"Small Town Big Deal," a national cable television program, will broadcast a show next month about Hot Springs and its internationally famous World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The program, devoted mainly to the 2016 parade, will air nationally on March 16, the evening before the First Ever 14th Annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade, which will take place March 17 on 98-foot-long Bridge Street.
Amy Cornett, the show's producer, notified Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, about the scheduling for the broadcast.
"Your story will air nationally on Thursday, March 16, at 8:30 p.m., Central time, on RFD-TV for its premier run," Cornett said. "It will air again on Thursday, June 1, at the same time. During the upcoming fall season, that episode will be sent out to air in syndication nationwide. I'll keep you in the loop on those dates once they are posted."
"The show's hosts, Rodney Miller and Jann Carl, were in Hot Springs last year and covered every aspect of the parade," Arrison said in a news release. "They were fascinated by the parade itself and by all Hot Springs has to offer. Amy Cornett has been in contact with Liz Robbins of the Garland County Historical Society for photographs and background information about Hot Springs and its wonderful history to incorporate into the show that will be shown March 16."
Broadcast stations and cable systems in Little Rock, Pine Bluff, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Springdale and Jonesboro carry RFD-TV in Arkansas.
"The show will be focused on the parade but it's also focused on the community. 'Small Town Big Deal' -- big things happen in small towns and I think that's great. How do you buy that type of advertising in every market of the United States?" Arrison told The Sentinel-Record Thursday.
"It exposes people to Hot Springs that might have never seen or heard of us before, and it reminds people that have been here, maybe they'll all decide, 'We need to go back and visit Hot Springs,' or, 'Hey, that's a nice, small city, let's add that to our vacation plan.' So it's a big plus, for the whole Hot Springs and Garland County area," he said.
The World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade has been featured in national magazines before, but this will be the first time for the event to make a national television show.
"Small Town Big Deal" went on-air with RFD-TV in September 2012, and has quickly taken a spot on RFD's Top 15 shows, the release said.
Along the way to becoming the host and creator of "Small Town Big Deal," Miller enjoyed a long career in farm machinery manufacturing and sales, serving as CEO of both McCormick International and Montana, and was instrumental in establishing U.S. operations for Valtra Tractors and in territory management for Long and Mahindra Tractors, it said.
Carl is an Emmy Award-winning news reporter and TV show producer who anchored "Entertainment Tonight" for 14 years.
"Jann Carl, I remember watching her on 'Entertainment Tonight.' I wish we could have spent more time with them but they came in like the day before so it was just busy, busy, busy," Arrison said. "But they had a great crew and they shot a lot of footage so we can't wait to see the show."
"What Rodney and his team have created is a true celebration of America. It showcases the heritage of our nation, the power of its dreamers, and pays tribute to the unsung heroes. The stories fill us with pride, give us hope, make us laugh, and remind us that national treasures are often found where we least expect them," Carl said.
Also Thursday, Visit Hot Springs announced that a dance contest is in the works in connection to Alfonso Ribeiro, the parade's celebrity grand marshal.
Ribeiro is known for his "Carlton Dance," created during his time on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Ribeiro played Carlton Banks, the cousin of the character played by Will Smith.
The Carlton Dance-Off will be held during the pre-parade activities.
Visit Hot Spring's Special Events Manager Bill Solleder said the details of the contest are still being worked out, but participants will take to Facebook to submit a 15-30 second video of their best Carlton Dance impression. The videos will be voted on through Facebook and the top three finalists will compete for bragging rights on the day of the parade.
"I'm hoping that if (Ribeiro) jumps out of that car on Bridge Street, that he does some dancing. He doesn't just do the Carlton," said Solleder. "Did you know that he, as a little boy, danced with Michael Jackson? If you're surfing around the YouTube just put in 'Alfonso Ribeiro and Michael Jackson' and there's a Michael Jackson commercial -- he did Pepsi -- and in that commercial there's a bunch of kids dancing, and the one kid who's dressed in red, like the famous Michael Jackson red leather jacket, is Alfonso Ribeiro as a kid."
The top three finalists will be announced on March 15.
Local on 02/10/2017