Monticello Arkansas Visitors' & Newcomers' Guide

Monticello Arkansas

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Monticello/Drew county 2019 Visitors’ & newcoMers’ GuiDe

Let us be the first to WELCOME you to Monticello and Drew County, the “Heartbeat of Southeast Arkansas.”

Drew Foam Companies, Inc. has been a part of this community for the last 50 years and is one of the largest manufacturing employers in the area. We pride ourselves in creating jobs and creating a future in our hometown. We support the people of Southeast Arkansas through our spirit to make this one of the best places to live, work, and play.

You’ve made the right choice by calling our community HOME, and we are glad you are here!

Bill Givens, President For more information about us and JOB OPPORTUNITIES visit our social community at the following sites

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u’re here. Maybe yo ad gl re e’ W ! ty Coun ng and fishing ti Welcome to Drew n u h t ea gr r u o f ke advantage o iends and family. fr t si vi you’ve come to ta to n w to maybe you’re in me. Whatever o h r u yo e opportunities, or ak m to comntly moved here nity to share our u Maybe you’ve rece rt o p p o e th e av ea ted to h ce to live and rais la p the case, we’re exci t ea gr a is ty n nds, a Drew Cou lling delta farmla ro d munity with you. an s et k ic th e ool eautiful pin rst-class local sch fi o tw family. We have b , ty si er iv n u base, a great em featuring statest sy re diverse industrial ca h lt ea h l utstanding loca ded hospital. an p ex ytl systems and an o n ce re a equipment and , friendly people, es ti vi ti ac of-the-art medical al n o ti nities ltural and recrea plenty of opportu d There are lots of cu an em st sy ad unty county ro roots here. Our co n w a well-maintained o d t u p to g in feel family look f services. Please o y et ri for the person or va e id w a y to help with me, and we hope co el w , in offices stand read ga A s. n o with any questi we do. free to contact us ounty as much as C w re D ve lo to you will grow

Robert Akin ge Drew County Jud

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The Best Care For Your Best Friend.

O'FallOn V

“On The Square” P.O. Box 1100 • Monticello, AR 71657 Business: 870-367-2431 • Fax: 870-367-1241 smullis@ccc-cable.net

Proudly Serving Drew County For Over 25 Years

eterinary SerVice, inc.

• Large Animal Farm Calls • Complete Hospital Facility • Emergency Treatment • In-House Coggins Test • Surgical Services • Dentistry • Equine Dentistry • Spay & Neuter • Professional Groomer • Vaccinations • X-Ray/Lab Services • Digital Radiology • Heartworm Prevention • Flea/Tick Prevention • Preventative Health Care • Hill’s Science Diet/Prescription Diets

Caring for Small & Large Animals

1054 Hwy 425 S. • Monticello, AR • 870-367-5242 Mon-Wed. Fri. • 7:30am - 5:30pm | Open Thurs. ‘til 8:30pm for your convenience!

Drew County Abstract and Title Company, LLC Life is a Journey...Let us help keep you rolling along!

323 HIGHWAY 425 S • MONTICELLO, AR • 870-367-2401 Most Major Credit Cards Accepted TOMMY GRAY, OWNER

Places of Worship

Abstra c

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(870) 3676607

Charlotte Jones Tit

Your Goodyear® Dealer since 1977.

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MONTICELLO TIRE & SERVICE, INC.

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Monticello Church of Christ Sunday AM Bible Class 9:30 (Bible classes for all ages) Sunday AM Worship 10:30 Sunday PM Worship 5:00 Wednesday PM Bible Class 6:30

Come Join Us! 631 South Gabbert Street

139 A East Jackson • Monticello

Ladelle Baptist Church Pastor: Bro. Ryan McRae Sunday School 9:45 • Worship 11:00 Sunday night discipleship training 5:00 • Worship 6:00 Wednesday night - Prayer meeting and Bible study along with TEAMKids 7:00

2.5 miles east of 425 South on Ladelle Road 870-723-3791

Second Baptist Church

First United Methodist Church

1032 Old Warren Rd. Monticello 367-2459

www.fumcmonticello.com 9:00 A.M. Contemporary Service Life Center 10:50 A.M. Traditional Service Sanctuary Child Care Provided

Pastor: Bro. Hammett N. Evans

317 South Main • 367-2471

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Sunday School 9:30 AM Morning Worship 10:30 AM Evening Worship 5:00 PM A Heart for God...

A Love for People

Pastor: Ray Hearron

Table of Contents Index of Advertisers………………………………………………………………………….4 Getting Started........................................6 Chamber of Commerce Members .........43 Monticello's history is unique .................8

Business & Industry ..............................49

City logo first step in branding ..............12

Community Service ..............................49

Concert Association schedule ...............14

Education .............................................50

Imagination Library up and running......20

Health Care ..........................................50

Mainline offers MAT .............................22

Recreation ............................................51

Bring back the bobwhite .......................32

Religion ................................................51

Lake Monticello undergoes facelift .......34

Entertainment .......................................52

Quick Facts ..........................................42

Real Estate ............................................52

Vicki Kelly Advertising Manager Kristie Nall Graphic Designer Harold Coggins Editor/Paginator Melissa Orrell Reporter/Photographer

Tom White President/Publisher

This publication produced by

DREW COUNTY NEWSPAPERS, INC. P.O. Box 486 314 North Main Monticello, Arkansas 71657 (870) 367-5325 FAX: (870) 367-6612

For more information about this publication and/or advertising rates, call 870-367-5325. This publication was produced by Drew County Newspapers, Inc. Copyright 2019. Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.

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Index of Advertisers Advantages of Southeast Arkansas .................23 Annswood Apartments Retirement Center ..........................................39 Arkansas Department of Health .....................31 Arkansas Superior Federal Credit Union ........18 Avocado's ................................................11, 21 Black's Metals ................................................19 Boys & Girls Club ..........................................19 Chef's .......................................................11, 23 Clothes Line, The ...........................................33 Days Inn by Wyndham ..................................33 Delta Counseling Associates, Inc. ..................26 Discount Merchandise ...................................31 Drew Central School District .........................27 Drew County Abstract and Title Company, LLC ...................................2 Drew County Farm Bureau ............................18 Drew Farm Supply .........................................31 Drew Foam Companies, Inc. .................... Inside Front Cover Drew Memorial Health System .......................... .............................................. Inside Back Cover ESA Staffing & Screening................................25 Farmers Insurance, James Insurance Agency ..26 First United Methodist Church .........................2 GPlex SuBercenter .........................................23 Hampton Inn .................................................15 Head of the Class...........................................23 Holiday Inn Express .......................................28 Hope & Co. Realty.........................................39 Interfor ...........................................................21 Jenkins Memorial Center................................39 Ladelle Baptist Church .....................................2 Laurence E. Schmidt Family Resource Center .............................................21 Leon's Catfish & Shrimp Restaurant ...............37 Luxury Nails...................................................29 Mainline Health Systems, Inc. .......................19 Majors Forest & Lawn ....................................13 Maxwell Hardwood Flooring .........................15 Metal Mart .....................................................33 4

Mike's Cabinet Shop ......................................37 Monticello Ambulance Service, Inc. ..............37 Monticello Church of Christ.......................2, 17 Monticello, City of ...........................................9 Monticello Coffee Company ....................11, 13 Monticello Economic Development Commission ...................................................23 Monticello Exxon ...........................................26 Monticello Realty...........................................25 Monticello Tire & Service.................................2 Music Warehouse ..........................................35 North Hyatt Secure Storage............................26 O'Fallon Veterinary Service ..............................2 Options, Inc ...................................................19 Outfitters RX ..................................................35 Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel ...............................21 Prescription Pad, The......................................35 Price Companies, The ....................................29 Ray Ryburn Custom Homes, LLC...................35 Ray Ryburn Real Estate ..................................35 Reinhart Family Healthcare............................29 Ryburn Motor Company ................................15 Sammy Mullis Insurance ..................................2 SeaArk Boats ..................................................25 Sears ..............................................................18 Second Baptist Church .....................................2 Select Concrete Co. .......................................39 Showcase of Floors ........................................25 Silvicraft, Inc. .................................................26 Sonic ..............................................................11 Southeast Emergency Medical Service, Inc ........................................5 Spartan Intimidator of Southeast Arkansas .....26 Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home, Inc .........................................29 Subway ..........................................................11 Union Bank....................................................35 University of Arkansas at Monticello ...............7 ViJay's Professional Tax and Accounting Service ........................................35 White Hall, City of.........................................33

When TIME Matters, Dial 911 and Request:

SOUTHEAST EMERGENCY

WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE WIRE, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED.

MEDICAL SERVICE INC. Lyle Welch, Owner/ Operator

VOTED #1 BEST AMBULANCE SERVICE FOR 7 YEARS!

Office 870-367-2300 • southeastems@sbcglobal.net

503 West Gaines • P.O. Box 714 • Monticello

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Getting Started Emergency Room Drew Memorial Health System: 367-2411 Emergency room is physician-staffed 24 hours a day Water City of Monticello: 367-3415 County water service is provided by the following seven independent water associations: Green Hill-Brooks Chapel, Bowser, Barkada-Green Hill, Selma, Enon and Lacey-Ladelle.

Each association services a different area of the county.

Ambulance - Call 911 or Monticello Ambulance Service Inc. (MASI) Southeast Emergency Medical Service (SEEMS) Monticello Ambulance Service, Inc. operates two ambulances manned by paramedics and equipped to provide advanced cardiac life support. Yearly memberships are available. MASI is located at 325 West Shelton. Call 367-7384 for non-emergency business.

Southeast Emergency Medical Services operates two ambulances manned by paramedics and equipped to provide advanced cardiac life support. Yearly memberships are available. SEEMS is located at 503 West Gaines. Call 367-2300 for non-emergency business.

Cable Television Vyve Broadband (formerly Community Communications Company of Monticello): 367-7300.

The expanded basic cable rate is $66.95 a month plus tax.

Other premium channels are available for an additional cost per month. The offices are located at 1920 U.S. Hwy. 425 North.

Internet Service Available from several local providers.

Driver’s Licenses Department of Finance & Revenue: 367-5226 The Arkansas State Police require that new residents acquire an Arkansas driver’s license as soon as residency in the state is established.

Auto Tags Department of Finance & Revenue: 367-5226 The Arkansas State Police require that new residents acquire an Arkansas auto license and registration as soon as residency in the state is established.

Building Permits and Inspections Call 870-367-4400. The City Clerk's position is vacant now but the person answering can help. Fees are project-related, with prices determined by the size of the project to be undertaken.

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School Registration Monticello School District: 367-4000 Drew Central School District: 367-5369 Trash Pickups City of Monticello: City owned and operated service. One weekly residential pickup, $11.55 per month. Weekly business pickups are available for $35 per month. To establish service or for special or larger pickups, call the city sanitation department at 367-3415, or go by the Monticello City Hall at 204 West Gaines.

In County: County-owned and operated service. One weekly pickup, $16.86 per month. To establish service, and to secure a 911 address, call the Drew County solid waste/911 coordinator’s office at 460-6293, or go by the Drew County Courthouse at 210 South Main.

Recycling The city of Monticello operates a recycling facility at 1466 Old Warren Road. Cardboard, aluminum cans, newspapers (not slick inserts), and plastic containers are accepted. Residents may also call the facility at 367-4407 to sign up for weekly curbside pickups each Wednesday. Participants in the curbside program are asked to separate cardboard from newspapers and to rinse out all bottles. Recycling center hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays of the month.

Electricity Inside Monticello city limits: Entergy Corporation, 1-800-368-3749 In county: C & L Electric Cooperative, 870-628-4221 Natural Gas CenterPoint Energy Arkla: 1-800-992-7552 Propane Gas Cash and Sons LP Gas: 367-8227 Matthews: 367-2709 Southern LP Gas: 367-3321 Telephone Service In Monticello: Southwestern Bell Residential Service: 800-464-7928 Commercial Service: 800-499-7928 Voter Registration Drew County Courthouse: 460-6260 Persons can also register when obtaining a driver’s license at the Department of Finance & Revenue or at the Southeast Arkansas Regional Library, Monticello Branch (367-8583)

THE

UNIVERSITY OF

ARKANSAS AT MONTICELLO

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MONTICELLO • CROSSETT • MCGEHEE

UNITE 7

WELCOME TO MONTICELLO

City's history and achievements are worth sharing

By Harold Coggins

editor@monticellonews.net

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onticello—the largest town in Southeast Arkansas south of Pine Bluff—is a “hidden” gem. The city has grown from 891 in 1880 to 9,467 in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and city leaders are fairly certain the population will reach 10,000 in the 2020 Census. Thanks to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, where many of these details can be found, its history has been shown to be one of continued growth and prosperity.

