World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade now accepting entries

The Sentinel-Record/File photo MARCH ON: Members of the Mountain Pine High School marching band make their way down the 98-foot stretch of Bridge Street on March 17, 2018, as the first marching band to participate in the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Entries are now being accepted by Visit Hot Springs for the 2019 parade.
The Sentinel-Record/File photo MARCH ON: Members of the Mountain Pine High School marching band make their way down the 98-foot stretch of Bridge Street on March 17, 2018, as the first marching band to participate in the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Entries are now being accepted by Visit Hot Springs for the 2019 parade.

Visit Hot Springs is now accepting entries for the First Ever 16th Annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 17 in downtown Hot Springs.

Only 40 entries are accepted each year, according to Leysa Lowery of Visit Hot Springs, the parade's organizer.

"We have limited the number of entries for several years because of the logistics of the event," Lowery said in a news release. "So anyone who is thinking about participating in this fun event is urged to get on the ball and contact me."

Participation will be closed once the 40-unit limit is reached. Entry forms are available at http://www.shorteststpats.com.

This year's edition of the parade, which will begin at 6:30 p.m., will feature "The Karate Kid" Ralph Macchio as the celebrity grand marshal and Ellen DeGeneres' favorite DJ and dancer, Stephen "tWitch" Boss, as the official starter.

There will be a free public concert by Smash Mouth on March 16 at the Broadway Entertainment District stage. On March 17, immediately following the parade, there will be another free public concert at the same location by Three Dog Night.

This will mark the second year in a row that two free concerts have been held in conjunction with the internationally known parade.

No chairs will be permitted at either concert, according to Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison.

The parade, which began in 2003, annually includes a zany collection of Irish Elvis impersonators, green Irish wolfhounds, marching units such as Paddy O'Furniture, Irish belly dancers and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, as well as other unique units on the 98-foot length of Bridge Street in the heart of downtown Hot Springs, the release said.

Participants are asked to submit an official entry form to Lowery at the Hot Springs Convention Center, 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs National Park, AR 71901, by the entry deadline of March 1. All entries must be approved by the official parade committee.

Call Lowery at 321-2027, or stop by the Visit Hot Springs offices located in the Hot Springs Convention Center, for more information.

Local on 01/08/2019

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