HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — Two thousand strings of special commemorative beads will be handed out by guest celebrities Valerie Bertinelli and hip-hop legend Flavor Flav on March 17 at the First Ever 22nd Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade® in downtown Hot Springs.
“We thought it would be a special treat to create a special 2025 commemorative string of beads that recognize Flavor Flav’s iconic clock,” Visit Hot Springs Special Events Manager Alexis Hampo said. “We have 2,000 strings of these special beads and Flavor Flav and Valerie Bertinelli will hand them to spectators on the parade route.
“The beads are really cool. They feature a big medallion that mirrors Flavor Flav’s clock, with the hands pointing to 9 and 8 to represent our 98-foot parade route on Bridge Street.
“The medallion measures approximately 3.25 inches by 3.75 inches and is about a quarter-inch thick. American Carnival Mart in St. Louis made them for us.”
Hampo said a limited number of the beads will be available for sale March 16 and March 17 at the St. Patrick’s Day merchandise tents in the Bridge Street Entertainment District.
In addition to Celebrity Grand Marshal Bertinelli and Official Parade Starter Flavor Flav, this year’s parade festivities will include the tribute band The Molly Ringwalds performing a free public concert immediately after the parade, and the legendary band Grand Funk Railroad performing a free public concert the evening of March, 16 the evening before the parade.
The parade annually attracts crowds of upwards of 30,000 people to watch an insanely zany collection of Irish Elvis impersonators, marching units, floats, dancers and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, as well as other unique units cover the 98-foot length of Bridge Street, the World’s Shortest Street in Everyday Use, according to Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
For more information call Steve Arrison, 501-321-2027.