73rd Annual White River Water Carnival Details Coming Together
June 22, 2016 (Batesville, AR)—The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) and 2016 Water
Carnival sponsors have been diligently working on a great carnival to celebrate the 73rd year of the
White River Water Carnival that will take place on Saturday, Aug. 27 at Riverside Park in Batesville.
BACC President/CEO Crystal Johnson said of the 2016 Water Carnival: “This year’s Water Carnival events
will bring something a little different than the past few years. We are proud to continue the legacy of
some events such as the River City Cruisers’ Car Show, which featured over 100 classic cars last year, and
the White River Water Carnival Parade, which is a long-standing tradition for all ages in our community,
but we also love introducing new attractions each year that welcome community members and visitors
of all ages and backgrounds. We revamped our kidzone last year to include entertainment for middleschool
aged children and teens, which was a huge success, so this year we have added things like a
zipline and knockerball. Carnival attendees can also expect to hear more music during the day on the
main stage leading up to our headlining act, Backroad Anthem.”
Based out of Fayetteville, AR, Backroad Anthem began as a band of six talented singers, instrumentalists
and writers who came together in 2012 out of a joint love for music – and a desire to make a sound that
is fresh, rollicking and respectful of the past while steering full steam ahead into the future. Their story
hasn’t unfolded quite the way they imagined, as no one prepares for what happens when sudden
tragedy strikes – even as songwriters and storytellers whose job it is to conjure both reality and fantasy.
Backroad Anthem found themselves as part of an unimaginable narrative this past December, when
their bandmate and spiritual brother, Craig Strickland, left for a hunting trip and never returned. But one
thing was always clear to the group of friends from Arkansas: they had to keep going, keep making
music, keep living out their and Strickland’s dream. So now, the road looks different for Backroad
Anthem. It’s uncertain, but they’ll walk it together – with Strickland very present every step of the way,
cemented deeply in their memories, prayers and minds.
