One of the more eye-popping sights from Sunday's World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade stayed around a little longer to help raise money for Habitat for Humanity.
The Famous Idaho Potato Tour featuring a faux 4-ton spud and its accompanying truck and trailer, at a combined 72 feet long, were parked in Hill Wheatley Plaza for most of the day Monday after the tremendous tuber tentatively traveled down the parade route, which is only 98 feet long, on Bridge Street Sunday evening.
"They're staying longer, because they're having such great response. For everybody who signs the little board, $1 -- up to $500 -- goes to Habitat for Humanity," Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said Monday. "It's a pretty neat deal."
The spectacular spud, sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission, has traveled the country annually since 2012, making nearly 70 appearances at events across America, according to information previously provided by Visit Hot Springs.
During the stops on its tour, the truck's management team identifies local charities -- in this case, Habitat for Humanity -- to receive a $500 donation through a signature board that's set up at the events the truck visits. Past recipients have included food banks, children's hospitals and animal shelters.
According to the Potato Commission, a spud that size would be the equivalent of 21,562 Idaho potatoes and would take 7,000 years to grow. It would take two years to bake and would make 20,217 servings of mashed potatoes or 970,380 french fries. It would be 802 times heavier than the largest potato ever grown, which tipped the scales at 11 pounds.
The planning process for the 17th edition of the parade in 2020 has already gotten underway, and will get into full swing next week, Arrison said.
Logistically, next year's parade, which will fall on a Tuesday due to leap year, will present some challenges.
For one thing, Arkansas schools will be on spring break a week later next year, March 23-27, 2020. For the past two years, the parade has fallen around the time of the schools' spring break, which began Monday this year.
This year, Visit Hot Springs was also able to leverage a three-day weekend of events out of the parade, since it fell on a Sunday, and had the added bonus of the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Racing & Gaming being divided into two divisions in a show of horsemanship to accommodate thoroughbreds from California.
Arrison said that, aside from a "hiccup here or there," there were no major problems Sunday night that he was aware of.
"We're just excited about the turnout and can't wait until next year," he said.
"What a great weekend for Hot Springs -- 45,000 people at Oaklawn (on Saturday). That sure didn't hurt our parade attendance at all."
Local on 03/19/2019