Organizations like the Monticello Economic Development Commission, the Monticello-Drew County Chamber of Commerce and Drew Memorial Health System, along with volunteer groups like the Miracle League of Southeast Arkansas, the SEARK Concert Association and the Drew County Log A Load for Kids committee—among many others—are working to assure that trend is carried on.

Located at the intersection of two major roads (U.S. highways 425 and 278) and served early by railroads, Monticello became an enduring commercial hub. A diversified infrastructure consisting of commerce, agriculture and the timber industry created a strong foundation and sustained the town’s growth.

The town also became an important educational and medical

center in the area.

This year, the city showed how truly progressive it can be. On Jan. 1, Paige Chase was sworn in as Monticello’s 43rd mayor—the first female mayor in the city’s history. A SEARK native and longtime Monticellonian, Chase is following in the footsteps of her late father and husband.

Her father, Allen Maxwell, served as mayor from Jan. 1, 2011 until his unexpected death in March 2014. Her late husband, Dr. Tim Chase, a popular dentist in town, served as interim mayor for five months following his father-in-law’s death. He was also an alderman on the city council for more than 15 years.

Louisiana Purchase through early statehood

The first center of business and county court was at nearby Rough and Ready Hill, which was settled by 1836. Soon after

Drew County formed in 1846, leading citizens decided that a new town should be built for the county seat. In 1849, Fountain C. and Polly Austin, some of the early settlers, donated 83 acres for the town site. It is popularly believed the citizens named the town after Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia estate.

The first courthouse was constructed in 1851 on the court square in the center of town.

A second building replaced it in 1857. Lots were donated in the early 1850s for building Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Lots were also set aside for a male academy, a female academy and a cemetery. A library was established in the courthouse in 1857. The earliest newspaper, the Sage of Monticello, began publishing in 1857. Among the pre–Civil War establishments were G.W. Simms and Company General Merchandise, I.A. Price Dry

Goods, M.A. Wilson and Co., Charles Millerd and Alexander Hale Contractors, Henry Lephiew Grocery and Liquor, M.H. Burks and Brothers Hardware, Lephiew and Duval Grocery and Liquor, and Dr. H.F. Bailey Drug Store.

Civil War through the Gilded Age

Commercial progress continued until the Civil War. Monticello witnessed three minor skirmishes in 1864 (Jan. 13–14, March 18 and Sept.

9-11) and three in 1865 (Jan. 26–31, March 21–23 and May 23-27). They all concerned Union forces raiding for supplies and artillery and looking for Confederate soldiers. On one occasion, they entered Col. William F. Slemon’s house to search for him, but he eluded

File photo

DOWNTOWN SQUARE FROM THE AIR An aerial view at how Monticello's downtown square looked not too very long ago.

them by hiding in a hotel loft.

Rodger’s Female Academy, established in 1857, was used as a Confederate hospital. The Confederates used Phi Kappa Alpha Male College as a store-

house for supplies. Union forces burned the building in 1865, though the Union occupied the town. The last skirmish to occur in Monticello happened after the formal surrender of the

Selected twice by Arkansas Business as a City of Distinction for its Quality of Life in 2014 & 2016, and Arkansas’ first Playful City USA, Monticello is an active place for people seeking progress, but in the relaxed comfort & charm of a small town located in the heart of Southeastern Arkansas.

Monticello is home to thriving businesses, progressive schools and the University of Arkansas at Monticello; and where new friends are always welcome. For those attracted to the unique charm of southern culture served with a gracious portion of hospitality, in Monticello we welcome your company.

Monticello, Arkansas... Growing Your Way! “A Great Place We Call Home!”

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File photo

STEPPING OUT ON THE TOWN Some of Monticello's early residents, all dressed up and ready for an afternoon of enjoyment in their new cars, stopped to pose for a photographer on the town square.

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Confederacy because word had not yet arrived that the war had ended.

The Reconstruction period witnessed the organization of the Ku Klux Klan in the county in retaliation against “carpetbagger” rule. Officials and citizens reached an agreement that whites would continue serving as county officials and African Americans would be elected representatives. Two prominent black citizens, Curl Trotter and Lynn L. Brooks, are given credit for helping ease the tension by using their influence with members of their race.

A newspaper, the Monticellonian, was established in 1870; it was followed by the Drew County Advance in 1892. The long-awaited Little Rock, Mississippi River and Texas Railroad (later known as the Iron Mountain Railroad) reached the

town in 1880, providing faster and better long-distance transportation. From 1874 to 1896, Monticello hosted the Southeast Arkansas Fair. People attended from all over Southeast Arkansas and Northeast Louisiana.

The town’s most enduring mercantile store opened in 1881 when John J. McCloy and Virgil J. Trotter Sr. formed McCloy and Trotter Mercantile and Grocery. After McCloy’s death, the business continued as V.J. Trotter and Sons until it was sold in 1970.

In 1886, an African American man named Buck Hunter was lynched in Monticello. The first bank, Monticello Bank, opened in April 1887. Also in 1887, Hannah Hyatt began accepting orphans into her home. She donated her home and eighty acres to the State Baptist Convention in 1894, and the institution

became the Arkansas Baptist Home for Children, which still exists. Telephone service reached the town in 1898. A cottonseed oil mill opened in 1890.

Early 20th century

Monticello experienced immense growth in the early 20th century. The Monticello Cotton Mill, founded by Warren Anderson, opened in 1900. Two cotton gins, a fertilizer plant, an ice plant and a canning factory were built in connection with the cottonseed mill during this era. Several new banks formed.

Mrs. James Gaston Williamson (originally Lula Jackson) organized United Charities, composed of ladies from the town churches, in 1910. United Charities established a nursery for children whose mothers worked at the cotton mill and a home for women who were no

longer able to work there. This effort led to the creation of the Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home for Children in 1924, which also still exists.

Martin L. Sigman established a stave mill in 1914. The Sorosis Club, formed in 1902,

established the Drew County Library in 1928. The next decade saw more progress. The Mack Wilson Hospital opened in 1930. The same year, Edward Lee Stephenson founded Stephenson’s Funeral Home, now the Stephenson-Dearman Fu-

Monticello’s Recommended

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neral Home.

A new courthouse was erected in 1932, and a municipal building was built two years later.

A Coca-Cola plant opened in 1935, and a municipal swimming pool opened the next year.

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Logo first step in branding Monticello

By Melissa Orrell

reporter@monticellonews.net

D

esiring to bring more people to Monticello and sharing the idiosyncrasies of the largest town in Drew County has led the Monticello Advertising and Promotion Committee down many turning roads.

The first order of business, the commission soon discovered, was the need to brand the town. In order to do this, the commission joined forces with Tiffany Maltezo of CJRW, a marketing firm from Bentonville, who pointed out the lack of a city logo.

This began the series of steps and months that culminated in Monticello's new logo, a tree showing its roots within the outline of a capital letter M. The logo will be able to be used by any entity in town, to include city offices or local vendors using the logo, if they wish, on merchandise.

"We don't want to take business opportunities away from the local businesses," Monticello-Drew County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Glenda Nichols said when asked about the possibility of

brought to the forefront of the discussion.

The purpose of the signs are to welcome visitors to the city of Monticello, but to also make finding Monticello's treasures easier on the visitor.

As part of the initiative to promote the city, the A&P commission has started running advertisements in visitor magazines around the state and plan on more in the future. the town offering merchandise The ads will contain the new with the logo. logo and the Arkansas Travel Since the logo has been final- Guide and other publications ized, members at the July com- will list the things to do and mission meeting began the task see in town, including the city’s of voting on the letter head, four parks, the University of envelopes and business cards Arkansas at Monticello, along with which the city, the A&P with its planetarium, the historcommission and others will be ical district, Lake Monticello able to use to further brand the and more. city and begin the task of bringThe welcome signs and the ing brand recognition to the information signs that point city. All present voted on their visitors to places of interest has favorite designs, leaving absent the goal of making Monticello members with the option of vot- more attractive to tourist and ing by email on their favorite travelers in The Natural State. design for the letter head and The committee will now conenvelope. tinue its work by finding four "Consistency is important," places along U.S. Highway 425 Maltezo noted when talking and U.S. Highway 278 to place about the need to chose one welcome signs as visitors enter design for everyone to use.

Monticello and deciding what With those details out of the type of signs the town should way, the business of signs was display.

Photos by Melissa Orrell/Advance-Monticellonian

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COLORFUL TRADITION Thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Monticello, the downtown square and the front of the Drew County courthouse on South Main Street are annually decked out with American flags between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

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Hours: M-F 6am-6pm | Sat 8am-5pm | Closed Sunday Drive-thru window

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Concert Association's 2019-20 schedule

By Harold Coggins

editor@monticellonews.net

S

ince 1976, the Southeast Arkansas Concert Association has “brought the arts” to the area, according to their website. On Aug. 6, the organization released its 201920 schedule. This season, the association has expanded to six events—beginning with Steel Magnolias on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Produced by Cleveland County Community Theater, the play has been seen across South Arkansas by many already this summer. The Monticello performances, at the University of Arkansas at Monticello Fine Arts Center, will close out the tour.

There will be a matinée showing at 2 p.m., with the evening production beginning at 7 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now at 14

$20 per person. However, the tickets are free with purchase of any membership to the association. There are five levels of membership in the association. Listed on its website, the SEARK Concert Association membership pricing is: • Associate level, $100; includes one season ticket; • Friend level, $200; includes two season tickets; • Patron level, $300; includes three season tickets; • Sustainer level, $400; includes four season tickets; and • Benefactor level, $600; includes six season tickets.

Taken from the same website (searkconcert.org), the association lists five membership benefits, which are: reserved seating of one’s choice prior to event ticket sales; savings in overall ticket prices; recognition of membership at events;

first selection of community theater musical tickets (upon cast performance assignments); and the exclusive opportunity to claim up to four additional musical tickets prior to public sales.

Additionally, 80 UAM students with valid student identification will receive one free ticket to all shows of the season. The limited quantity of tickets are available in the UAM music office two weeks prior to any show.

Other SEARK Concert Association offering this season are: • Sept. 19, 7 p.m.: From Chicago, the award-winning cellist Alexander Hersh will perform at the UAM Music Recital Hall.

Hersh holds the title of The National Federation of Music's 2019 Young Artist of the Year.

Continued on Page 16

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Minutes from University of Arkansas Monticello Find us off Highway 425, just steps from local dining, and less than five minutes from downtown Monticello. It’s only 10 minutes to Monticello Municipal Airport, and the University of Arkansas, home to the Turner Neal Natural History Museum, is five minutes away. Free hot breakfast is fuel for nature days at Lake Monticello, 15 minutes from the door, and WiFi’s on us.

480 Hwy 425 N 870.367.6600 15

academic experience and growth by providing exposure to and exThe event is free, but seats are perience of the arts, an important limited. Tickets are available now.

• Nov. 22-23, 7:30 p.m.: Dr. but endangered area of study.”

Kent Skinner and the UAM Music Currently, the website noted, Theater Workshop collaborates the SMARTS program is in each with SEARK once again and will school district in the seven ares produce the captivating, advenInternet photo FUN FOR ALL Local actors perform a scene counties, bringing age-appropriturous musical comedy, A Funny from the musical Aladdin Jr., a SEARK Concert ate, engaging programming to Thing Happened on the Way to Association 2018 production. the Forum. Tickets are on sale each grade level. Opportunities but this may truly be the best yet.” include doing fairy tale puppetry, now at $20 per person.

Aside from its base in Drew • Dec. 1, 3 p.m.: A full-length enjoying professional musicians County (the office is located in performance of The Nutcrackand the award-winning UAM Room 110 of the UAM Fine Arts er. Accompanied by Dr. Kermit jazz band, and even field trips Center), the SEARK Concert Polling and the South Arkansas Association serves six other coun- to see the professional ballet in Symphony Orchestra, the Arkanties—Ashley, Bradley, Cleveland, Little Rock. SMARTS is primarsas Festival Ballet will tell the Chicot, Drew and Lincoln—with classic story at the UAM Fine ily funded by partners within the “high quality, engaging perforArts Center. Tickets are on sale counties served. mance arts opportunities and now at $20 per person.

