50+ Lifestyles

What’s New in the Hilltop? Many New Things on the Hilltop Campus Village

A new Director, Molly Otting Carlson

Meet Mary Otting Carlson, the new Director of Hilltop Campus Village. She replaces retiring Scott Tunnicliff who has held that position for 12 years.

Molly is a community champion and has had much experience in non-profits and community associations. Her most recent was as the Vice-President Destination Development & Visitor Services with the Visit Quad Cities. She held that position for seven years. She has proven herself to be a vital community leader.

She believes that small business is more than just the food, drink or shopping, it is also the social interaction. And interaction makes the community strong. She has expressed that she is excited to lead the Hilltop Campus Village in its goal of continued revitalization, growth and community connection.

We in the Hilltop Campus Village welcome Molly aboard and look forward to working with her.

A new Cajun eatery

Hot & Smack’n opened its doors last month. Are you ready from some real Cajun cookin’? Have you been craving a seafood restaurant with unique flavors and an exciting menu? Well this is the place to go. Located at 1509 Harrison Street, they offer a unique design for both indoor and outdoor dining. They are open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from noon until 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon until 10 p.m.

When was the last time you had a seafood boil? This is a great meal for a big celebration or special family dinner. How about chicken and sausage gumbo? Or shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp? The place is a must go-to destination to experience east Texan or Louisiana cuisine.

Welcome to the newest coffee shop in town

Come and check out the Iron and Grain Coffee House at 1618 N. Main Street. They had their ribbon cutting on Saturday, June 12. What a beautiful day for a celebration and a fair-like atmosphere.

In addition to the ribbon cutting they offered a Maker’s Market. In the expansive outside area surrounding Iron and Grain, many artisans set up tents and stands showing their creative works of pottery, jewelry, woodworking and wood crafts, scented candles, casual clothing, energy snacks and much more.

Take your next coffee break at the Iron and Grain. See what they have in store for future
community events.