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3rd Annual Chow Down at Rivertowne Breaks Record this Year!

The Chow Down at Rivertowne BBQ has grown into a fun and rewarding scholarship fund raiser

everyone enjoys. Supporters get a great meal as well as some very interesting service. Thank

you Kevin and Pam Doyle, without you this could not happen. The generous “service tips” from

everyone raised $1,236.45; all of which goes to the OACOC Scholarship Fund for the benefit of

four qualifying Ozark High School seniors for college this year. Toby Hogan (Chairman of

Education Committee) has requested one (1) $500 and three (3) $250 scholarships to be

awarded.

Thanks to Kevin’s staff at Rivertowne BBQ for all their hard work, as well as the participants who

served: Coach Jeremie Burns (OHS Head Football Coach), Coach Brad Johnson (OHS Boys

Basketball), Coach Bret Nagel (OHS Girls Basketball), Mr. Jim Ford (Ozark Public Schools

Superintendent), Chancellor Bruce Sikes (ATU-Ozark Campus), Ozark Mayor Sneath, Altus Mayor

Stacy, Toby Hogan (Shelter Insurance), Eddie Melton (Bank of the Ozarks), Chad Graham (Wal-

Mart), Teresa Williams (Mercy Hospital), Brittany West (Priority Bank), and Linda Millsap (Ozark

Area Chamber of Commerce).

(Left picture) Mr. Jim Ford takes orders at Rivertowne BBQ. (Right picture) Brittany West and Mayor Carol Sneath are two of the waitresses that helped take orders as well. For more pictures from “Chow Down” please click here

Look for our next issue to come out June 1st.

In spite of the bad weather we had a wonderful crowd of about 250 people attend the Taste

Showcase. Every booth space was busy with eager patrons sampling delightful treats and learning

more about our local businesses. Individuals voted for 5 different categories of booth favorites.

Best Food Booth- Butterball Best Display Booth- River Valley Quarries Most Informative Booth- River Valley Quarries Best Product information - River Valley Quarries Best Overall Booth - (Tie) I-40 Travel Center & Crave Bake Shop (pictured below)

Jeff Coley did an amazing job supplying music. Thank you! We also thank Sheriff Anthony

Boen and the 4 trustees (Tyler King, Gerardo Carrillo, Kei Williams and Thourman Cagle) for helping

the set up and take down of tables and clean up. Chairman Steve Outlaw and his crew pulled things all

together for a great “Taste”. Extra thank you to the OHS Cheerleaders who helped with Coca Cola’s

booth and door prizes. Brandy Smith (cheer mom), OHS Cheerleaders: Deidra Roberts, Haylee Griffin,

Haylee Hurst, Shyanne Edgar, Tori Byrd, and Kenley Keith provided entertainment as well. As always a

huge thanks goes to all the dedicated sponsors & booth participants. The event could not happen

without your support.

For more pictures from Taste of the Ozarks, please click here to go to our Facebook page.

Sponsors and booths include:

Butterball

Post Family Wineries

Arkansas Tech University – Ozark Campus

Source Gas

Simmons Bank

Jan Stacy’s Fried Pies

Mayor Larry Stacy

Rickey Bowman

Priority Bank

Friends of NRA

Bank of the Ozarks

Wiederkehr Wine Cellars

Altus Sunset Rotary

Arkansas Valley Electric Co-Op

Six Six Seven Studios

Hug Chevrolet GMC Buick

Wal-Mart

Crave Bake Shop

EAA Chapter 1156

The Shop Off Main

River Valley Quarries

Coca Cola Bottling Co. of Fort Smith

Sweet Temptations Boutique

Mayor Carol Sneath

The I-40 Travel Center

Dewayne Freeman

DeAnna Schmalz

Jaybird Pottery

Ozark Ford

Apex Communicatio

Other Ozark Area Chamber of Commerce news:

Scholarship Night @ Ozark High School – Thursday, May 15th at 6 p.m. An application for the Ozark Area Chamber

of Commerce Scholarship can be found here. Scholarships are due no later than 5 p.m. on May 9th.