Aside from Ramsey, who lives • March 12-13, 2020, 7 p.m. and experiences,” according to the in Drew County, the board of organization’s website. Each March 14, 2 and 7 p.m: SEARK directors in comprised of Vice season of events, held within a Concert Association’s annual President Clint Young (Drew partnership with the UAM Fine community theater production County); Secretary Daniel Boice will be Roger and Hammerstein’s Arts Center, boasts professional performances in each discipline The Sound of Music at the UAM (Drew County); Treasurer Susan of the performing arts—dance, Fine Arts Center. Auditions are Akin (Drew County); Lynn Bliss theater and music. open to the entire seven-county (Desha County); Renee Clark The association also engagarea, and are scheduled for Jan. (Drew County); Frank Ferguson es each county's community in 11, 2020. Tickets will go on sale bringing the same quality of expe- (Drew County); T.J. Files (Bradin February for $25 per person.

• April 17, 2020, 7 p.m.: UAM's riences into the school every year ley County); John Paul Greer (Drew County); Heather HarJohn F. Gibson University Center through its SMARTS program.

Each grade level in each school will be transformed to the “big gis (Cleveland County); Renee district within the seven-county band days” of dinner dances and Lamayo (Drew County); Heath area is now served with age-apFrank Sinatra at SEARK's seaLoveless (Drew County); Michele propriate and inspirational events son finale. Jeremy Davis and the Roberts (Drew County); Barbara Fabulous Equinox Orchestra will to enhance their curriculum.

SMARTS, or Schools Majoring Stover (Cleveland County); and perform, accompanied by the Brannon West (Lincoln County). in the Arts, is an initiative of the award-winning UAM Jazz Band.

Interested patrons can purchase Dinner will be served and a dance SEARK Concert Association that, floor will be available. Tickets are according to the organization’s tickets for the 2019-20 season, website, is “striving to ensure ev- join the SEARK Concert Associaavailable now at $40 per person. ery student in every grade (K-12) tion or donate to either the orga“We are very excited about the in our seven-county region of the opportunity to bring such a varinization itself or the SMARTS state are exposed to high quality, ety to our community,” SEARK program in particular online at professional and fine arts experiConcert Association President ences. The vision of the SMARTS www.searkconcert.org or by Lori Ramsey said. “Each year is an amazing slate of performances, program is to enrich each child's phone 870-460-1888.

Continued from Page 14

16

Continued from Page 11

In 1921, an African American man was lynched for allegedly assaulting a white woman in nearby Wilmar. At the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929, the Drew County Bank and Trust Company closed and was liquidated the following year. The manager, Henry Cruce, committed suicide.

Although some businesses closed, the more established ones managed to stay open. The population increased during this decade as many farmers lost their farms and moved to town in search of work.

World War II through the modern era

Soon after the outbreak of WWII, the effects of the Depression began to diminish.

The Monticello Cotton Mill manufactured a coarse grade of cotton material that was used by the military for tents,

File photo

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cots and awnings. It ran at full capacity throughout the war and employed many, enticing more rural people to relocate.

Camp Monticello was a prisoner-of-war camp south of Monticello; Italian POWs began arriving in 1943.

Drew Memorial Hospital was built in 1950 and, in 1975, a modern building replaced the original. In late May 2018– in what some are calling the most significant happening in Monticello and Drew County in at least 20 years—the hospital

17

(now known as DMHS)—unveiled a complex “that will transform health care in Southeast Arkansas,” according to a health system press release following the grand opening of the $31 million expansion. The new additions to the hospital became fully functional in early June 2018.

Local resident John Porter Price established the J.P. Price

Lumber Company in 1965; it claims to be one of the largest wood-processing companies in the United States. Among the major industries in 1974 were Arvin (automotive exhaust systems manufacturer), L.T. Barnes (pulpwood), Burlington Industries (textiles), the Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Davis Forest Services, Drew Cotton Seed Oil Mill (later

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Drew Foam), Dura-Craft Boats (now War Eagle Boats), Georgia-Pacific (forestry), MonArk Boat Company (now SeaArk Marine) and Wilson Sawmill.

Unfortunately, only a handful of those business still exist in Monticello. The biggest blow came when Burlington Industries close its plants in the early 2000s.

Continued on Page 28

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Imagination Library cones to Drew County

By Melissa Orrell

reporter@monticellonews.net

T

wo years of persistent hard work culminated in the launch of The Southeast Arkansas Imagination Library at the Monticello Medical Clinic in May. In conjunction with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, MMC enrolled the first of Drew County's children to receive free specially-selected, age-appropriate, high-quality books that are mailed to registered children at home each month from birth to age 5. The only qualifications to qualify for the program are that a child lives in Drew County and is under the age of 5.

Dr. Sylvia Simon said she began her journey to improve literacy during her residency in Wichita, Kan. when she set up another reading program for children. After coming home to Arkansas, she knew she wanted to do something similar for her community and she Dr. Sylvia Simon chose the Imagination Library as the program that she believed would be the most beneficial for Drew County and the surrounding areas.

"This program has been extremely effective in improving literacy levels," Simon said. “The schools will see the biggest impact first, but it will eventually also show improvement in the local workforce."

While Simon is the one that has spearheaded the effort in getting Drew County active in the program, she credits MMC with just as large of a contribution to the effort.

"I have been the one getting everything together for this," she noted, "however, my colleagues at Monticello Medical Clinic are heavily invested in this for the community."

According to Simon, the clinic provided the time, effort and funding for the initial set up for the nonprofit and all the fees associated with getting the program up and running. Once that 20

was taken care of, the local community stepped up and donated the money to get the program started.

In order to launch the program, the nonprofit had to have enough funding for at least 60% of the children in Drew County under age 5. That goal was reached, but volunteers still need donations to reach the point where Drew County will be fully funded.

"We have received donations from local community groups, local private businesses who want to reinvest in their community and from both schools," Simon said. "The Arkansas legislature believes this program is so important that they have allowed the schools to allocate funds for the Imagination Library."

And, according to Simon, she really appreciates Monticello and Drew Central schools for choosing to sponsor children enrolled in the program.

"For every dollar spent on this program," said Continued on Page 22

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dren in my home county, but here we are today with a worldSimon, "the schools save $12 wide program that gives a book to $25 dollars per student for a month to well over 1 million intervention." children."

Simon noted she and MMC In April, DPIL sent out have worked on getting this 119,256,878 books worldwide. program to Drew County for Tennessee, Parton's home state, two years. Donations by the is completely covered by the Junior Auxiliary and the Rotary Imagination Library. The next Club were the ones that enabled goal for the program is to comthem to kick off the program. pletely cover Arkansas—and According to The Imagination that is what Simon and MMC Library website, Parton foundare trying to do. ed the program because her Dad According to Simon, while was illiterate. most of the funding needed to "He was the smartest man I continue the program has been have ever known," Parton said raised for Drew County, the on the website, "but I know in children of Lincoln, Cleveland my heart his inability to read and Desha counties still need probably kept him from fulfill- funding in order for the proing all of his dreams. Inspiring gram to be launched in those kids to love to read became by communities. mission. In the beginning, my Drew County residents can hope was simply to inspire chil- sign children up for the proContinued from Page 20

gram at the Southeast Arkansas Regional Library, Monticello Branch, 114 West Jefferson Avenue, or several other local businesses. Drew Memorial Health System will also offer sign ups in the hospital when a child is born.

Once the child's name, address and date of birth are entered into the program's system, the only people with access to the information are those of the Imagination Library.

Simon said she understands that protection of pediatric information is crucial and stated that the data entry will be handled by people in the community that already deal with sensitive information and protection of that information.

Any child under 5 can be registered by visiting imaginationlibrary.com.

Mainline joins opiate fight by offering MAT program

By Melissa Orrell

reporter@monticellonews.net

O

pioid addiction has been a national epidemic for years. Arkansas and Monticello citizens have not been left out of the drug's grasp. While addiction clinics have popped up everywhere in the nation, some even in Arkansas, Mainline Health Systems, Inc. and two other Arkansas Community Health Centers are joining the fight by offering Medication Assisted Treatment to those who wish to rid themselves of the addiction.

The three CHCs in Arkansas have taken up the gauntlet in recent months on the MAT program and hope to expand it 22

Internet photo

ONE SOLUTION Mainline Health Systems, Inc. is among the Arkansas community health centers offering Medication Assisted Treatment for the state’s opioid crisis.

to serving hundreds of patients Mainline, with 17 locations within two years, according to a across Southeast Arkansas, press release from Community seven primary locations and Health Centers of Arkansas.

Continued on Page 24

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barriers that the CMCs are able to get rid of.

10 school-based locations, is in a Another unique factor of the unique position to reach a large CMCs are the integrated treatpopulation of Arkansans who may ment method model of the CMC. find themselves in the grips of an For many addicted to opiates are addicted to the drug are not opioid addiction. someone that would typically fall there may be underlying issues, "We have been offering this in to a high-risk category of being such as anxiety, that the patient since March," said Byron Monthas been treating, incorrectly, addicted and the embarrassment gomery, Advanced Practice with the addiction.

Registered Nurse and Director of and shame of the addiction may "Insurance requires behavioral stop them from seeking treatment Clinical Operations for Mainline. health in order to pay for the serclose to home. That is one of "Up until recently, I have been vices," Montgomery said. "Adthe reasons that having the MAT the only one with the waiver to diction centers don't have that. program in a CMC will lower give the treatment. We now have That is one of the reasons they are some of the barriers to getting another APRN with the waiver a cash service. We can treat all treatment. and are working on getting more of that at the same time. Opiates "(Medicated Assisted Treatcertified." don't help with anxiety, that isn't ment) is an integrated treatment The program treats opioid adthe medication to take for that, but method that really fits what diction caused by pain pills and there are other medications that Community Health Centers are heroin, replacing the illicit drugs all about," Montgomery said. "We address that issue." with the much safer opiate drug When a patient comes in to the have everything under one roof.

Buprenorphine, also known by the Patients don't have to worry about program they will be given an brand name Suboxone. individual treatment plan, accordbeing stigmatized because as far "(Buprenorphine) has a ceiling," as anyone will know, they could ing to Montgomery, that could Montgomery said. "You can't get be anything from coming in once be coming to our clinic to treat a high with it and if you take more every couple weeks to coming in common cold. And, we're going than you are supposed to or you to see them whether they can pay only once a month. The patient take other drugs on top of it, you or not. But they have to be totally will be drug tested and will expect won't get high. It goes in and engaged and completely dedicated to be clean except for any medattaches itself to the receptors and to beating addiction." ications they are taking, like the keeps anything else from being With the increase of knowledge Buprenorphine. Relapse may hapable to attach to the receptors and about the dangers of opiate pain pen, in which case the treatment prevents you from getting high. It killers, doctors are prescribing the plan will be adjusted accordingly. is a much safer opioid to take."

According to Montgomery, drugs less and less, but for those Everything hurts without the studies have shown it can take up who are already addicted, that opiate, Montgomery said. Buto two years for the body to level could be a turn toward heroin. prenorphine helps the person back out and begin producing the "We have to get ahead of that," addicted to opiates feel normal Montgomery noted while discuss- chemicals that were disrupted by without getting high. ing the trend of cracking down of the opiate so no time length is When opiates came out to treat being put on the program. Howopiate prescriptions. "As it bepain, according to Montgomery, ever, the goal of MAT is to have comes harder to get opiates, you doctors were told the drugs were will see more heroin coming in to the patient living life with no drug safe to prescribe and encouraged the community." dependency, so the clinic will to prescribe the drugs to patients The ability to pay is another work to eventually remove the so their patients didn't have to barrier that the CMCs are able Buprenorphine from the patient's suffer pain. Now, it is known that to combat, along with access to life. opiates can be addicting and adthe service. The CMCs are here "We aren't going to keep giving diction can happen very quickly. in Southeast Arkansas. Access the drug out," said Montgomery. to service, ability to pay and the As a result of the fast-acting "The goal is to get the patient off stigma of a drug addiction are all addiction, many people who the drugs."

Continued from Page 22

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Richard Akin established Akin Industries, manufacturing furniture for healthcare customers, in 1985. The building of a Walmart Supercenter in the 1990s spurred commercial development west of the center of town. Chuck and David Dearman of Dearman Companies established North Park Village Shopping Center next to Walmart, Inc. This commercial strip, about two miles long, did not cause the original civic center around the old courthouse town square to languish—although many storefronts in both areas stand vacant today.

