The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated two ribbon-cuttings.
On Jan. 26, the chamber held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Old Independence Regional Museum’s presentation of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum traveling food exhibit, “A Taste of Community” (see featured image).
The museum has been selected as one of six small museums in the United States to partner with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street to present its traveling exhibit centered around food.
The exhibit highlights prominent family names and the remarkable history ingrained within the community.
Director Cathy Shonk remarked that with the backing from the community, they could make this museum come to life; without all of their support, this would not have been possible.
Various items were donated by Danny Dozier and the Southerland and Barnett families, as well as many others. The exhibit will run through July 31, 2025.
The Old Independence Regional Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission pricing is $5 for Adults, $3 for Seniors 55+ and military, and $2 for Children and children six years or younger are free. It is located at 380 S. 9th St. in Batesville.
Ambassadors in attendance included: Aaron Herndon (Citizens Bank), Aaron Moody (Independence County Sheriff’s Department), Adam Curtwright (Centennial Bank), Amy Crouch-Howard (Weichert, Realtors – The Property Shoppe), Amy Finster (White River Health), Andrea Bruner (Network of Community Options), Brenda Rivera (First Community Bank), Ashley Engles (Citizens Bank), Cassidy Mitchell (Lyon College), Christina Watts (LaCroix Precision Optics), Cori Perkey (Southern Bank), Eva Henriksen (Merchants & Planters Bank), Jesse Freiert (Fringe Salon), Jordan Joslin (Choice Realty), Kendra Collier-McMahan (Approve Home Health and Caring Hands), Lindy Hopper (First Community Bank), Lori Tacker (Batesville Eye Care Center), Lucy Rodriguez (George’s Inc), Mary Duvall (Bad Boy, Inc), Micah Moody (White River Health), Michael Kelley (Peco Foods), Peter Rouiler (First Community Bank), Rickie Westbrook (Centennial Bank), Roxanne Rananudo (United Way of North Central AR), Sarah Perkins (Mossy Oak Properties), Sarah Ring (Southern Bank), Seanna Horn (Lyon College), Sijle Antosen (Venture Realty Group), Tammy Jeffrey (First Community Bank), Julie Hinkle (Bank of Cave City), Dana Millikin (White River Now), Justin Russell (Bank of Cave City and Amanda Dickey (Acrisure).
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was also held on Jan. 5 for the Adler Lofts on lower Main Street in downtown Batesville (image below).
After seven years, the restoration of the Adler Lofts, encompassing residential and commercial units within the historic Adler Building, is complete. The collaboration that completed the project involved the efforts of Joey and Jeanne Markowski, Jimmy and Ashley Markowski, the City of Batesville, the HUD Main Street Grant, the Batesville Preservation Association, and additional contributors.
“There were numerous crews who braved the building, and I say with sincere honesty that there were moments during the first couple of months when we didn’t know if the building could be saved,” said Joey Markowski, owner and general contractor. “But because of their hard work, expertise, and sheer will, we did save it.”
He went on to thank the people who believed in saving the historic building, emphasizing “…the importance of preserving the history of the Adler building.” According to the chamber, the project brought together well over 100 workers from various businesses.
Ambassadors in attendance include Jesse Cargill (UAMS), Aaron Herndon (Citizens Bank), Amy Crouch-Howard (Weichert, Realtors – The Property Shoppe), Amy Finster (White River Health), Ashley Engles (Citizens Bank), Cassidy Mitchell (Lyon College), Christina Watts (LaCroix Precision Optics), Eva Henriksen (Merchants & Planters Bank), Jennifer Drummond (ProLand Title), Lori Campbell (Batesville School District), Mary Duvall (Bad Boy, Inc), Michael Kelley (Peco Foods), Peter Rouiler (First Community Bank), Tammy Jeffrey (First Community Bank).
Images provided by the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce
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