The Ozark Area Chamber of Commerce General Meeting will be Wednesday, April 14th at 12:00 (Noon) at

Rivertowne BBQ. The topic is social media: “How social media can benefit Small Businesses”.

Community Economic Development Forum information Information about the Committees that are formed as

well as the members. To be a volunteer, please call the Chamber office at (479) - 667 - 2949.

May 15th is the deadline to put items or predictions into the time capsules. (Years 2030, 2040 and 2050).

Crave Bake Shop

River Valley Quarries

Renewed Members:

Adam’s Abstract Medi Quik Pharmacy Woolsey Family Dentistry

Arkansas Tech University – Ozark Campus Mickle Wagnor Coleman

Arkansas Family Eye Care Moon Veterinary Clinic

Bank of the Ozarks Morgans Fashions

Cathy Bennett Fred Mullen

Burns Drug Store, Inc. Ozark Area Youth Organization

Capp Law Firm Ozark Flower & Gift

Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Fort Smith Ozark Ford

Contran Ozark Public Schools

Dari Delight Ozark Realty

DC Trash PJ’s Fina & Pizza Pro

E & E Auto Sales Post Familie Winery

First United Methodist Church Fred & Andee Romo

Franklin Co. Library DeAnna Schmalz

Royce Gattis Simmons First Bank

H & R Block Suddenlink

Hafield, … Taylor’s Barbershop

Heffington Insurance T-Nails

Hillbilly Realty U.S. Boston Mountain Ranger Station

Jim’s Heat & Air W.A. Counsel & Guidance Center

Circuit Judge Mack McCain Shelly Wilson

Tony’s Tips from AVECC

Use bath towels at least twice before washing them and after you

wash them, consider using a "solar-powered" clothes dryer, an old

fashioned clothes line.

From Tony Wilson, Member Services/Key Accounts

From The GrapeVine

Would you like to give a super special Mother’s Day Surprise? We’ve got you covered. Spoil her in the Weinkeller for lunch or dinner and a wine tasting in the Vintage 1880 Wine Shoppe. Got Prom? Got Graduation covered. Join us in the Weinkeller. The Bistro Bar on the patio will be the perfect place to enjoy the sunset with friends. Let Michael Troup blend you one of his

signature cocktails. The Bistro Bar is open Friday and Saturday 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The Weinkeller is always serving your

favorite beverages.

Don’t forget Wiederkehr Village Wine & Spirits at Exit 41. Plan your own party with the help of our friendly staff.

Get up. Get out. Spring is here. Come visit the Wiederkehr family of businesses. Your neighbor in Franklin County since 1880.

"Downtown Ozark, Where Collaboration Begins"

Thank you Andee Romo, Carol Evans, Violet West, Nancy Hainley, Laverne Wilson and Joanne Perea for an awesome job working in the dirt on Friday and Bill Brandt and Bubba Ramsey for their earlier work on the crape myrtles!

Main Street Ozark Design Committee volunteers are among the most talented and dedicated in the nation. If you were in

the area of the courthouse last Friday you saw the evidence first hand. The square was abuzz with activity and when they

finished their work for the day the landscape looked dazzling!

This community can be most proud of our Design Committee volunteers, city and county employees and Keep Ozark

Beautiful, who are working diligently to make downtown the envy of every small town in Arkansas. Friday was truly a

team effort with Franklin County handling the heavy lifting and the volunteers leading the way. Main Street's award

winning partnership with the City of Ozark and Franklin County is paying great dividends. Keep Ozark Beautiful is

replacing the dead trees on the courthouse lawn and Main Street Ozark is replacing the broken courthouse fountain. The

city is taking care of the fountain installation and has placed Main Street's new trash receptacles at Roy Garner

Park. The park will soon undergo a facelift when the city repurposes the cracked aggregate base. This was the idea of

our brilliant Design Committee member and City Street Department employee, Sue McClellan. The plan will be

economical as well as beautiful.