Education

Monticello has always been a center for schools. Rodger’s Female Academy closed during the Civil War and reopened as

File photo

STATE OF THE ART Drew Memorial Health System unveiled the results of a $31 million expansion project in May 2018.

Wood Thompson School for Boys. The name changed to Thompson High School when it became coeducational. Phi Kappa Sigma Male College was established by an act of the legislature in 1859. It was organized by Professor James William Barrow, who named it

after his college fraternity.

The Monticello Male Academy and Bessilieu Schoolhouse opened soon after the Civil War. Hinemon University, under the tutorship of John H. Hinemon, was established in 1890. The first public school opened in Continued on Page 35

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MAKING HISTORY

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PAIGE CHASE Monticello's first female mayor

Monticello's mayors MAYOR James A. Jackson W.S. McCain CC Sam E. Cale@ W.S. Jeter CC James A Jackson@ C.W. Cordel John Hussey CC Jason R. Cotham@ R.J. Hyatt J.G. Williamson Jas C. Knox R.L. Hyatt J.G. Williamson Patrick Henry J.G. Williamson Patrick Henry C.F. Hudspeth Lamar Williamson R.C. Knox CC V.B. McCloy@ W.A. Moffatt CC V.B. McCloy@ Bryan Harris Robert Lee Hardy V.B. McCloy Z.C. “Jimmie” Tucker V.B. McCloy Carl F. Mason Henry L. Ross CC Frank Sharp@ James T. Jordan Harold West David Anderson Joe Rogers Allen Maxwell CC Andrea Chambers@ Alderman Tim Chase% Joe Rogers Zackery A. Tucker CC Andrea Chambers@ David Anderson% David Anderson Paige Chase

TERM TERM LENGTH BEGAN ENDED OF TERM^ 1873 3/31/1876 unknown!

4/1/1876 8/1876* 0/4 8/1876# 3/31/1877 0/8 4/1/877 9/1877* 0/5 9/1877# 3/31/1878 0/7 4/1/1878 3/31/1879 1/0 4/1/1879 11/1879* 0/7 11/1879# 3/31/1884 4/2 4/1/1884 3/31/1886 2/0 4/1/886 3/31/1893 7/0 4/1/1893 3/31/1897 4/0 4/1/1897 3/31/1901 4/0 4/1/1901 3/31/1902 1/0 4/1/1902 3/31/1906 4/0 4/1/1906 3/31/1907 1/0 4/1/1907 3/31/1910 3/0 4/1/1910 3/31/1912 2/0 4/1/1912 3/31/1916 4/0 4/1/1916 11/1916* 0/8 11/1916# 3/31/1918 1/5 4/1/1918 9/1919* 1/6 9/1919# 3/31/1920 0/7 4/1/1920 3/31/1922 2/0 4/1/1922 3/31/1926 4/0 4/1/1926 12/311950 23/8 1/1/1951 4/1951$* 0/4 5/4/1951 12/31/1956 4/8 1/1/1957 12/31/1958 2/0 1/1/1959 1/3/970* 10/0 1/8/1970# 3/1/1970 0/2 3/1/1970 12/31/1986 15/10 1/1/1987 12/31/2002 16/0 1/1/2003 12/31/2006 4/0 1/1/2007 12/31/2010 4/0 1/1/2011 3/2014& 3/2 3/2014# 3/2014 10 d 3/2014# 7/23/2014 0/5 7/24/2014 12/31/2014 0/5 1/1/2015 1/172017* 2/17 d 1/17/2017# 1/17/2017 1d 1/17/2017 5/30/2017 0/4/13 d 5/30/2017 12/31/2018 1/7 1/1/2019

KEY: CC—City Clerk (second in line for mayor; serves when vacancy occurs until interim may can be appointed by city council); ^ Years in office before slash, months in office after slash—d signifies says in office; ! At least 3 years, 3 months; * Resigned; @ Acting Mayor; # Appointed; $ Called to military service; & Died in office; % Interim Mayor

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BRING BACK THE BOBWHITE

City joins with Game and Fish Commission, other wildlife agencies to create a more productive habitat for quail at Lake Monticello

By Tom White

publisher@monticellonews.net

V

isitors to Lake Monticello may notice some changes to the scenery—aside from the temporary complete drawdown of the lake to make repairs to the levee and dam.

Earlier this spring, the Monticello City Council approved a plan that was presented by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Quail Forever to convert a portion of the city owned land at Lake Monticello to a more productive type of wildlife habitat that is preferred by the Bobwhite Quail.

Prior to the 1970s, the bobwhite was abundant in the Gulf Coastal Plain—which covers most of Drew County. In fact, it had high populations in all 75 Arkansas counties.

According to the AGFC, the bobwhite populations have dramatically declined in the last 40 years. Some estimate their numbers are down 80% in the last 60 years. According to biologists, the main cause of this decline have been the major changes that have occurred in the land use practices.

Gone are the small pastures of native grasses and forbs. Also gone are the thick fence rows that separated the small properties dominating the landscape. Add to that the major changes that have occurred in the industrial timberlands in Arkansas.

Most corporate timberlands have been converted to pine plantations with an even age structure and a completely closed canopy that eliminates sunlight on the forest floor. That precludes the native grasses and forbs bobwhite quail and other wildlife need to survive.

Last year, the AGFC started an initiative called 32

Tom White/Advance-Monticellonian

FIRST STEP UAM Wildlife and Forestry students survey current plant populations at Lake Monticello. They are (left to right) April Hargrove of Gillette, UAM Professor Doug Osborne, Dane Vancamp of DeWitt, Brittney Hamilton of Texas and Hector Rodriguez of Glenwood.

Bring Back the Bobwhite. The agency has partnered with Quail Forever, Natural Resources Conservation Service and other agencies to combine their resources and make changes to the land use practices in several focal regions of the state. The goal is to provide good quail habitat.

The partners say that other states have shown that—much like the 1989 baseball classic movie Field of Dreams—“If you build it, they will come.”

Bubba Groves, a Monticello resident and Private Land Biologist with the AGFC, is credited for the idea to make the city owned property around Lake Monticello better quail habitat.

Groves said last fall while fishing on the lake he heard the distinctive whistle that gave the bobwhite its name. After hearing that call, he begin doing “call counts” at the lake and discovered there is already a small population of bobwhites on and near the lake property.

Groves partnered with Austin Klais, a Farm Continued on Page 34

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Continued from Page 34

Bill Biologist with Quail Forever, and the pair has brought in other partners for the project.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello Wildlife Department has started taking baseline data for the area. Before the habitat changes started, one of Dr. Doug Osborne’s wildlife classes was at the lake doing bird counts and recording the plant species composition of the area.

Kingwood Forestry, which manages the timber on the property for the city, has been

engaged on the project and has altered the future timber management, planned thinnings to open up the forest canopy and allow prescribed fires to improve the wildlife habitat.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has plans to provide observation decks for the area.

The initial steps for the plan were for the AGFC and Quail Forever to spray a herbicide on the open areas on each side of the entrance to the city property of the Hungry Run lake access.

The first spraying was completed earlier this month. This winter, the AGFC—through its Acres for Wildlife program—will plant the areas in native grasses and forbs that benefit quail.

Habitat restored for the bobwhite benefits many other species, including turkeys, deer, rabbits, gopher tortoises, bog turtles and many different songbirds.

For more information about managing property for quail habitat contact Groves at 870-7235493 or Klais at 501-425-1985.

Draining Lake Monticello could be silver lining for fishermen

By Melissa Orrell

signed and constructed in 1992, is 7,043 feet long, 68.5 feet tall and the lake holds 25,000 ight now, boaters on acre-feet of water, according to Lake Monticello are MacPhee. It is categorized as a greeted by signs warnhigh-hazard dam, which is the ing them to boat at their own risk due to recent problems dis- category a dam for potential for loss of life should that dam fail. covered along the Hunger Run As is required with all 117 Dam. At July’s Monticello City Council meeting, Atoka, Inc. of high-hazard dams in Arkansas, Hot Springs, one of the four en- Monticello does have an emergency plan that includes a call gineering firms that have been tree to alert those in the inundacalled in to evaluate the levee tion zone and others that need and dam, made recommendato know, should the dam fail. tions for what to do to fix the One of the hypotheses made problems.

by MacPhee for the current and The recommendations may have a silver lining for the fish- past issues with the dam is in the original construction. The erman who wanted the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission original creek bed on the plans for the dam show the creek bed to fix the complication of the channel as chevron shaped, invasive Yellow Bass in the coming to a sharp point. Aclake and keep Lake Monticello cording to MacPhee, a natural as a prize bass lake. creek bed is not going to come "The dam wasn't maintained to a point like that. well over the years," Walt Another possibility, according MacPhee, a geologist for Atoka, to MacPhee, involves the clay told the council. "One location core of the dam and the chimhas a bigger issue."

The dam, which was deney drain. reporter@monticellonews.net

R

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"We won't know anything until we dig a hole," MacPhee noted. "The last engineer didn't do any borings when they did their analysis, which makes no sense. It was basically just a survey of the dam, filling in holes and putting a Band-Aid on the problem."

MacPhee recommended the council to drain the lake completely, perform thorough geotechnical analysis at the location of the dam the crest is dipping, drill five borings, one to the base of the dam to get to the slurry wall, which holds material that supports the dam, characterize the soil and analyze the soil moisture content, determine shear strength of soils.

"We don't want to just throw a Band-Aid on this again," said MacPhee, "we want to see if there are any other locations that can develop similar problems. We want to take a look at other places."

The news: Drain the lake.

Continued from Page 28

1876 for a three-month session, and a nine-month school opened in 1883. The name changed to Monticello High School in 1910.

A private school for black students, known as Monticello Academy or Presbyterian School, was established in 1888

by Charles Mebane, the pastor of the black Presbyterian

church in Monticello, Holmes Chapel Presbyterian Church.

Mary Emilie Holmes was instrumental in securing funding for the school from the Presbyterian Board of Missions for Freedmen. The school closed in 1933. Beauvoir College was established in Wilmar in 1897 but closed in 1907. Hinemon, a white high school, was acquired by the Drew County School

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Board in 1910 and converted into Monticello High School.

Drew Central School was established in 1927 and served as a training school for teachers.

Two years later, the rural school districts of Drew County were consolidated with the training school. In 1935, the school separated from the college and took the name Drew Central School.

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A public school for black students opened in the late 1920s. The Fourth District State Agricultural School, commonly called SAS, held its first classes in 1910. The name changed to Arkansas Agricultural and Mechanical College (Arkansas A&M) in 1925, and it received junior college certification in 1928. It reached senior college status in 1939 and was accredited the next year. In 1971, the college became part of the University of Arkansas system and was renamed the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Attractions

The Drew County Historical Museum, 404 South Main Street, houses impressive artifacts and serves as an archive

for Southeast Arkansas history.

Several grandiose houses on North and South Main streets are on the National Register of Historic Places—as is the museum. Nearby Lake Monticello offers recreation, although the city recently decided to drain it completely to make repairs to the dam and levee. The historic Monticello Post Office, 211 West Gaines Street (now home to the MEDC), is one of 19 places in Arkansas where Depression-era post office art may be viewed.

Some famous residents

Major General John Shirley Wood, born in 1888, served in both world wars.

Hershel Wayne Gober, born in Monticello on Dec. 21, 1936,

became the highest-ranking federal government official from Southeast Arkansas. He served in the military for 10 years, retiring with the rank of major in 1978.

Then Gov. Bill Clinton appointed Gober to become the Director of Veterans Affairs for Arkansas on Jan. 4, 1988. With this position, he also served as a member of the governor’s state cabinet. He resigned on Feb. 4, 1993, to go to Washington, where then President Clinton appointed him to become deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 1997, he served as acting secretary until a new appointment was made and then returned to the deputy secretary

File photo

36

CITY LANDMARK The old Monticello Post Office, a 1937 structure featuring Depression-era sculpture located at 221 West Gaines Street and now the home of the Monticello Economic Development Commission, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

position the same year. He became acting secretary again in 2000 and served until Jan. 20, 2001—when serving as acting secretary, he was a member of the Cabinet.

area, with a few Republicans and Independents thrown in, the city has enjoyed a fair degree of stability in City Hall.

