Thousands of people of Arkansas City for the shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the world

Hot sources, Ark. – Cities like New York and Chicago offer some of the largest parades to St. Patrick's Day and attract thousands of night owls and a lot of green beer.

But a city in Arkansas has won its parade from a completely different popularity over the years. The city of Hot Springs, known for its mineral-rich water, promotes its 30-meter route as the shortest parade to St. Patrick's Day in the world.

On Monday, thousands of people lined the streets to watch the parade that has been one of the greatest draw in the city for more than two decades. Over the years, the event has attracted the attention of celebrities, and this year the actor Valerie Bertinelli and the Rap Icon Flava Flav took part.

Steve Arison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, said the idea began in 2003 when he and a group of friends were in a restaurant in downtown “Drinking drinks for adults” and showing up St. Patrick's Day.

“We have to talk and say: Why don't we have a parade?” Said Arrison.

The parade started the following year and attracted around 1,500 people. More than 30,000 people watch the parade every year, say the organizers.

The parade grabs a lot for the shortest in the world. They will have 40 different swimmers, and the participants belonged to 100 members of a group of Elvis Presley imitators who are known as an international order of the Marching Irish Elvi.

Another Float showed the local chapter of the International Society of Helen Ropers with participants as a character from the sitcom of the 1970s “Three's Company”.

The parade has also introduced a celebrity grass Marshal and Parade starter and over the years known faces such as the actor Kevin Bacon, “Cheers” star George Wendt and the country music star Justin Moore. This year Bertinelli was the Großmarschall and the Flav, the official starter.

“We don't do any little things here.

The parade even created its own green version of the Signature Clock necklace, the Flav, a founding member of Public Enemy, is known for wearing. Flav, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, danced along the route and enthusiastically welcomed the parade observer.

“I can have fun in a five-foot parade.

The cheerleaders of the Dallas Cowboys, who have participated in the parade for several years, sat in the back of cars and threw pearls on the track.

The parade includes other events, including a concert and a “Blarney Stone Kissing Contest”. Before the parade started, the route officially missed to check its brevity. A Badler from Oaklawn, a Horse -Horse track and a casino, marked the start.

“I was in Chicago, I was in Savannah, Georgia.

Other parades have tried to raise the right to be the shortest in recent years, including two cities in New York, which dueled about it and which had the shortest parade. Another 78-pace parade was planned on Monday in Bemidji, Minnesota.

The organizers of the Hot Springs Parade also hold a feud with another parade in Adamsville, Rhode Island, which claims that the 27-meter route of 89 feet is the shortest. But Arrison rejects her claim and realizes that the parade of the city takes place the day ahead of St. Patrick's Day.

Arrison also notes that the Hot Springs event protected the title “World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade”.