Never have so many worked together so well. Downtown Ozark is shining!

From the National Main Street Center: The National Main Street Center is proud to salute the thousands of Main Street volunteers of all ages and backgrounds

dedicated to giving back to their communities. We value volunteers as our greatest asset and recognize them as the

driving force making Main Street a successful approach to the revitalization of many communities in almost every state

of the union! The value and impact of Main Street volunteers goes well beyond free labor for projects, events, or

activities. Through Main Street, every member of the community – from residents to businesses and property owners –

provide a strong foundation for leadership and support to new and mature programs as they invest their talents to foster a

strong sense of place and increase economic vitality in their communities. Please join us in celebrating the value of your

local Main Street volunteers.

The Bookshelf

Franklin County Public

Library

Nancy Smith Librarian

Comic Book Day! Saturday

May 3rd from 10-12. Free

comic book – 1 per person

while supplies last.

There is good progress on the

library renovations. We will

have new rendition pictures

and demolition pictures in

June.

The Franklin Co. Library is

partnering with Arkansas

Tech University – Ozark

Campus for a children and

teens summer program, with

more information coming in

June.

http://turnerbend.com/ http://www.byrdsadventurecenter.com/ http://www.mulberrymountainlodge.com/

The Wild & Scenic Mulberry River

Best Times to Float the Mulberry:

Normally the Mulberry can be floated from late October to mid-June. It generally cannot be floated during the hot

summer months.

The headwaters of the Mulberry originate in the heart of the Boston Mountains, which are the highest and most rugged of

the Ozarks. Many of the mountain ridges that define the edges of the watershed peak out at over 2300′ elevation. The

Mulberry flows approximately 62 miles west-southwest to its confluence with the Arkansas River. Along the way it

drains almost 400 square miles, the majority of which lies in the Ozark National Forest.

The Mulberry River is a free flowing stream unimpeded by dams. None of the tributaries are dammed except Hurricane

Creek at Shores Lake. No major springs feed the river. The current river level is determined by the amount of rainfall

recently received coupled with the time of year. If rains have been frequent enough to keep the water table up, then the

river will rise quickly with the next rain and drop slower than when the water table is low. When warm weather arrives

and the trees are full of leaves, it takes a lot more rain to keep the river up than during the November-March period when

the weather is cool and the trees are bare. Warm weather also increases the evaporation rate.

The Mulberry reached an all-time recorded high of almost 21′ at midnight on December 2, 1982.

Arkansas Tech-Ozark students earn awards OZARK – Twenty-seven Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus students earned awards at either the SkillsUSA Arkansas State

Conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas Licensed Practical Nurses Association (ALPNA) Spring Skills Competition in Hope or Arkansas Phi

Beta Lambda (PBL) State Leadership Conference in Little Rock.

“We are proud of all of our participants,” said Bruce Sikes, chancellor of Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus. “Our commitment to provide

career readiness is evident by the participation of faculty and students in these competitions, and our ability to provide excellence shows

with these honors.”

The following are the names of Skills USA winning students (their program of study), competition category and place:

Kerry Russell of Van Buren (Air Conditioning and Refrigeration), HVACR: first;

Matt Marsh of Booneville (Automotive Service Technology), parts specialist: first;

Hayden Bolding of Hot Springs (AST), automotive service: second;

Joe Turner of Paris (AST), parts specialist: second;

Edwin Hesslen of Paris (Computer Information Systems), team web design: first;

Nathan Mitchell of Charleston (CIS), team web design: first;

Matthew Mounts of Ozark (CIS), technical computer applications: first;

Kyle Domerese of Clarksville (Collision Repair Technology), collision repair: second;

Trevor Dewitt of Paris (CRT), automotive refinishing: third;

Karli Haley of Russellville (Cosmetology, Arkansas Tech Career Center), cosmetology novice: second;

Andrew Hansen of Lamar (Culinary Arts, Arkansas Tech Career Center), restaurant service: first;

Dustin Hillard of Ozark (Industrial Control Systems), electronic technology, second;