The longest-running mayor was V.B. McCloy, who served four times for a total of 30 Politics years, 4 months. His longest Speaking of appointed and elected officials, Monticello has term would tops any other mayor in longevity—23 years, been relatively mundane—at 8 months from April 1, 1926 least until the last few years. to Dec. 31, 1950. McCloy is An almost entirely Democratic

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the only person to have served as mayor of Monticello on four separate occasion but two others—J.G. Williamson in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and David Anderson quite recently—have occupied the mayor’s office win three occasions.

Williamson served the first time from April 1, 1886 to March 31, 1893, then was back for two one-year stints–from

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April 1, 1901 to March 31, 1902 and from April 1, 1906 to March 31, 1907. Anderson’s initial mayoral term was Jan. 1, 2003 to Dec. 31, 2006, then he served twice as part of the recent mayoral merry-go-round, from Jan. 17 to May 30, 2017 as interim mayor after a scandal and from May 30, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2018 as the office settled down before Chase entered City Hall.

Then-Mayor Zack Tucker resigned in early January 2017 due to his actions in 2015 with misuse of city funds and the creating of a fictitious invoice. Official charges were brought against Tucker in September 2016—one count of tampering with public record (a felony) and one count of abuse of office (a misdemeanor). Counting Tucker, Monticello has five either elected, acting or interim mayors since the scandal broke. The upheaval in that office really began with Maxwell’s death in 2014. Since that time, eight heads of the city have served at least one day in the mayor’s office.

Thanks, to Anderson, though, city politics have settled down and Chase fully plans to serve at least her entire four years.

If reelected, she could join McCloy and Williamson on a short list of the city’s longest-serving mayors. After McCloy’s 30 years, 4 months in office, the man that has occupied the major’s office for the longest is Harold West.

West served 16 years from Jn. 1, 1957 to Dec. 31, 2002. His tenure is just two moths longer than that of James T. Jordan, who served from March 1, 1970 to Dec. 231, 1986—a span of 15 years, 10 months. Henry L.

Internet photo

MAKING MONTICELLO PROUD In July 2000, the city's own Hershel Gober (left) listens—along with then President Bill Clinton (center)—to Veterans Affairs Secretary Togo West Jr. after Clinton announced that West was stepping down and would be succeeded by his deputy, Gober.

Ross (Jan. 1, 1959 to Jan. 3, 1970, when he resigned—otherwise, he would have surely added to his 10 years in office) and Williams (nine years) round out the top five. With another fouryear term, Chase could move up that list into sixth place.

A complete list of Monticello's mayors can be found on Page 31.

Athletic achievements

State championships are nothing new to Monticello. In high school sports, Monticello has the most recent—a boys’ basketball state championship in 2015. The Billies also won state football crowns in 1994 and 2009. The 2015 boys’ basketball state title was Monticello’s third; the Billies were first in the state in 1976 and 1963.

Drew Central boys won backto-back state championships in 1983 and 1984. The Pirates have also won earned three state boys’ basketball first-

place trophies; the other was in 1975. Recently, DC has made back-to-back championship game appearances in 2017 and 2018; unfortunately, the Pirates came up short both times. The Drew Central boys’ basketball team is not the only Pirate squad to have won a state title, either. The Lady Pirates sat atop Arkansas girls’ basketball in their classification in 1987.

In youth summer sports, Monticello has been pretty dominant. The Monticello Youth Sports Baseball AllStars have produced 17 Arkansas United States Specialty Sports Association All-Star state champions in just the past seven years. This summer, MYSB tied its record for Arkansas USSSA All-Star state championships with four—the 6-and-under All-Stars, the 7U All-Stars, the 8U All-Stars and the 10U All-Stars.

The four 2019 clubs join

2018’s 6U, 9U, 11U and 12U squads, and 2013’s 12U, 13U, 14U and 15U teams in MYSB record books. The other state champions from MYSB in the last seven years are the 6U and 11U All-Star teams (2017), the 14U All-Stars (2016), the 9U All-Stars (2015) and the 14U All-Stars (2014). And, the MYSB 11U All-Stars won a USSSA World Series title in 2017.

In the pool, the Monticello Marlins—a recreational swim team for ages 5 to 18—has won the last two South Arkansas Swim Association summer-only league championships, and has finished no worse than second place in any meet–including the SASA Champ meet—in that same time frame. Not to be left out, the Monticello Girls’ Softball Association 12U All-

Stars won the 2017 USSSA state championship, and teams from the MGSA regularly win district crowns.

And that’s not even counting the individual achievements, which are far too numerous to mention. Highlighting that list, though, is Monticello’s Sara Claycomb. One of the best distance runners in Billies’ history, Claycomb won back-to-back-

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to-back individual state cross country champions one year after in 2012, 2013 and 2014. losing 20 games On the college front, UAM takes a back seat in the previous to no one. Highlighting the Boll Weevils’ recent season. performances, the Weevils’ baseball team is curTwo nationrently on a roll of four consecutive Great Ameral runner-up ican Conference championships—UAM was finishes still are the GAC tournament winners in 2016 and 2017, UAM’s best and has won the last two regular-season crowns athletic in 2018 and 2019. John Harvey, the winningest baseball coach in school history, has taken his team to the NCAA Central Region Tournament in three of the last four years.

Individually, outfielder Corey Wood was selected in 2016 as the winner of the Josh Willingham Award, an honor given to the most valuable player at the NCAA Division II level. With that honor, Wood became the second National Player of the Year award winner for UAM in any sport. Tina Webb was named the NAIA National Women's Basketball Player of the Year in 1990 after leading the Blossoms to a national runner-up finish.

Wood was also named GAC Male Athlete of the Year in 2016, following three-time softball All-American Kayla Jackson’s selection as GAC Female Athlete of the Year in 2012 in the inauguFile photos ral year of the league.

BELOW (from left to right): Kyle Tolin’s men’s 2016-17 GAC Coach of the Year Kyle Tolin; junior Tyree basketball team shared the Nolen celebrates Monticello's 2015 state bay's basGAC regular-season ketball championship; one c h a m pionship in of the Monticello Marlins' top swimmers, Dylan Snuff201617, finishing earned three silver med237, and Tolin received er als at the 2019 AAU Junior Olympics; still regasrded as UAM’s first GAC best women's college Coach of the Year Awards the basketball player in Arkanfor his efforts. At the time, sas, Tina Webb led UAM to a national runner-up finish; and UAM—picked last in preseason Monticello's Sara Claycomb polls—was just the fifth NCAA Difinishes her back-to-backindividual state cross vision II men's basketball program in to-back country championships in the last eight years to win 20 games 2014.

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2016 NCAA Division II Player of the Year Corey Wood

achievements. Webb and the 198990 Cotton Blossoms, coached by the late Alvy Early, were 34-3 and ended the season as NAIA national runners-up. The late Gary Sharpe led the 198586 Weevils to that same lofty perch in men’s basketball.

UAM finished with a school record 26 wins that season.

se

Mayor Paige Cha

Dear Readers,

R. With of Monticello, A ity C ir fa e th to me you n, we are r for me to welco itecture downtow ch ar g in st re It is a great hono te in city and auty around the lo. all the natural be yone in Monticel er ev r fo ng hi et som sure that there is rsity of st growing Unive fa e th to e m ho needs of at, Monticello is the educational ed rv se s ha As the county se M years, UA ticello. For 110 Arkansas at Mon rrounding areas. tion to our Monticello and su for us, so in addi y rit io pr p to a e n ar w Central d their educatio l District and Dre oo ch S lo el tic Our children an hools, Mon s education. are two public sc ir and a first clas fla ue iq un n ow University, there rs its Each district offe tless School District. nities with coun rtu po op b jo e iv tit ntury. d to offer compe hed for half a ce is ou bl pr ta is es lo el en tic be on M y of which have industries, man d an es ss ne si bu ver in short Monticello is ne n, tio ea cr re d t an rink, to entertainmen g alley, skating lin es w m bo co a, it m n ne he ci W athletic to have a movie able to provide te na be rtu to fo d is ou pr ty ci ry supply. The . We are ve RK Miracle d sports complex cility for the SEA an fa er ed nt ct ce tru ng ns pi co shop e newly r all youth with th opportunities fo League. age you to try offer, we encour to s ha lo el tic on selection of g all the fun M proud of its wide ry ve is ty After experiencin ci e rants. Th excellent restau one of our many cuisine. tin and American La n, lia Ita , an si A ello your g to make Montic in ok lo e ar or r to as much as e a first time visi u enjoy our city yo pe ho d an Whether you ar s open arm elcome you with hometown, we w we do.

Sincerely,

ayor

Paige Chase, M

41

Quick Facts

Population (According to 2017 Census estimates) City's Count: 9,627 County's Count: 18,547

Climate Mean daily maximum temperature: 74.2 Mean daily minimum temperature: 53.1 Mean daily noontime humidity: 57% Mean daily midnight humidity: 77% Maximum temperature of 90 degrees and over: 96 days Minimum temperature of 32 degrees and under: 41 days Average annual rainfall: 53.46 inches Elevation: 280 to 410 feet above sea level Police Protection 911 Service: Yes Monticello Police Department Number of officers: 22 Full-Time, 8 Part-Time Police Non-Emergency Number (870) 367-3411 Drew County Sheriff's Department Number of paid deputies/officers: 22 Number of auxiliary members: 11 Sheriff Non-Emergency Number (870) 367-6211 Fire Protection City of Monticello Number of paid firemen: 11 Number of volunteers: 13 Fire insurance rating: Class 4 Fire stations: 3; training facility Fire Non-Emergency Number (870) 367-5433 Service available to industry outside city limits, and various volunteer fire departments are located in the communities throughout the county.

Health Services Drew Memorial Health System (870) 367-2411 49 beds 24-hour emergency room 63 active and consulting physicians City of Monticello Elected Officials Mayor - Paige Chase, (870) 367-4400 City Clerk - vacant, (870) 367-4400 City Attorney - Whit Barton, (870)367-6288

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Monticello City Council Members Ward 1 - Al Peer and Cedric Leonard Ward 2 - Craig McRae and Claudia Hartness Ward 3 - Michael James and Joe Meeks Ward 4 - Mike Wigley and Dr. Jack Lassiter

Drew County Elected Officials County Judge - Robert Akin, (870) 460-6200 Sheriff - Mark Gober, (870) 367-6211 Tax Collector - Tonya Loveless, (870) 460-6220 Assessor - Cheri Adcock, (870) 460-6240 Circuit Clerk - Beverly Burks, (870) 460-6250 County Clerk - Lyna Gulledge, (870) 460-6260 Treasurer - Charles Searcy (870) 460-6225 Drew County Quorum Court Members District 1 - Orlando Jones District 2 - Steven Morrison District 3 - Roger Harris District 4 - Carole Bulloch District 5 - Tommy Gray District 6 - Chris Barnett District 7 - Joe Williams Jr. District 8 - Frank Appleberry District 9 - RenĂŠ Knowles State Representatives LeAnne Burch - District 9, (870) 460-0773 Mike Holcomb - District 10, (870) 879-6135 State Senator Eddie Cheatham - District 26, (870) 364-5659 U.S. Representative - Fourth District Bruce Westerman (R) 100 E. 8th Avenue, Room 2521 Pine Bluff, AR 71601 Phone: (870) 536-3376 Fax: (870) 536-4058 www.westerman.house.gov U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R) 500 Clinton Ave. Suite 401 Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone: (501) 324-6336 Fax: (501) 324-5230 Toll Free: 1-877-259-9602 www.cotton.senate.gov John Boozman 1401 W. Capitol Ave., Plaza F. Little Rock, AR 72201 Phone: (501) 372-7153 Fax: (501) 372-7163 www.boozman.senate.gov

Monticello-Drew County

Chamber of Commerce Members

Accountants - Certified Public Ralph McQueen & Co. Ltd. 971 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-0674 Searcy & Associates, LTD 201 South Main Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3580 Agriculture Credit Financing Delta ACA Farm Credit Services 656 Barkada Road Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5525 Air Conditioning Contractors Griffin Heating & Air Conditioning 542 West Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6531

The Vineyards at Monticello 125 Midway Route Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-4280 Appliances - Major - Retail Aaron's 307 Hwy 425 N. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3058 Assisted Living Guest House of Monticello 810 Hwy 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8220 Attorneys The Barton Law Firm P.O. Box 507 Monticello, AR 71657 870-367-6288 Sara Hartness, Attorney 534 West Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8304

Ambulance Service Southeast Emergency Medical Services P.O. Box 714 Monticello, AR 71657 870-367-2300

