HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — Here we go again.
Still another Northern city steps up to the plate to challenge Hot Springs for the honor of producing The World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
This time it’s Niagara Falls, N.Y.
“This is pure fantasy,” Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison said Thursday. Arrison is one of the founders of the Hot Springs parade, which will host the 22nd annual edition of its world-famous 98-foot parade on Monday. “These folks in Niagara Falls don’t even HAVE a parade, but they apparently have latched on to our friendly rivalry with Adamsville, Rogue Island, for the right to the title.”
Arrison was referring to an article in the Niagara Gazette that carried the headline: “Come On, Niagara, Let’s Pick a St. Patrick’s Day Parade Fight.”
The headline appeared above an opinion article by a writer named Mark Scheer.
Although the online article is hidden behind a paywall that rejects attempts to purchase the ability to view the full article, it begins: “It’s too late this year, but the City of Niagara Falls should strongly consider picking a good old-fashioned St. Patrick’s fight with Hot Springs, Arkansas.”
It is illustrated by a photo of 14 people holding up a banner for The Ancient Order of Hibernians.
“What a joke,” Arrison said. “Fourteen people holding up a banner doesn’t constitute a parade. A two-hour procession of 40 floats, marching bands, 100 marching Irish Elvis impersonators, celebrity grand marshals and celebrity parade starters like Valerie Bertinelli and Flavor Flav — now you got yourself a St. Patrick’s Day parade.”
“We’ve been over this ground dozens of times in the 22-year history of the actual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” he said, “and all those claims have been shown up as baseless.”
Arrison said the Niagara Falls issue apparently arose after Hot Springs’ rivalry with Adamsville, R.I., attracted nationwide attention this month.
After nearly a year of quiet, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade rivalry between Hot Springs and Adamsville flared again this week amid reports by the Providence Journal of a supposed “truce” and dark hints of an Arkansas “spy” being sent to validate claims made by the Rhode Island organizers.
The newspaper reported that “The parade organizers in Adamsville were thought to have settled their dispute with Hot Springs, Arkansas, last year, but rumors are circulating that Hot Springs will send spies to measure the route.”
After some back-and-forth with Chuck Kinnane, creator of the Rhode Island event, Arrison announced that Hot Springs is dispatching world armwrestling legend Mike (Monster) Todd and his armwrestling champ wife, Rebecca, to Adamsville this weekend to point out that Adamsville’s parade, which bills itself as The World’s Shortest St. Paddy’s Day Parade, isn’t even held on St. Patrick’s Day but on the day before the holiday.
“I hate to think we’ll have to send Mike and Rebecca to Niagara Falls to show them the hard cold truth,” Arrison said, “but they’d probably like to see that waterfall those folks brag about.”
Hot Springs’ parade annually brings 30,000 fun-loving spectators into downtown Hot Springs to watch a riotous mixture of floats, bands, marching groups, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and marching Irish Elvis Impersonators strut, walk and ride the 98-foot length of Bridge Street, the World’s Shortest Street in Everyday Use. This year will also feature beloved actress Valerie Bertinelli as the celebrity grand marshal and hip-hop legend Flavor Flav as the official parade starter. Legendary rock band Grand Funk Railroad will perform a free public concert in the parade area on March 16, the day before the parade. Tribute band The Molly Ringwalds will perform a free concert immediately after the parade on March 17.
For more information contact Steve Arrison at 501-321-2027.