HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (KTHV) - Officials with the city of Hot Springs and Oaklawn Racing say they are prepared for the massive flood of fans heading to the Spa City Saturday, March 14, when the track holds the $900,000 Rebel Stakes about 90 minutes before the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown.
“It's going to be a great fun weekend in the Spa City,” said Steve Arrison, C.E.O. of Visit Hot Springs, the local convention and visitors bureau. “You’ve got St. Patrick's Day, the Rebel Stakes, the start of spring break in Arkansas. What more could you ask for?”
The concept sells itself, so the city and the track have been preparing for crazy crowds.
“We're prepared to max out, so to speak, so we've got as many hands on deck as we can,” said David Longionotti, the director of racing for Oaklawn.
Oaklawn expects 30-40,000 patrons for the final prep race ahead of the Arkansas Derby. There are also two other major stakes races on the card.
“I think we're as prepared as we can be. This isn't our first rodeo. The city of Hot Springs has been hosting thousands of thousands of tourists every year for 150 years,” said the director.
But the time between the end of the 10-race program and the start of the parade festivities promises to be hectic. When it happened in 2012, traffic backed up between the track and the downtown area.
“We will have a flood of people that we have to get out of Oaklawn, across Central Avenue and into their vehicles,” said Cpl. John Tinney, who will lead the special ops crew for Hot Springs police. “All the shenanigans and everything that goes on. The cheerleaders, the Elvi and all the other stuff. It's pretty crazy. We will have to hustle to get from the track, to a meeting and then into our spots to control the traffic.”
Arrison is staying laid back and confident while noting that he won’t have to worry about St. Patrick’s day falling on a Saturday for many years.
“We've done what we can, and it will be a little slow at times, but everybody will get where they're going and it will be just a fun relaxing weekend,” he said.
Racing starts Saturday, March 17 at 1:00 p.m. with the Rebel scheduled for just after 6 p.m. The pre-parade festivities start at 6:30 p.m. with the official start at 7:00.
Morris Day and the Time will play a free concert following the march, which Arrison expects to last about an hour.