Auto Dealers, Supplies & Service Crow Burlingame 313 Hwy. 425 South Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6102

Apartments Lively Branch Apartments Hwy 425S & Hwy 278W Monticello, AR 870-941-9008

Monticello Tire & Service 323 Hwy. 425 South Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2401

Parkridge Apartments 141 Market Street Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-0009 Pine Valley Apartments 1350 Hwy. 425 S. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-4307

Bakery Cakeland 1011 Hwy 425S Monticello, AR 71655 870-224-8087 Banks/Lending Arkansas Superior Federal Credit Union 1090 Old Warren Road Monticello, AR. 71655 870-460-9080 Commercial Bank 212 W. Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6221 Delta ACA 656 Barkada Road Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5525 Citizens Bank 555 W. Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-1935 Simmons First 473 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5334 Supreme Lending 467 Hwy 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6400

Patrick's Spee-D-Lube P.O. Box 1047 Monticello, AR 71657 (870) 367-5244

Union Bank 102 W. McCloy Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-6400

Ryburn Automotive Superstore 156 Hwy. 425 S. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5353

Beauty Salon Oasis Salon & Boutique 1154 Hwy 425 S Monticello, AR 71655 870-820-5468

Bed & Breakfast UAM Trotter House Bed & Breakfast 404 North Main Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-0200 Boat Repair Harrison’s Fiberglass Repair 2563 Hwy 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-9622 Boating SeaArk Boats P.O. Box 803 Monticello, AR 71657 870-367-5317 Team Ward, Inc. 2039 Hwy. 35 East Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-1554 Building Materials Barton’s of Monticello 358 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-5388 Butane Gas Gresham Petroleum 1540 S. Main Warren, AR 71671 870-367-8227 Carpet Distributors Paint & Lighting Plus Inc. 528 West Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3491 Cellular Telephone Equipment & Supplies AT&T US Hwy 425 N. Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-5562

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Monticello-Drew County

Chamber of Commerce Members

Cricket Wireless/Apix Wireless 101 North Park Drive Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-0271

First United Methodist Church 317 South Main Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-2471

Tabernacle Church of Deliverance 216 Kennedy Boulevard Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5123

Coffee Coffee Cakes 292 Hwy 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-510-5053

Custom Wireless P.O. Box 141 Monticello, AR 71657 870-367-1513

Life Church 910 Old Warren Road Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-0829

Civic Organizations C.A.S.A. 175 Henley Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-9449

Monticello Coffee Company 316 S Hwy 425 Monticello, AR 71655 870-412-4574

Lions Club 138 Grizzell Lane Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-7992

Computer and Electronics Aaron's 307 Hwy 425 N. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3058

Miracle League of Southeast Arkansas P.O. Box 680 Monticello, AR 71655 miracleleaguear@yahoo. com

Walmart Supercenter 427 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-0409

Child Care Head of the Class Childcare & Learning Center 119 Shay Gillespie St Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-0024 Jellybean Junction 849 North Gabbert Street Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-1523 Churches Brooks Chapel Missionary Baptist Church 1667 Old Warren Rd 367-1379 First Baptist Church 413 North Main Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-3449 First Free Will Baptist Church 1351 Hwy. 278 W Monticello, AR 71655 870-413-8162

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First Presbyterian Church 821 N. Main Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-6883

Monticello Baptist Temple 1693 Hwy. 425 S. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2972 870-367-9429 New Relationship Christian Center 409 Kennedy Blvd Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-1566 Northside Baptist Church 351 East Pope St. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5860 Pauline Missionary Baptist Church 909 S. Hyatt St. Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-3085 Rose Hill Freewill Baptist 2130 Hwy 35 West Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-7867 Second Baptist Church 1032 Old Warren Rd. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2459 Seventh Day Adventist 2656 Hwy 278 East Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-0244

Clothing - Retail Options, Inc. On the Square Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-0684 Rogers Menswear 618 W. Bolling Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-7277 Clubs Black Business Men's and Women's Association of Monticello Society 248 East McCloy Street Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5396 Drew County Master Gardeners 870-367-6741

Construction JEB Construction 1060 Goose Hollow Road Hamburg, AR 71646 870-723-2464 King and Company Construction 2138 Highway 83 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-723-4824 Pine Bluff Sand & Gravel 330 State School Road Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8336 Convenience Stores Circle N Stores 429 N Highway 425 Monticello, AR 71655 870-534-8436

Monticello-Drew County

Chamber of Commerce Members

Counseling Delta Counseling & Associates 790 Roberts Drive Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-2461 The Centers for Youth and Families P.O. Box 251970 Little Rock, AR 72225 501-660-6801 Credit Union Arkansas Superior Federal Credit Union 1090 Old Warren Road Monticello, AR. 71655 870-460-9080 Dentists & Orthodontists Monticello Dental Center 511 N Hyatt St. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6453 Moore, Jim DDS 3024 Olive Street Pine Bluff, AR. 71603 870-536-2650 Department Stores Walmart Supercenter 427 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-0409 Employment Service & Contractors Arkansas Department of Workforce Services 477 South Main Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2476 Employers Service of America P.O. Box 1050 Monticello, AR 71657 870-367-2727

Entertainment Malco Monticello Cinema 120 Dearman Drive Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2219 Equipment Rental AM Rental & Sales 1016 Hwy 425 S. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3715 Farm & Ranch Supply Atwoods of Monticello 202 Hwy 425 S Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-4744 Financial Planning Edward Jones Jay Jones 975 Hwy 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-4358 Fitness & Weight Loss Alltime Fitness 24/7 Wal-Mart Access Road Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-0676 SouthArk Wellness Clinic 750 H.L. Ross Drive Monticello, AR 71655 501-912-3915 Florist Town & Country Florist 957 Hwy 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6241 Forestry Kingwood Forestry Services 145 Greenfield Dr. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8567

Price Land Company 218 Midway Route Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-9751 Silvicraft Inc. 2118 U.S. Hwy. 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8564 Funeral Home Paradise Funeral Home 600 U.S. Hwy. 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-224-8144 Stephenson - Dearman Funeral Home 943 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2451 Furniture Dealers Discount Merchandise 206 N. Main Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-0038 Queen City Furniture 253 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-7525 Gift Shop City Drug 201 East Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5301 Government Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of the Blind P.O. Box 8063 Little Rock, AR 72203-8068 501-682-0363

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Southeast Regional Office 771 Jordan Drive Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3553 Arkansas Department of Workforce Services 477 S. Main St. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2476 Monticello Economic Development Commission P.O. Box 1890 Monticello, AR 71657 870-367-3076 Drew County Courthouse & Elected Officials 210 S. Main Street Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6200 State Senator Dist. #26: Eddie Cheatham 2814 Ashley 239, Crossett, AR 71635 870-364-8291 Grocery Store Cash Saver 345 S. Main Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6231 Hardwood Flooring Maxwell Hardwood Flooring Manufacturing 190 Wilson Mill Road Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2436 Health Care Arkansas Hospice 224 Hwy. 425 S. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3212

45

Monticello-Drew County

Chamber of Commerce Members

CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute 766 H.L. Ross Drive Monticello, AR 71655 870-412-4302 Comprehensive Pain Care West Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-224-4545 Hospice Home Care 990 Hwy 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-9008 LifeShare Blood Centers 2909 Kilpatrick Blvd.

Monroe, LA 71201-5120 318-651-4404 Mainline Health Systems, Inc. 535 Jordan Drive Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6246 Reinhart Family Healthcare 777 Jordan Drive Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-9777 Home - Children Arkansas Baptist Home for Children P.O. Box 427 Monticello, AR 71657 870-367-5358 Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home 745 Old Warren Road Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-9035

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Home - Elderly Care Belle View Estates Rehabilitation and Care Center 1052 Old Warren Road Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-0044 Guest House of Monticello 810 Hwy 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8220 Superior Senior Care 506 US-65 McGehee, AR 71654 870-222-3970 The Woods of Monticello Health & Rehabilitation, LLC. 1194 North Chester Street Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-6852

Holiday Inn Express 146 Dearman Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-0100 Super 8 306 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6271 Housing Drew County Public Facilities Board 444 Hwy 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3973 Hunting & Fishing Supply Outfitters RX 922 Hwy. 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-7296

Hospitals Drew Memorial Health System 778 Scogin Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-2411

Individuals Anderson, Bruce (Dist.

Judge) Brown, Carolyn Harris, Gloria James, Lou & Carol Koonce, Kelly & Anna Nichols, G. Allan Nichols, Glenda Wells, Ralph

Hotels Days Inn 317 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-1881

Industries/Manufacturing Drew Foam 144 Industrial Drive Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6245

Economy Inn Express 617 W. Gaines St Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8555 Hampton Inn 480 Hwy 425 N. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6600

Hood Packaging 1829 Hwy. 35 E Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8000 Maxwell Hardwood Flooring Manufacturing 190 Wilson Mill Road Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2436

Insurance James Insurance Agency 613 W. Bolling St Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6623 Drew County Farm Bureau 224 South Main Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8585 Merchants & Planters Insurance Robert Hargis, Agent 539 W Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-9090 Mullis Insurance 209 North Church Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2431 State Farm Insurance, Mark Gray 372 Hwy 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6261 Lawn Mowers & Tractors AM Rental & Sales 1016 Hwy. 425 South Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3715 Logging L.D. Long, Inc. 941 Hwy. 278 East Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5881 Lumber Interfor 211 Old Troy Road Monticello, AR 71655 870-224-7138 www.interfor.com

Monticello-Drew County

Chamber of Commerce Members

Newspapers Advance – Monticellonian 314 North Main Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5325 Media MonticelloLive.com Joe Burgess, LLC Monticello, AR 71655 MyMonticelloNews.net 314 North Main Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5325 Pines Broadcasting, Inc. 279 Midway Route Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6854 Medical Supplies United Way Heart of Arkansas United Way P. O. Box 798 North Little Rock, AR, 72115 501-376-4567 Office Equipment & Supplies Dawkins Office Supply 221 Main Street Greenville, MS 38701 800-880-5448 phone

Organizations Arkansas Heart & Sole Therapeutic Equine Center 1314 Old Warren Rd Monticello, AR 71655 870-814-1958 Drew County Democratic Committee P.O. Box 103 Monticello, AR 71657

The Prescription Pad Pharmacy 539 Hwy. 425 S. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-4227 Walmart Pharmacy 427 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-3559

Drew County Republican Party P.O. Box 384 Monticello, AR 71657 870-723-5701

Physical Therapy Arkansas Rehabilitations Service P.O. Box 450 Monticello, AR 71657 870-367-9669

Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas P.O. Box 305 Little Rock, AR 72203-0305 501-372-4757

South Arkansas Rehabilitation 497 Hwy 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-1548

The CALL of Drew County P.O. Box 464 Monticello, AR 71657 870-308-9502

Printers Drew County Newspapers 314 North Main Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5325

Paint-Retail Paint & Lighting Plus Inc. 528 West Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3491

James Quick Print 112 East Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-2365

South Arkansas Business Solutions, Inc. 3801 Camden Rd. Suite 23 (Chapel Village) Pine Bluff, AR. 71603 870-879-6400

Pest Control Mr. Bug Pest Control 2021 Hwy 83 North Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-7889

Public Library Monticello Branch Library 107 East Jackson Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8583

Oil O & M Oil Company 700 East Gaines Monticello, AR. 71655 870-367-6537

Pharmacy City Drug 201 E. Gaines St. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5301

Real Estate Agent Bulloch Real Estate 224 Hwy 425 S. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6806

Cass Martin Realty 625 W. Bolling Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6125 Monticello Realty, LLC 107 Hwy 425 S Monticello, AR 71655 870-224-4040 Ray Ryburn Real Estate 537 W. Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5524 Retail-Store Space Cooper Realty Investments 4332 Central Avenue Hot Springs, AR 71913 501-525-7271 Restaurants Ameca Mexican Restaurant 149 North Park Drive Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-9348 Cakeland Bakery 1011 Hwy 425 S Monticello, AR 71655 870-224-8087 Chef's 615 Hwy 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-224-0324 Coffee Cakes 292 Hwy 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-510-5053 Dairy Queen 266 Hwy 425 N Monticello, AR 71655 870-460-9009

47

Monticello-Drew County

Chamber of Commerce Members

Domino's Pizza 512 Hwy 425 S Monticello, AR 71655 870-662-6606 Huddle House 910 Hwy 425 N. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-8888 Los Arcos Mexican Grill 2270 Hwy 425 S Monticello, AR 71655 870-224-4720 Mazzio’s Pizza 509 Hwy 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6100 Monticello Coffee Company 316 S Hwy 425 Monticello, AR 71655 870-412-4574 Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits 431 Hwy. 425 North Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-7393