Matthew McCartney of Paris (ICS), electronic technology, third;

Dewie O’Bar of Mulberry (Welding Technology), welding fabrication: first;

Blake Becker of Paris (WT), welding fabrication: first;

Jerry Scroggins of Spiro, Okla. (WT), welding fabrication: first;

Jeffrey Bartlett of Van Buren (WT), welding fabrication: second;

Terry Bartlett of Alma (WT), welding fabrication: second;

Derek Miner of Lavaca (WT), welding fabrication: second;

William Bachman of Hagarville (WT), welding: first;

Richard Cagle of Mulberry (WT), welding: third.

The following are the names of ALPNA winning students (their program of study), competition category and place:

Jonathan Estep of Clarksville (Practical Nursing), talent: first;

Mark Ruff of Scranton (PN), anatomy/physiology: first;

Megan Evans of Charleston (PN), CPR-team: third;

Amanda McCabe of Alma (PN), CPR-team: third.

The following are the names of PBL winning students (their program of study), competition category and place:

Leora Moore of Cedarville (Business Technology), retail management: first;

Dawn Smith of Ozark (BT), project management: third.

Debbie Wofford of Ozark, business technology program chair, was also awarded PBL Outstanding Local Chapter Adviser of the Year

Award.

Greeting from the Mayor’s office

May is the month for flowers blooming and our volunteer gardeners have been busy. The crepe myrtles have been

trimmed (thanks Bill Brandt); the islands have been planted and soon the hanging baskets will be up and in their glory.

Also check out the new fountain being installed at the courthouse. Plans are also in the works by our street

department to restripe the downtown square.

In the Westside Park, the playground equipment is in; the first shipment came with orange poles and we informed the

contractor purple and gold were our colors. The equipment has now been installed in our Hillbilly colors. Sanctioned

Frisbee golf has been installed and we will be scheduling our first tournament in June.

We have gotten word from the State Highway Department that Hillbilly Drive will be advertised starting next week and

will be in the June bid letting. Halleluiah!!!!

We have had our follow-up meeting on the Economic Development Forum. Our meeting schedule has been set for the

remainder of our first year of the Community 20 Year Plan. Our time capsules for 2030, 2040 and 2050 have been

constructed and waiting for your remembrances and predictions to be included to let future generations know what

we have been working on for their benefit. Drop any items or predictions off at the Chamber office and we will keep

you informed as to where these capsules are buried.

Have a great Memorial Day Holiday and stay safe!!

Ozark Highlands Trail

The Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) is one of the most spectacular hiking trails in the United States. This cross-country

route in northwest Arkansas stretches 165 miles from Lake Fort Smith State Park, across the Ozark National Forest to

the Buffalo National River, then along the Buffalo as Buffalo River/Ozark Highlands Trail, thru the Lower Buffalo

River Wilderness as a GPS bushwhack route, and thru the Sylamore Ranger District again as hiking trail to near

Norfork, Arkansas, 254 miles in all, of which 218 miles are constructed trail and growing! The trail passes through some

of the most remote and scenic portions of the Ozark Mountains, like the Hurricane Creek Wilderness Area. It also visits

White Rock Mountain (best sunset in the Arkansas!), Hare Mountain, the Marinoni Scenic Area, Dead Dog Bluff, and

countless other breathtaking spots. And one of the nicest things about the OHT, is the fact that it is still relatively

undiscovered – even on a prime spring weekend you will seldom see other hikers.

The OHT crosses more than 66 named creeks, streams and rivers, and passes hundreds of seasonal waterfalls, lots of

sandstone bluffs, giant boulders and scenic vistas. Springtime, with flowering dogwoods, redbuds, and a profusion of

wildflowers, makes for a photographers paradise. And the lush upland hardwood forests create one of the most

wonderful splashes of fall color that you can find anywhere in the country. Winter too is great for hiking, with lots of ice

formations and the best views of the year along the entire route. And there are plenty of unique swimming holes during

the hot summer months.

