Miss Arkansas Pageant A Money Maker For The Winner And Hot Springs

Saturday night, Miss Northwest Arkansas Loren McDaniel was crowned the new Miss Arkansas, besting 46 other contestants.

The 78th Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant awarded more than $87,000 in scholarship money to multiple contestants.

McDaniel is a 2015 graduate of the University of Arkansas, majoring in theater. For her talent selection, she performed a vocal to “Piece of Sky.”

First runner-up was Miss Ouachita River, Bailey Moses; 2nd runner up was Miss University of Arkansas, Brejamin Perkins; 3rd runner up was Miss Northeast Arkansas, Claudia Raffo, and the 4th runner up was Miss Arkansas Valley, Jacey Winn.

Jordan Bontke with content partner KATV reports that the pageant brings in more than $1 million for the Spa City.

Hot Springs has no shortage of attractions.

The city thrives on popular attractions like Oaklawn Racing and Gaming, Magic Springs and the National Park. So when the Miss Arkansas Pageant is added, there can be a significant economic impact.

At Flower and Home on Cornerstone Boulevard, manager Cindy English said she’s working to keep up with the high demand of flower arrangements for the Pageant.

“People call and say, make it bright and cheery, make it so special, and of course we do,” said English.

English said she would sell 50 arrangements this week, most of which are priced upward of $100.

“We’ve had arrangements going out two times a day, just this week,” said English.

The weekend of the Miss Arkansas Pageant may be a little busier than normal, but The Spa City is used to the traffic.

One of the most recent visitor report studies for Hot Springs showed $523 million is being pumped into the Hot Springs economy every year.

Steve Arrison, the Chief Executive Officer for Visit Hot Springs, said the city receives three percent from hotel rooms and prepared foods at restaurants within the city.

Arrison said, those restaurants and hotels are a little more crowded this week.

“There is a direct impact of over a million dollars in over a week, which is pretty substantial. Then you add with that the publicity – this is one of the largest state pageants in the United States,” said Arrison.