Taco Bell 177 Hwy. 425 South Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-9229

UAM School of Business P.O. Box 3616 Monticello, AR 71656 870-460-1041

The Crawfish Shack 181 U.S. Hwy. 425 S Monticello, AR 71655 870-224-8119

UAM College of Technology Crossett 1326 State Highway 52 W Crossett, AR 71635 870-364-6414

Restaurant Equipment Newman Fixture Company 606 W Gaines Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6218 Restaurant Management LEESCO 149 Greenfield Drive Monticello, AR 71655 Schools Advantages of Southeast AR, Inc. P.O. Box 359 Monticello, AR 71657 870-367-6825

Ray's Restaurant 718 Hwy 278 W. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3292

Monticello Christian Academy P.O. Box 1004 Monticello, AR 71657 870-460-0829

Sonic Drive-In 337 U.S. 425 Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6476

UAM P.O. Box 3596 UAM Monticello, AR 71656 870-367-6811

UAM College of Technology-McGehee 609 East Ash McGehee, AR 71654 870-222-5360

Utility Entergy 880 Hwy 278 West Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-6184 CenterPoint Energy 324 Hwy 425 South Monticello, AR 71655 1-800-992-7552 AT&T Communications

Sports UAM Sports 346 University Drive Monticello, AR 71656 870-460-1026

800-283-2020

State Agencies Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Southeast Regional Office 771 Jordan Drive Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-3553

1011 Hwy 425 S.

Better Business Bureau 12521 Kanis RD Little Rock, AR 72211 501-664-7274 Surveying EFS Geo Technologies 360 Airport Road P.O. Box 90 Monticello, AR 71657 870-360-9994 870-460-9996 (fax)

Veterinary Services O’Fallon Veterinary Services Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-5242 Monticello Animal Clinic 831 Hwy 278 W. Monticello, AR 71655 870-367-1500 Youth Organizations & Center Mookadee's 2624 Hwy 278 W Wilmar, AR 71675 870-224-3350

Got a business? Thinking about joining a business group?

Call Glenda Nichols, Executive Director of the Monticello-Drew County Chamber of Commerce at 870-367-6741 48

Business & Industry Monticello is known as the “Hub of Southeast Arkansas” and the businesses and industries that have chosen to locate or remain in Monticello are the key to the city’s success in keeping that designation.

The city’s retail and industrial base has remained stable and strong in recent years, and the key roles that forestry and agriculture play cannot be underestimated. New businesses have continued to locate here, previously-existing businesses have expanded and a number of service and support businesses have sprouted up to help serve the needs of local companies.

City leaders and government officials have done their best to provide a welcoming climate to business, focusing on ways to attract new industries and take advantage of new opportunities. Tenants are already established in the industrial park on Arkansas Highway 35 East, and rail access is in the works to add to the existing utilities on site.

The need for adequate infrastructure and the ability to easily move goods in and out of this area are at the forefront of community leaders’ minds, and have led to work on a number of different transportation initiatives. Work is continuing on the forerunner to Interstate 530 in this part of the state, with the first and second legs completed.

Ground was broken in 2011 on the first local segment of Interstate 69, which will eventually cross the United States in a north-south route, linking Canada to Mexico and opening up more trade in this area.

The interstate runs just south of Monticello; workers continue to make progress.

Highways are not the only area of infrastructure to which local, state and federal leaders have turned their attention. The Southeast Arkansas Intermodal Authority continues to build on their facility located just west of town across from the Monticello Sports Complex. The governing bodies of Drew County and Monticello have joined with their counterparts in Bradley County and Warren in building this facility which can be utilized to coordinate the moving of goods into and out of this area by several different means of transportation—highway, rail, air and water.

The Intermodal facility, located off U.S. Highway 278 West near the

existing railroad and the connector highway, will join with the nearby Yellow Bend Port on the Arkansas-Mississippi rivers to open up trade with the Port of New Orleans. An access road has been completed, water and sewer projects have been completed as well as the installation of rail siding. The project will receive a major boost as Arkansas Midland Railroad uses a federal grant money to replace its track in the area.

The Monticello Economic Development Commission operates a Workforce Training Center, which has been used to provide a number of classes, including Microsoft programs, Spanish for business and law enforcement, orientation-to-work and Certified Nurse’s Assistant courses.

The WTC has also offered special training courses to teach employees a particular skill at the request of a local business or industry.

The local adult education program is also housed in the Workforce Training Center, enabling persons to take their General Equivalency Diploma (GED) test there, and the WTC acts as a “one-stop” center for persons wishing to access employment and education services.

Industries like Interfor Corporation, a growth-oriented lumber company with operations in Canada and the United States; Correct Craft, the world’s leader in tournament inboard, freshwater fish and utility and recreational boats (and the parent company of Monticello's own SeaArk Boats); and Starko, Inc., a construction company that specializes in the installation of towers, plastic machinery, silos and resin systems, call Monticello and Drew County home. The MEDC is continuing to search for more businesses like these that will bring jobs and stability to the area.

The Monticello-Drew County Chamber of Commerce works hard at promoting the area, stressing the outstanding quality of life, and the county’s economic opportunities, educational offerings and recreational activities available in the area.

The chamber also promotes the town’s sense of pride and celebrates its history with a nighttime Christmas parade, the annual “Weevil Welcome” cookout for University of Arkansas at Monticello staff and faculty members and “morning coffees” held at different member locations.

Community Service When people live in a community, they often take a personal interest in making that community the best it can be, whether that means aiding the city’s less fortunate residents, helping students succeed in school, volunteering time and effort to benefit the local hospital, or participating in a recycling program. Many Drew County residents do some or all of those things, and our community is better for it.

The Monticello Junior Auxiliary sponsors a number of projects which benefit the children of Drew County, including providing backpacks and school supplies for dozens of needy children, collecting clothing and toys for Christmas boxes, purchasing diapers and formula and providing emergency assistance with utility bills to families referred by the Department of Human Services and other non-profit organizations. JA also offers low-cost swimming lessons each summer, and gives a college scholarship to a deserving high school graduate each year.

The local Salvation Army chapter collects funds for emergency assistance each year through its red kettle drive, and then disburses those monies throughout the year.

A number of churches in the area operate food pantry programs, collecting and distributing food for those in need.

Holmes Chapel Presbyterian Church offers an after-school tutoring program, and the Friends of the Library Board helps raise funds to purchase new materials and operate a summer reading program.

The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program provides volunteer advocates for children involved in the court system, and the Drew County Fair Board helps sponsor the annual county fair each year.

Dozens of members of the Drew Memorial Health System Auxiliary provide invaluable service to the local hospital, assisting with filing, operating the gift shop, giving directions, and bringing juice, soda, magazines and newspapers to patients. Auxiliary members also help with infant immunization and assist in the cafeteria. The auxiliary sponsors a number of events each year to raise money to help buy needed equipment for the facility.

The Drew County Log A Load for Kids Committee raises money for the Arkansas Children's Hospital. Log A Load, which is celebrating its 26th year, has raised more than $7 million for the ACH, and Drew County alone has contributed more than $1 million to the cause. In 2012, ACH honored Log A Load's efforts by naming the new emergency department after Log A Load For Kids of Arkansas.

In recent years, many Monticellonians have begun participating in a voluntary recycling program which has a two-fold goal—keeping garbage out of the landfill and providing job training. The program has enjoyed great success, with more than 100 families placing their recyclable materials at the curb once a week. The items are picked up, sorted and prepared, then sold. Persons in the training program learn job skills as they work at the city’s recycling center, which prepares them to move on to jobs in the private sector.

The groups mentioned above are just a few of the clubs, churches, nursing homes, schools and civic organizations providing opportunities for community service for those residents wishing to better the lives of others in Drew County.

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Education

As our world grows increasingly smaller and yet more complex, one thing has become undeniably clear: Only those who are equipped with a strong educational background will be ready to take their part in the next generation of leaders and make the tough decisions in the future.

The strong educational programs offered in the area will equip students to do just that, and are one of Monticello’s most tempting incentives to families thinking about relocating here. There are two public school systems, a private kindergarten and an independent Christian school from which parents can choose. When students complete their high school educations, they can remain here and pursue a degree at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, a fouryear college offering a variety of undergraduate degrees and several master’s programs.

The Monticello School District educates children from the county’s largest city. It has a student population of more than 1,900, with approximately 184 faculty members and 126 support staff.

Grades K-12 are housed in one central location between Jordan Drive and Old Warren Road.

Students at Monticello can take a wide range of challenging classes and participate in extracurricular activities including football, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, golf, cross country, track and field, gymnastics, pom pom squad and cheerleading. Exposure to the fine arts is an important component of the Monticello School District, with band, choir and art programs attracting many students.

College-bound students can prepare while still in high school by taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes, allowing them to forgo college entry-level English, math and science courses. The AP classes give students credit for college hours and a better chance for scholarships.

The Monticello school district offers students a chance to take classes at its occupational education center, where they have hands-

on instruction to learn welding, auto repair, drafting and health care skills. The district is one of 15 in Arkansas which offer a vocationaltechnical program.

Each classroom in the Monticello district is equipped with at least one computer and students start using them in kindergarten. An EAST (Environmental And Spatial Technology) lab at the high school requires students to use computer skills and software to complete projects, all of which must have a community-service component.

The Drew Central School District serves students whose families live outside the Monticello city limits and in the unincorporated areas of the county. It has a student population of approximately 1,110, with 77 faculty members and 71 support personnel.

Through the Freedom of Choice Act, parents and children can exercise their option to attend whichever district they feel best meets the needs of their children.

All classrooms on the Drew Central campus have computers and Internet access. Drew Central also has an EAST lab, and many of the same extracurricular activities offered by Monticello.

Both school districts offer small classes and dedicated teachers and administrators. Both offer band and choir, football, basketball, track and field, tennis, baseball, softball and cheerleading.

Jellybean Junction is a private kindergarten and Monticello Christian Academy is an independent, non-denominational Christian school which offers a traditional curriculum with an emphasis on Christian principles for students.

Educational opportunities for Monticellonians don’t stop after high school. The city offers post-secondary education through the UAM. The institution employs more than 160 professional faculty and staff members with a variety of geographical and ethnic backgrounds and offers both bachelor's and master's level degrees.

It also has two satellite campuses in the nearby communities of McGehee and Crossett.

Health Care

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There are few things more important than quality health care, and receiving it can mean the difference between life and death, whether that care comes in the form of critical treatment in an emergency or in the form of routine screenings and tests which catch diseases or problems early.

Visitors and those who have recently moved to Monticello will be pleased to find that the quality of health care available locally is among the best to be found in any area of this size, and the number of procedures that can be done without leaving Drew County is substantial.

A person’s first exposure to medicine in Monticello may be a routine checkup to establish a new relationship with a family practitioner, or an unplanned visit to the emergency room as a result of illness or an accident.

If that first exposure is indeed a routine visit, there are multiple general practitioners who operate clinics in Monticello to diagnose and treat the basic health care needs of patients. They treat a broad spectrum of ailments and conditions, and offer some in-house screenings, as well as referrals to specialists in the event one is needed. Monticello is also home to two full-time OB/GYNs, as well as two general surgeons, who have been hired by Drew Memorial Health System.

If a health care need arises as the result of a sudden accident or illness, however, residents can be assured of receiving first-class care at DMHS, a 49-bed facility located on Scogin Drive.

In late May 2018, DMHS held the grand opening for a $31-million expansion project that includes a larger surgery center with six operating

rooms, two dedicated C-section suites, and pre-op and post-op areas.

The new facility also offers a more convenient outpatient clinic, allowing for two visiting specialists to hold clinic hours simultaneously.

Additionally, the labor, delivery and recovery unit was relocated and expanded to three times the size of the current unit. The main entrance and the auxiliary-operated gift shop was also expanded in size.

Drew Memorial’s emergency department is designed to provide privacy and security for patients utilizing it, and features a number of treatment rooms, including ones devoted to trauma, cardiac events and casting of broken limbs. The ER is staffed 24 hours a day.

DMHS also operates an outpatient clinic which offers a variety of specialists in such areas as gynecology, cardiology, podiatry, orthopedics, urology, nephrology and ophthalmology. The hospital is further equipped with an a chemotherapy clinic, a sleep center, a rehabilitation facility and an intensive outpatient psychiatric center used for group therapies.