The trail is great for day hikes, weekend adventures and extended backpacking trips. It is accessible at more than 65

forest road and highway crossings, plus nine public campgrounds and numerous other trailheads. All that you have to do

is decide how far you want to hike, and you will find many stretches between access points that will meet your needs.

Camping is allowed anywhere along the trail. No permits or fees are required to hike the trail, build fires or camp

(except in the campgrounds). It is open and is great hiking all year. Cabins are available at White Rock Mountain.

Source: Ozark Highlands Trail Association.

Royce Gattis- Tourism Committee Chairman

For more information, please see our website http://www.ozarkchamberofcommerce.com/news_events

I want to first start this month’s update with my deepest condolences to the families impacted by the recent storm. My

colleagues representing the devastated areas say the outpouring from individuals and groups in surrounding areas has been

enormous. I know many of you have contributed your time and resources to helping our neighbors. Please know your

contributions make a difference and help will be needed for some time to come.

Legislators began this month with optimistic news concerning the state’s general revenue. The Department of Finance and

Administration reports the available general revenue for March totaled $386.5 million. That is $43.3 million more than

previously forecasted. Lower refunds and higher than expected tax collections are credited for the increase.

And we have also received an update on the number of Arkansans enrolling in the Private Option. During the last nine

days of March, over 5,900 individuals signed up for a private health insurance plan subsidized with federal Medicaid

dollars. That brings the total number of Arkansans on the Private Option to more than 121,000.

And finally, I want to remind everyone of an important deadline we are approaching in the next few weeks. The deadline

to apply for the Arkansas Academic Challenge is June 1.

Funded in large part by the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, the Academic Challenge Scholarship is available to students

regardless of their academic status, whether just graduating from high school, currently enrolled in college, enrolling in

college for the first time, or re-enrolling after a period of time out of college.

Students graduating from high school must have achieved at least a 2.5 grade point average or scored at least a 19 on the

ACT.

The 89th General Assembly set the amounts of the scholarship for $2,000 for incoming freshman attending a 4 year

university. The scholarship increases by a $1,000 every year after. Students attending a 2 year college are eligible for a

$2,000 per year scholarship. This General Assembly also recognized the need for scholarships for those who have been

out of school for some time. We increased funding from $12 million to $16 million for non-traditional students.

ADHE also offers a free smart phone application, Youniversal that students can use to apply or to check their award status.

To fill out the form, you can visit the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) website, at www.adhe.edu.

I hope all students in the district who qualify take advantage of this opportunity. I look forward to hearing about our

progress and I will update you on events at the Capitol next month.

-Bill

Subway inside Loves #271: The April Featured Values are the six inch Spicy Italian for $3. The featured $5 foot

long is the Turkey Breast & Black Forest Ham.

Hillbilly Hideout at The I-40 Travel Center: The Hillbilly Hideout offers daily lunch specials, and a deli both open

24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. You can call in your order for pick up at (479)-667-0711.

KFC/Taco Bell: $2.99 Mon-Wed special. Monday: Chicken Fried Steak, Tuesday: 2 piece thigh and leg, Wednesday: 2 piece chicken strips. All come with mashed potatoes and gravy, cole slaw, and a biscuit. Taco Bell is now serving breakfast. Some new items are the waffle taco and AM Crunch Wrap. Open at 6:30 a.m.

The Coffee Break: All sandwiches and Panini’s are $6.00 each and are served with a pickle spear and your

choice of regular or BBQ chips. During the colder months, you can get soup instead of chips. They also have iced

and hot coffees and cappuccino.

Rivertowne BBQ: BBQ ribs, sandwiches, salad, bean ‘slop’, burgers and more. Choose from beef, chicken, or

pork. Carry-out and catering available. (479)-667-1808. Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM-

8:00 PM. Saturday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Wiederkehr Weinkeller Restaurant: Would you like to give a super special Mother’s Day Surprise? We’ve got you covered. Spoil her in the Weinkeller for lunch or dinner and a wine tasting in the Vintage 1880 Wine Shoppe. PJ’s Fina & Pizza Pro: Pizza, wings, breadsticks, cinnamon sticks. Specialty pizzas. Get the 2nd pizza for only

$5.00 (12 in.) or $7.00 (14 in.) equal or lesser toppings, carry out only.

