HEBER SPRINGS — Members and guests of the Heber Springs Area Chamber of Commerce gathered Feb. 23 at the Heber Springs Community Center for the chamber’s 61st annual banquet. All were there to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of 2016 and to look forward to the new year. Julie Murray, chamber executive director, and Brett Graham, 2017 president of the chamber’s board of directors, presented a year-end review, as well as the chamber’s vision for 2017.
Murray said that among the chamber’s 2016 accomplishments were the publication of three new chamber brochures, the establishment of the Heber Springs Chamber Foundation, the relocation of the chamber office to a new, highly visible spot and the recent news from the Arkansas Festivals and Events Association that the ALFIE Award for Event of the Year in 2016 went to, for the second year in a row, the World Championship Cardboard Boat Races in Heber Springs.
Graham said plans for 2017 include the revision of the Ambassador program, the establishment of a New Member spotlight, the continued growth of special events and festivals, and a new welcome guide.
“But the thing we are most excited about happening in 2017 is the development of a brand new website,” Murray said. “It will go live in just a few weeks. It will be much more user-friendly, … and it will be mobile-friendly.”
Entertainment at the banquet was provided by Thomas
Lipham, program director for the Museum of Discovery, who presented Super Science Experiments … Ending With a Blast.
The chamber presented four awards during the evening — the Hall of Honor Award, Distinguished Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year and Nonprofit of the Year.
Following is a look at the recipients of the awards:
Hall of Honor Award — Wetzel Stark
“Wetzel Stark has led quite an accomplished life, marked by his commitment to service,” said Graham, who introduced the recipient to the audience. The winner of the Hall of Honor Award is selected by past presidents of the chamber.
“Wetzel was born in Cleburne County, he is married to Dorothy Dixon Stark, and they have one son, Phil,” Graham said. “Since 1959, Wetzel has served as an ordained deacon of First General Baptist Church of Heber Springs and as a Sunday School teacher for more than 60 years.
“In 1952, Wetzel received his master’s degree in masonry, then served in the U.S. Army until 1955. He then opened Stark Grocery in Heber Springs and ran the business until 1982.”
Throughout his career, Stark has been appointed to numerous positions, including serving on the Cleburne County Bank Board of Directors for 38 years, the First Arkansas Bank and Trust Board of Directors for seven years, the White River Agency on Aging Board of Directors, the Association of Arkansas Counties Risk Management Board of Directors, the Arkansas Rural Development Board of Directors and the First Electric Round-Up Board of Directors.
“Two illustrious honors Wetzel has received are the Honor of Knight Commander of Court of Honor in Masonry and the 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite of Free Masonry in Washington, D.C.,” Graham said.
Stark has also held several elected offices, including being a member of the Heber Springs City Council from 1959-1965 and 1978-1980; the Heber Springs School Board from 1966-1976, serving as president from 1971-1976; and the Cleburne County Quorum Court from 2000-2010.
“During his tenure in these elected offices, Wetzel was instrumental in the progress of our community with his valuable contributions,” Graham said.
Among these accomplishments are the remodeling of Spring Park with a new amphitheater, purchasing land and building the air strip, the dedication of Greers Ferry Dam, building the elementary school, building the middle school, adopting the blueprint plan for the court building and arranging the donation of the downtown First Arkansas Bank & Trust building to Cleburne County.
“In 1992, Wetzel arranged for the post office mural, painted by Louis Freund, to be moved back to its original place in the old post office building,” Graham said. “And in 2014, he worked with the Quorum Court to allow the Historical Society of Cleburne County to lease the same building.”
Since 1972, Stark has been a member of the Heber Springs Rotary Club.
Stark thanked the chamber for the award, then thanked his family, many of whom were in the audience. In addition to his son, he also has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“I thank you all for this award. It makes me so proud to be here tonight and to be a part of you and this community,” Stark said.
“This community is a great community,” Stark said. “No matter where I travel … to the west to the Grand Canyon … to the east to the Great Smoky Mountains, … when I return home, I look across the valley and I see the city … Round Mountain just sitting there. …
“I look across the lake and can see Prim … Concord … maybe Wilburn ,… and Sugar Loaf Mountain appears, just sitting there, a rock in the middle of the valley, … and I think the founders of our city must have felt the same thing when they first named our town Sugar Loaf [Springs]. How proud I am to call this home.”
Distinguished Citizen of the Year — Bryan Tilley
Heber Springs Mayor Jimmy Clark introduced Bryan Tilley as Distinguished Citizen of the Year in the absence of state Rep. Josh Miller, R-Heber Springs.
“Bryan Tilley graduated from the University of Arkansas [School of Law] in Fayetteville with a Juris Doctor [degree] in 1977,” Clark said. “He has been practicing law for 40 years.”
Tilley was a city judge for 27 years and was a member of the Cleburne County Quorum Court. He has served on the Civil Service Commission, the Advertising and Promotion Commission, the Cleburne County Community Foundation and the Cleburne County Library Board. He was also president of the Heber Springs Chamber of Commerce in 1985.
“Bryan moved to Heber Springs in 1982,” Clark said. “He has been active in the community for 35 years. He is a past president of the Kiwanis and [has been] a member of the Cleburne County Library Board for 10 years, serving as president for five years. He helped raise money for our new library.”
Tilley and his wife, Lisa, have been married for 30 years. They have two children, Bobby and Margaret, and three grandchildren.
Tilley is a also a member of St. Francis Episcopal Church, where he has served as treasurer for 30 years.
In accepting the Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award, Tilley thanked his family and the associates at his law practice for all of their support; then he thanked the chamber for the honor.
“I’m just trying to make this the best place it can be,” Tilley said.
Business of the Year — 101.9 The Lake-KSUG
Ali King Sugg, co-owner of the new radio station 101.9 The Lake-KSUG with her husband, Joe Sugg, accepted the Business of the Year award.
“I am shocked,” she said, smiling. “Thank you so much. Thanks to all the businesses that support us. … Without you, none of this would have been possible.”
The radio station hit the airwaves May 8, 2016, with a signal that reaches Cleburne, White, Independence and Sharp counties. The station plays classic hits from the ’70s and ’80s all day, with news and community events for Heber Springs and the Greers Ferry Lake area.
Nonprofit of the Year — American Legion Post 64
Cmdr. Louis Gray accepted the Nonprofit of the Year award on behalf of American Legion Post 64, thanking the other three members who accompanied him to the stage to receive the honor.
According to its website, www.arpost64.org, American Legion Saxton-Willis Post 64 is the second largest American Legion post in Arkansas. The post takes an active interest in the community and offers bingo, hosts monthly bands and has a canteen that is open to the public 364 days a year. Members support veterans and their families, present programs on patriotism and flag etiquette to schools, sponsor oratorical contests and provide honor guards and color guards at various events.