health of trees on city property.
Cotter’s Tree Commissioner, Quinn Berry, is the leader of this project and was instrumental in obtaining the Grant for the City. The Mayor thanks Quinn for his efforts and wants to take this opportunity to solicit help for Quinn and his group from citizens who are interested in helping with this project.
Cotter Cuties Do It Again!
By Carolyn Gill
October brings cooler temperatures, colorful leaves and parades to the Ozarks. October 8th was the annual Yellville Turkey Trot Festival and Parade. This year the parade theme was “Calling All Turkeys”… and those Cotter Cuties did it again! For the second year they won second place for their float.
Town Meeting
October 18th was the first Town Meeting held by the Mayor to present to the town what he envisions for the immediate future of Cotter. Some topics presented were:
* 2006 Budget and the importance of staying within the budget
* Facing the needs of our water system and trying to stock adequate spare parts
* Christmas decorations
* Streets and lack of funds
* Waste Water Treatment Plant problems
* The importance of citizens helping with town projects.
The meeting, held at the Youth Center, ended with a question and comment invitation, but there were not many questions or comments.
Planning and
Zoning
The Planning and Zoning
Committee will hold a hearing on the Request for Rezoning for the
Boonstra Property located on McLean Ave. The hearing will take place at
City hall at 7:00PM on November 9, 2005. The meeting is open to the
public.
City Wide Garage Sale
A
lovely sunny Saturday brought friends and neighbors out to enjoy our
city wide garage sale. Despite the chill in the air, many took the
opportunity to visit with some old friends and meet some new ones, such
as Barbara Tice (right) who moved to Cotter last May from Pine Mountain.
Cotter brings her closer to her grandchildren.
Over 30 garage sales ensured a bargain could be found even the “white elephant” shown above which was spotted at Jim and Betty Whitaker’s sale.
Jim, who grew up in Cotter, enjoys antiquing and restoring old furniture. His collection brims over proving exciting bargains can always be found.
Linda McCarthy’s prime location on Harding Boulevard drew a nice crowd as did the Calvary Temple Church of Christ’s Craft and garage sales.
Catherine Kramer (below) from Mountain Home is downsizing after a recent move. She has a booth in Mountain Home and offered some of her treasures for sale.
The next Saturday Club meeting is Nov. 19 at 2 o’clock, in the Spring House.
Bring an apron and any cookie decorations you may have. We are going to make cookies for Cotter’s City Hall Christmas Party.
Anyone interested in joining Cotter’s 100 yr old service club, please contact any member or President Judy Sharp at 492-4483.
CGVFD BBQ Draws Crowd
The Cotter-Gassville Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary served up a wonderful BBQ dinner as their annual fund raiser. It was the perfect choice to break up a long day visiting the many Cotter garage sales.
Roy Sisco and his sons put theirs culinary skills to work producing the perfect pulled pork.
Street Dance
The perfect ending to a busy day, Cotter Jam brought music to the street.
With a mixture of Country, Bluegrass and Gospel, local musicians entertained thousands.
Well, it may have been thousands if not for the chilly weather.
Cotter Jam is open “Free” to the public every
Saturday night from 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Stop on in and share the joy!
After finding all the words listed for the search, there will be 15 letters remaining. Unscramble the remaining letters to form a 3 word solution.
| Arch Ball Field Boat Caboose Cast Conductor Corn Crawdads Dock Fish Fry |
Float Trips Fly Rods Gazebo Gravel Heritage Hill History Minnows Overlook Pavillion |
Railroad Rainbow Bridge Ramp Rope Roundhouse Scenic Sculpin Shoals Shore Lunch Smiles |
Swimming Trees Valley Fly In Waders Warriors Water Welcome White River Youth Center |
The solution phrase will be published in next month’s edition. For those who can’t stand the wait, a complete solution will be available at City Hall.
Why We Chose
Cotter
By Mike
Wilhelm
Our first visit to Baxter County in 2002 was a fishing trip with friends. Over the next year, my wife Cathy and I returned several times to fish and enjoy the scenic beauty of the area. In association with our fly fishing club, we met several people who lived in Cotter and spoke highly of it. The good meals and delicious homemade pies at the White Sands Restaurant kept us coming back to town. Generally the beauty of the river, friendliness of the people, and the quaint feel and look of this little town appealed to our senses. Cotter was an honest, quiet town we would enjoy calling home when we retire.