Subway on Commercial: The April Featured Values are the six inch Spicy Italian for $3. The featured $5 foot

long is the Turkey Breast & Black Forest Ham.

Southern Grill: Serving breakfast 6-11 a.m. then lunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Daily specials and carry out

orders. Call 667-0704.

Altus Handy Mart: All Day Every Day! Buy any 1 Topping 14 in. Pizza for $8.99 and get a 14 in. Cheese Pizza for only $6.99 or get a 16 in. Cheese Pizza for $10.99

Offering breakfast and lunch. There are lunch specials every day. Lunch combos come with fries and a drink including chicken strips, hot ham and Swiss, burgers, etc. Salads as well as individual foods like crispitos, corndogs, eggrolls, etc.

Here are the Ozark Middle School Staff Members that are retiring this year:

(L to R)Anita Hill 40 years, Donna Raible 28 years, Marilyn Stone 20 years

Danny Spillers 33 Years

The Judge’s Jot

I have formed a committee and we are starting the beginning stages of new Christmas lights for the courthouse. There are also several Franklin County wide groups joining forces to bring major changes to the courthouse lawn. County Clerk DeAnna Schmalz and her office is gearing up for early voting to start at both Franklin County Courthouses.

A committee has been formed to assist with new Christmas lights. I am excited about this committee and the new ideas they are bringing to the Courthouse Christmas scene. This committee is made up of Linda Millsap, Sandy Key, Mayor Carol Sneath, James Wayne Nichols, Gerald King, and me. A meeting was held earlier in the month to begin the planning. Mr. Nichols and Mr. King have extended their services and offered to do the wiring for the new lights, I appreciate their volunteerism.

Carol Evans is heading up a group made up of individuals from Franklin County Grounds Committee, Main Street Ozark, and Keep Ozark Beautiful. I will work along with these groups to make the suggested changes. A large part of this renovation budget has been accounted for and the remainder will be achieved through local civic organizations. I appreciate everyone taking such a concern in the Franklin County Courthouse grounds.

Franklin County Clerk DeAnna Schmalz and her staff have been working diligently in getting prepared for early voting which will begin May 5th. They have been offering classes for poll workers, and getting them prepared for new changes in the voting sector. I appreciate DeAnna, her staff, and all the poll workers for all their hard work; I know it is a busy time.

Thanks for reading about Franklin County and as always if you have any questions or comments please contact my office anytime. 479-667-4726

Thanks,

- Janet Powell, Franklin Co. Judge

Spotlighting Altus

Greetings from the wonderful city of Altus, where history lives.

The city of Altus is a very unique city of 750 people, sitting at the bottom of St. Mary’s Mountain on the northeast side

of Franklin County with Highway 64 running through it.

Throughout the year Altus has several events: Springtime Gala, Grape Festival, July Fourth and Christmas Parade with

Santa taking pictures with the children. This month I am spotlighting the Altus Springtime Gala, chaired by Jan Stacy.

This event will have 40-60 vendors from food to inflatables for children and all kinds of arts and crafts. The Springtime

Gala is always the first weekend of May, this year May 2nd and 3rd and is located at the Altus City Park in the heart of

downtown Altus on Hwy 64.

This year entertainment will be live music on Friday evening, and all day Saturday with Stan Bates emceeing with also

such events as the old time skillet throw, gunny sack race, prince and princess contest, talent show and hay stack with

money and prizes.

Jan Stacy and her long standing committee of Bonnie McPherson, Linda Zolliecoffer, Mary Ross, Kasey Post, Kathy

Henry, Marla Ward, and Fran Skinner invite the public to come and enjoy the festivities.

Larry W. Stacy is Mayor of Altus Arkansas.

Contact him at 479-213-7081

E-mail: mayorstacy@centurytel.net

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