Newsletter - Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce

December 2012
Newsletter
Chamber Calendar
THURSday | DECEMBER 13
• Duck Calling Committee
12 noon
Chamber office
Friday | DECEMBER 21
• Chamber Board of Directors
11:30 a.m.
Chamber office
DECEMBER 24-25
• Chamber office closed
Christmas Eve and Christmas
JANUARY 1-2
• Chamber office closed
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s
Friday | JANUARY 18
• Chamber Board of Directors
11:30 a.m.
Chamber office
TUESday | JANUARY 29
• Chamber Annual Banquet
6:30 p.m.
Grand Prairie Center
THURSday | JANUARY 31
• SIDC Board of Directors
12 noon
Chamber office
Contact Us
Chamber of Commerce
507 S. Main | P.O. Box 1500
Stuttgart, AR 72160
(870) 673-1602
Stephen Bell
Executive Vice President
stuttgartchamber@centurytel.net
Bethany Hodges
Director of Programs
programdirector@centurytel.net
Brad Allen wins second World title
n Brad Allen of Judsonia,
Arkansas, won the 77th annual
World’s Championship Duck
Calling Contest in November
and his second World title.
The 39 year old is a 12-time
competitor in the World’s —
winning his first title in 2010.
There were 62 contestants
from 31 different states in this
year’s World’s Championship
Duck Calling Contest.
Allen used a Rich-N-Tone
(RNT) duck call to win the contest and gave credit to Butch
Richenback for helping him win.
The other finalists were first
runner-up David St. John of
Conway, Arkansas; second
runner-up Rob Bevins of Belle
Plaine, Iowa; and third runnerup Jonathan Mortin of Trumann, Arkansas.
BEST CALLER — World Champion Duck Caller Brad Allen of
Judsonia, Arkansas, with Queen Mallard Ashley Hopson after
winning the World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest.
Stuttgart holds annual Christmas Parade
n The 56th annual Stuttgart
Christmas Parade was held on
December 3.
The parade included 57 entries and 14 floats this year.
Winners of the float competition were:
• “Best Use of Lighting” —
Stuttgart Holiness Church
• “Best Use of Theme” — Prairie Implement Company
• “Most Creative” — Daylight
Donut
• “Best Use of Live Performers” — Studio Allegro
• “Best Christmas Spirit”
— Holy Rosary Catholic School
• “Most Animated” — Stuttgart Public Library
Katie Isom was chairman of
this year’s Christmas Parade
Committee of the Stuttgart
Chamber of Commerce.
CHRISTMAS PARADE — The 56th annual Stuttgart Christmas
Parade included plenty of floats and more than 50 entries.
YOUNG CALLERS — The Children’s Duck Calling Class conducted by Pat Peacock, Brenda Cahill and Dixie Holt remains
popular at the festival with kids and parents..
QUEEN MALLARD — Junior Queen Mallard Maraye Tudor, Miss
Arkansas Sloane Roberts and Queen Mallard Ashley Hopson at
the start of the Wings Over the Prairie Festival.
DUCK GUMBO — A big crowd turned out for the Bud Light World
Championship Duck Gumbo Cook-off. People attending the event
got to sample duck gumbo from more than 50 different teams.
FESTIVAL TENTS — The tents on Main Street at the Wings
Over the Prairie Festival offered festival-goers a wide variety of
items for sale. The tents included Commercial Exhibits, Arts and
Crafts and Sporting Collectibles. New this year was an Outdoors
Exhibit area.
n The Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie hosted a Business After Hours in November
to promote the opening of The
Museum Shoppe.
The new retail store features a
number of items for sale, many
which include local ties.
The museum will also have
Dixie Mallard Duck Calls, which
were handmade and designed
by Chick Major.
These are exclusively sold at
the museum and at the Wintrhop Rockefeller Museum at
Petit Jean Mountain.
Gena Seidenschwarz, archivist at the museum, added that
the book “100 Years on the
GRAND OPENING — Museum Director Melanie Baden with
Rosella Hargrove and Bethany Hodges at the grand opening of
The Museum Shoppe.
Business After Hours helps promote The Museum Shoppe
Grand Prairie,” which is a pictorial history designed and made
by longtime historian Bennie
Burkett, will also be on sale.
“The books are available at
The Museum Shoppe,” Seidenschwarz said.
The museum also introduced
its newest employee, Nancy
Hancock. She is a native of
Stuttgart and the daughter of
Jan Gregory of Stuttgart and the
late Dr. Rex Hancock.
Local Economy
City sales tax revenues
FLOAT WINNERS — Studio Allegro won the award for Best Use of Live Performers at the Stuttgart Christmas Parade.
Current Year
Previous Year
October
384,861
349,911
September 339,274
395,921
August
352,642
329,044
July
331,136
317,821
June
363,297
346,681
May
358,001
308,547
April
370,043
326,846
March
328,132
338,217
February 477,399
433,582
January
391,927
342,595
Find Us On Facebook
LETTERS TO SANTA — Casey Washam and Katie Isom helped collect Letters to Santa during the Stuttgart Christmas Parade.
n You can follow the activities and
events of the Stuttgart Chamber of
Commerce by following us on Facebook.
Simply go to Stuttgart Chamber of
Commerce on Facebook to find us. Facebook is a
social network that connects people with friends or
others who share their interests.
Be sure to hit the Like button on our page.
RICEBIRDS PRIDE — The Stuttgart High School Ricebirds football team was in the Stuttgart Christmas
Parade this year as it prepares to go the AAAA State Championship. Ricebirds fans got a chance to see
the team up close and cheer them on after a great season.
Chamber
banquet
set Jan. 29
n The 73rd annual
Membership Meeting &
Banquet of the Stuttgart
Chamber of Commerce
will be held Tuesday,
January 29 at the Grand
Prairie Center.
Christopher Crane of
the Arkansas Film Commission will be the keynote speaker.
He was instrumental in getting the Hollywood movie “Mud” to
Arkansas and the Stuttgart area.
STUTTGART CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
P.O. Box 1500
Stuttgart, AR 72160