The City Advertising Tourist Promotion Commission (CATPC) held its monthly meeting on Thursday, Jan. 23.
Robin Reeves was voted to be chairman of the board, and Charlie Pierce, a new board member representing the Harrison City Council, was introduced.
Explore Harrison executive director Matt Bell reported that hotel and restaurant numbers are still climbing.
Parks and Recreation director Chuck Eddington shared the current event list for parks with the board but admitted it changes daily. “People want to come here!”
Eddington and Bell recently visited the Activities Association to bid on local tournaments. The bids they received were for 3A Basketball, 1A State Baseball and Softball, and 2A Regionals. There will be 32 teams for the State leagues and 40 for Volleyball.
Amy Deere reported for the Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Next week, we begin our Round Table Meetings for child care providers, restaurant owners, and managers. One of the things restaurant owners wanted was to partner with local hotels. So we’ve had a good response. Several restaurants want to offer discounts to hotel guests.”
She mentioned several events on the calendar, which can be viewed on the website.
“Reservations are being made for the Chamber’s annual meeting on March 18 from 11:30-1 p.m. The keynote speaker is Lieutenant Governor Leslie Rutledge,” Deere concluded.
Bell reported on the delinquent list. He said it had been very long, but several payments had been made at the last minute. “I’m excited about the P & L report. We ended up in the positive.”
The Heart of the Ozarks Corvette Car Show for 2025 was canceled. “It was a big success last year. But after speaking to them, they decided to cancel this year’s. Three other car shows are happening within 14 days of when they projected to do theirs. We are working with a non-profit to do a general car show instead of a specific Corvette show.”
It was also reported that the fundraiser, Cookin’ for the Kids, presented $2,000 to two deserving charities.
Bell reported on the HHBA’s successful ‘New Year, New Downtown.’ Signature Bank provided a very well-received taste of downtown. “That was the largest group of downtown business owners I’ve ever seen come together. The results from Downtown Strategies were presented, and we hope to reinstate the Main Street Program, which gets downtown into federal, state, and historical preservation funding. We also hope to hire someone part-time who will be dedicated strictly to downtown.”
“The Lendel Thomas Tournament was the best we’ve ever had. There were 16 total teams, eight boys and eight girls. All teams have committed to returning in 2025,” Bell said.
Bell also told the board that 30 balloon pilots have confirmed their attendance for the Sept. 13-14 event.
The next CATPC meeting will be at 8:30 a.m. on February 27 in the Arvest Bank Board Room at Explore Harrison, 200 W. Stephenson.