The clockwise route of the First Ever 12th annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade was reversed on March 17 in honor of NASCAR racer and Arkansas native Mark Martin, this year's celebrity grand marshal of the Hot Springs parade. (NASCAR fans know that cars race counterclockwise around NASCAR tracks.)
Martin, along with the featured musical act, The Swon Brothers, and several Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders were introduced at a VIP luncheon at the Embassy Suites before the parade. The St. Paddy's theme lunch included corned beef and a mashed potato bar. Parade committee members and other volunteers wore "pit crew" shirts and passed out green and white checkered flags. After the celebrity introductions, the parade's king and queen, Kerry Owen and Don Gooch, were crowned.
Pre-parade activities included a Blarney Stone kissing contest won by Kevin Colon of Kansas City, Mo., and the official measuring of the 98-foot-long Bridge Street by the world's tallest leprechauns, Monte Everhart and Dick Antoine of Hot Springs.
Tenants of buildings overlooking Bridge Street had the best view of the parade. Guests of Linda Palmer, from her second-story studio, enjoyed a potluck spread and took turns throwing St. Patrick's Day beads to the crowds below. Pen and ink artist Gary Simmons delighted guests with quick sketches of interesting characters in the crowd.
The final event of the evening was a concert by The Swon Brothers, who were recently nominated for the Academy of Country Music Awards' Vocal Duo of the Year.
-- Story and photos by
Cary Jenkins
High Profile on 03/29/2015