It's the Cotter Trout Fest!

Join us on Saturday, May 7th for the world-famous Cotter Trout Fest!  We start things off with a parade beginning at 9 am in Downtown Cotter.  

This will mark the 20th year for the annual event, which is presented by the Cotter-Gassville Chamber of Commerce with assistance from the City of Cotter. The event includes a car show, a kids fishing derby, rubber duck races, live music, and more than 50 area vendors.

This year's festival will include the Arkansas Game & Fish's mobile aquarium, which will be on display in the park's pavilion.

"That's not something that you can get all the time, so we're really excited about having that this year," Chamber president Jason Nazarenko said.

The day's events open at 9 a.m. with the festival's parade, which will feature the Cotter High School's marching band. The parade will start in downtown Cotter at the intersection of 2nd Street and Combs Ave, proceed to McLean Avenue and then turn onto Big Spring Parkway before proceeding into the park.

The festival's car show, located underneath the iconic R.M. Ruthven Bridge, will open at 9 a.m. The mobile aquarium will also open at 9 a.m. and remain open until 4 p.m. The North Central Arkansas STORM rag ball tournament at the park's ball field will also begin at 9 a.m. and is scheduled to continue until about 9 p.m. that evening.

The event's opening ceremonies, with Heather DeAtley singing the national anthem, are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. following the conclusion of the parade.

Ticket sales for the duck races will open at 9:30 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m. at the park's gazebo. Cash prizes will be awarded for winning the duck race, which will be held at 3:30 p.m. near the footbridge crossing Big Spring.

The kids fishing derby will be held off the Cotter Trout Dock and will run from 10 a.m. until noon. That event is open to kids ages 4-15.

The 9 N Band is scheduled to perform from 10 a.m. until noon, with the Leslie Williams Band taking the stage from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

Drawing for vendor door prizes will be held at 4 p.m.

Tim Tibbs and Scott Ramos will serve as the host DJs for the event.

Food trucks signed up for the event include Heavenly Ground Coffee and Fried Pies, Hillbilly Grub Shack, Ol' South Burgers and BBQ, Paradice Ice Cream, Snobiz, The Rollin' Razorback Food Shack, and Vickie's Kitchen.