We were staying in motels on our early visits and if you know my wife, you know she doesn’t like to sleep in a bed someone else slept in last night. As lodging costs were approaching a mortgage note, it was simple to conclude we should look for a place of our own. The search began for an affordable home with basic amenities near the river. After several months such a place became available. At a closing that left everyone in tears, Joan Holloway sold us her Mother’s Combs Ave home on October 3, 2003. We were thrilled with this find and I think Mrs. Holloway was pleased to have found someone who loved it too. But life was not perfect yet. Repairs had to be made, furnishings obtained, and decorating the walls with fishing items and pictures became an obsession. With the addition of a few shrubs and hanging baskets we soon had a cozy little place to get away and still be able to sleep in “our” bed.
Meeting and getting to know more and more Cotter folks has been fun. The local events such as the Great Cotter Trout Festival, the Fall Festival and the Fire Dept. Chili Supper have been our favorites. Shopping and chatting at the Firehouse Antiques and Riverbend Trading are frequent pastimes. Breakfast at the White Sands is always a treat. Taking a walk, driving around or just sitting in the backyard watching the birds and squirrels is relaxing. Our grandchildren enjoy Big Spring Park and Creek.
Recently Cathy’s parent’s Wayne and Nancy Morris bought the house across the street and retired here this summer. Cotter is growing and we look forward to spending much more time here. Thanks for having us!
Mayor’s
Corner
By Mo Mosley
Seems like Fall has finally arrived, cool nights that enhance good
sleeping and brisk mornings that make it easy to get going. There is
some color in the trees and we have had a couple of hard frosts. This is
my favorite time of the year, when I was a boy living at home it meant
squirrel hunting on the week end with my Dad and older brother. In the
fall, we would squirrel hunt in what is now part of West Little Rock.
Then in the winter, we would rabbit hunt in the cotton fields east of
Little Rock until the rabbits were scarce. Good days, good times never
to be forgotten.
Our first Town Meeting
in the middle of October was well received. I think our town is coming
together. We had a few people volunteer to help on city projects that
are not on our usual list. I thank the new volunteers and want to let
you know that we will be in contact with you soon. We can use anyone
else who wants to help.
The City
Council approved the purchase of some Christmas decorations at our
meeting October 27th. We will have decorations on Harding Blvd., on 2nd
Street from Harding to South. We will have a few under street lights in
Rainbow Crossing and a few under street lights in Rainbow Heights.
During the summer we will ask Entergy to install plugs on poles in
Rainbow Crossing, some in Rainbow Heights and a few in
the lower part of town. If we can add a few power sources each summer and buy a few decorations each fall, we should soon have a well decorated city.
While on the subject of Christmas, we are planning a party of sorts at City Hall. Join us Friday December 16, 2005, between 1:00 PM and 6:00PM for hot cider, cookies, coffee, cake, etc. There will be an opportunity to sing some carols as we will light the City Hall Christmas Tree at 5:00PM. Stop by and join the fun. Some say there will be a Santa Claus, but rest assured it won’t be me.
As Thanksgiving approaches let us remember we have so much to be thankful for, including our young men and women who serve our country in the military all over the world. We should be thankful for this beautiful place on earth where we live. The beauty we see every day sometimes does not always register. When you take a minute and breathe in the beauty of this river and these hills; you cannot help but be thankful. All of us with the Trout Capital News and the Employee’s of the City wish all of Cotter and the rest of the world a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Upcoming Events
Nov 19
Saturday Club 2pm at Spring House
Dec 9 –10 Holiday Market Open
House
Dec 16 Christmas
Celebration at City Hall 1 pm – 6 pm
This newsletter is published monthly by the City of Cotter and focuses on organized activities. It is edited by Mo & Theresa Mosley and Tina Berry. It is 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 Tina Berry at smberry13@hotmail.com, drop it by City Hall, or mail it to PO Box 9, Cotter, AR 72626.