As an option, Mainline Health Systems, Inc. also opened a new facility within the past year on Jordan Drive. A common misconception about Mainline is that it is a free health clinic and only serves patients with Medicaid or no health insurance coverage.

While the clinic is different from all other doctors’ offices in the city in that it offers a wider range of services, all types of patients with all kinds of insurance plans are welcome at Mainline. For those who do not have insurance, it operates on an income-based sliding scale.

The clinic offers medical, dental and mental health services, as well as pediatric services—all in one place.

Recreation

Hunter. Fisherman. Runner. Golfer. Walker. Swimmer. Committed spectator. No matter which of those categories you fall into, Monticello is able to supply the means to satisfy your leisure time desires.

In 1997 and 2007, Monticello voters approved a special one-cent sales tax, a portion of which was dedicated to creating more recreational facilities, with an emphasis on the community’s youth.

A significant amount of the revenue from the sales tax was used to purchase land and build a sports complex approximately four miles west of town, headed toward Wilmar on U.S. Highway 278. The complex currently offers nine soccer fields, which draw hundreds of children and parents to the site every fall to compete in the Monticello Youth Soccer Association. The complex is equipped with six baseball and softball fields as well as a large, centrally-located concession stand. Recently, the Miracle League of Southeast Arkansas added a field there to afford disabled children and adults the opportunity to play baseball.

However, baseball, softball and soccer are by no means the only leisure choices available for area residents. The city of Monticello operates three parks, a public swimming pool and several lighted tennis courts.

McCloy Park, which is found on the south side of the city, features two large pavilions that serve as gathering places for many community events and family celebrations. The park includes several groupings of playground equipment, a popular public swimming pool, three baseball fields, lighted tennis courts, basketball courts and a well-used walking track.

The Monticello Marlins' youth swim team practices and competes in meets at the city park pool during the summer, and dozens of Drew County children take advantage of low-cost swimming lessons provided

by the Junior Auxiliary of Monticello at the pool each year.

Finally, the park is also home to Hyatt Field, where hundreds turn out to watch the Monticello junior and senior football teams each fall. The field has been renovated in recent years (now including a turf field), and the stadium is often home to tailgate parties or other pregame activities prior to the Billies’ and Junior Billies’ matchups against rival teams from throughout the southern part of the state.

Jordan Park, located on the east side of the city, has a pavilion, community center, basketball courts, baseball fields, playground and splash pad. The Western Pines Mini-Park, located in the Western Pines subdivision, also has tennis courts, basketball courts, a playground and a pavilion.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello’s Weevil Pond is also home to a walking track which provides walkers with a scenic route around the water’s edge where they can observe the ducks, which inhabit the pond, as they take in the college atmosphere and activities. The Monticello School District’s track on Old Warren Road is also available for use by the public.

Monticello’s 1,550-acre lake, located north of the city, has become a recreational refuge. Lake Monticello offers a place to water ski, jet ski, swim, fish, picnic and fly radio-controlled aircraft.

The construction of a new library was completed in 2016 and is located at the north end of Main Street. It features lots of computers, beautiful reading spaces and a walled garden, as well as a place for children's activities.

Drew County is also home to some of the nation's finest deer hunting, and sportsmen also enjoy duck hunting at Seven Devils Swamp each winter.

Religion Finding a religious home—a community of caring, like-minded individuals who share beliefs and practices—is another aspect of life that must be considered when residents choose to make the move to a new community. There are many such “homes” to be found in Drew County, with more than 300 churches and religious communities found here.

Those churches and communities come in all denominations: Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Catholic, Church of Christ, Mormon, Assembly of God, African Methodist Episcopal, Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah’s Witness, Pentecostal—and more.

Persons of the Jewish faith can also find a welcoming congregation in a synagogue in a nearby community and a growing number of Hindus are now residing in the Monticello area and meet for worship. Special efforts are being made to reach out to Spanish-speaking Christians in the area, with a program devoted to helping them assimilate and improve their English skills housed at First United Methodist Church.

The busy schedule of church programs, revivals, musical concerts, vacation Bible schools and youth activities are evidence of the support local church members show for their houses of worship. They are also eager to share their faith with others, inviting new friends to attend services with them and including them in fellowship activities.

In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Drew County’s churches stepped up to the challenge, meeting the needs of the dozens of evacuees who sought refuge here. Teams took needed supplies of water and food to the stricken area, and others collected, sorted and distributed clothing, cooked meals and helped find temporary housing. The relief efforts continued for weeks and months following the hurricane, with local people reaching out to their neighbors who had lost everything and doing whatever they could to assist them in transitioning to their new life.

A group of local churches are also attempting to combat local hunger by

operating food pantry programs, which collects and distributes food for those in need on a weekly basis.

Churches in the smaller communities outside Monticello often serve a dual purpose—acting as both social and religious gathering places for the residents.

Continuing church traditions in the next generation is an important focus, and during the summer, children may take part in many religious activities, attending vacation Bible schools and participating in other church-sponsored programs. Several churches also offer Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (AWANA) Bible-centered clubs for their younger members during the school year.

Youth groups and special services targeted for their demographic provide good reasons for teenagers to be active in their church. Many local congregations sponsor special events, youth ministries and afterschool tutoring programs.

Drew County’s churches offer something for everyone—from very young to very old. Several offer nurseries and day cares, while others have groups or activities for senior citizens, often sponsoring meals or trips. Marrieds and singles are both encouraged to participate in church activities, and those who are hurting because of death or divorce can find solace in grief and divorce recovery classes.

A series of “Shepherd’s Center” classes alternates a couple of times a year between different churches and offers fun courses in such subjects as bridge and knitting, along with book reviews, history discussions, exercise and fellowship.

Finally, the Drew County Ministerial Alliance sponsors a communitywide Thanksgiving service and aids in a variety of charitable programs.

51

Entertainment Monticello may be a small town, but the number of fun things to do here is big.

Let's start with going to the movies. Cinema buffs can view first-run films at the six-screen Malco Hollywood Cinema. The 1,056-seat cinema, the only theater within a 50-mile radius of Monticello, draws thousands of moviegoers from throughout the region, as well as providing entertainment opportunities for those traveling through Monticello on business. It has full digital sound and was the first theater in the United States to use all Klipsch speakers, widely regarded by experts as some of the best in the world.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello also offers a variety of activities for the community. Each semester, the music department presents a musical theater production, and there are seasonal concerts, senior recitals, and guest artists.

The art department holds regular exhibitions at the Fred J. Taylor Library and Technology Center, drawing works from regionally famous artists as well as UAM students.

The college also sponsors the Governor Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture Series.

For more than a quarter of a century, the Southeast Arkansas Concert Association has provided cultural activities for the area. The concert association has hosted performances of Shakespearean plays, ballet and modern dance, and well-known recording artists such as legendary soul singer Percy Sledge and country favorite Collin Raye.

The group aims to include something for everyone in its offerings each year, from classical and instrumental music to swing and big band sounds.

Season tickets are available, or may be purchased individually for each event. From more information contact the Southeast Arkansas Concert Association at 870-460-1060.

Real Estate

The national housing slump that so many other cities and towns have been negatively affected by has, with a few exceptions, missed Monticello. Homes in this area have held their value, and in fact, the value of starter homes—those under 1,400 square feet—is estimated to have gone up by just over 10 percent in recent years.

The average sale price of a home in Monticello is around $110,000, with the starter homes selling for around $85 a square foot and upscale homes—those larger than 2,500 square feet—selling for around $100 a square foot. Whatever a person or family's price range, Monticello and Drew County offer a housing choice to fit it—whether the family is one person or a dozen, of moderate means or wealthy, and oriented toward neighborhood life or preferring acreage in the country.

Different sizes, different types. Dwellings here cover the full spectrum, from small efficiency apartments for singles and young professionals to big family homes with spacious lawns and even guest quarters. There are single-family homes, duplexes, condominiums and townhouses, as well as individual apartments and complexes with their own amenities such as swimming pools, business centers and gymnasiums.

There are older homes in long-established neighborhoods, and new homes in recently-built subdivisions that have covenants regulating issues of concern to property owners.

Several of the homes in Monticello have been placed on the National Historic Register and the Main Street Historic District provides a number of outstanding examples of different styles of architectural design. The owners have worked diligently to maintain the charm and value of those houses.

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On the first Friday of the warmer months, the Monticello Merchants Association hosts an acoustic jam on the downtown square beginning at 6 p.m. Musicians and music lovers are welcome to attend and admission is free for everyone.

Once a quarter, First Presbyterian Church presents "Main Street Bistro," which offers a low-cost meal and an evening of musical entertainment in a coffeehouse-style setting.

If your idea of entertainment runs more toward learning a new skill, you can do that in Monticello as well. The Shepherd's Center program is held twice yearly at different local churches, and features classes on such things as knitting, bridge, computer skills, dominoes, easy home repairs and book reviews.

The local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter sponsors a dance each Friday night, with live music at the VFW building located in McCloy Park.

The Drew County Historical Society operates the Drew County Museum, housed in the beautiful two-story former home of Garvin Cavaness on South Main Street. It also sponsors quarterly programs on different aspects of local history, and publishes a yearly journal with similar stories.

Bowlers can find a welcoming community at Timberlodge Lanes, which hosts several different weekly leagues; The Rink offers roller skating, pool tournaments and pizza; and the Monticello Riding Club sponsors a rodeo each year in conjunction with the Drew County Fair, as well as "playdays" and regional high school rodeo competitions. Also, Deer Creek Disc Golf, which is free to public, has an 18-hole course open on U.S. Highway 278 West.

Seasonal entertainment includes the annual Christmas parade, sponsored by the chamber of commerce; the Possum Valley Fun Day held each October, and the Drew County Fair and Livestock Exhibition, held each September.

A safe, kid-friendly neighborhood in which to raise children is of paramount importance for many families. There are many such neighborhoods in Monticello, with easy access to parks and other recreational facilities such as walking tracks, the municipal pool and baseball fields.

Developers are constantly building new subdivisions which feature elegant, modern homes, wide streets, sidewalks and large lots with plenty of green space.

While there are a number of these upscale areas, prospective homebuyers can also find moderately-priced dwellings in well-established neighborhoods.

Because Monticello is a college town, apartments and patio homes have sprung up in several areas around the city to accommodate the student residents who live here most or all of the year during their school tenure.

Efforts are also being made by the city to tear down and clean up abandoned homes and vacant lots in an effort to encourage redevelopment in older parts of the city.

In the summer of 2011, renovations were completed on the old Ridgeway Hotel, once a showplace but long abandoned, and it reopened to provide 32 units of housing for low-income senior citizens. The hotel and two adjacent buildings have transformed an entire city block, and brought a neglected area to life again.

Many people in Drew County prefer the charm of country living, and have chosen to build homes outside the city limits. These dwellings offer the peace and serenity of the country, but are located near enough to the conveniences of town to combine the best of both worlds.

AR 71655

(870) 367-2411

Cancer & Infusion Center

Radiology & Imaging

cancer support group meets monthly, second Mondays

medicine, fluoroscopy, and digital mammography

Offering hematology, chemotherapy, and infusion therapy;

Offering low-dose 80-slice CT scans, digital X-Ray,

Chronic Care Management

Rehabilitation Therapy

out of the hospital

Respiratory Therapy

In partnership with local family physicians, CCM aims to

Drew Surgical Specialists

Offering EKGs, airway management, oxygen therapy, arterial blood gases, nebulizer therapy and more

a variety of surgical procedures

Sleep Center

Classes are available to patients, employees and the public, with topics including CPR, First Aid, nutrition, diabetes management and prevention, breastfeeding and childbirth

apnea in a comfortable four-bed sleep lab

Education

Home Health

Specialty Care Center

Convenient visiting physicians in podiatry, general surgery, ENT, cardiology, pulmonary and orthopaedics

Offering nursing care, wound care, social workers, aides,

Transitions

Laboratory

group and individual counseling sessions to

Nursing Services

Two OB/GYN physicians providing comprehensive care for women of all ages

Lab results are typically available within 24 hours and can be easily shared with out-of-town physicians

Women’s Services

include the medical/surgical floor, intensive care unit, emergency room, labor/delivery/recovery, nursery,

Wound Center

DrewMemorial.org

Treating chronic or non-healing wounds with specially trained nurses and physicians

Welcometo M onticello!

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