Robert Carius, chairman of the non-profit Batesville Downtown Foundation, spoke to the Batesville Rotary Club yesterday and gave an update on activities in downtown Batesville.
Carius (pictured) announced the forthcoming formation of the Poke Bayou Foundation to raise funds for the improvement of the bayou as a recreational and tourism-generating natural asset.
Dr. Sam Cooke has agreed to head the foundation once it is operational, Carius told Rotarians. A meeting will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) with Batesville Mayor Rick Elumbaugh and other interested parties to start the process. And a local bank has already donated $1,000, Carius said.
According to Carius, some goals will be to improve and clean Poke Bayou and to create walkways and other features in collaboration with the city, the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Carius, a past chair for the Main Street Batesville board of directors, also reminded Rotary members that “Big Fun on the Bayou” is planned for Sunday, July 26, in downtown Batesville. There will be canoe races, family entertainment, food trucks, and a variety of vendors.
Trout Fishing in America (pictured below, left), a nationally known group from northwest Arkansas, will headline the music entertainment with an 8 p.m. performance. (To visit their website, click here.) Well-known Batesville musician Danny Dozier (right) will open the show at 7 p.m.
Trout Fishing in America photo by Don House via Troutmusic.com.
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