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Eureka Springs' 1905 Basin Park Hotel Celebrates 100 Years of Hospitality

Three-day Centennial Celebration To Feature Reunion Barefoot Ball, VIP Event

EUREKA SPRINGS, AR - The historic 1905 Basin Park Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, will celebrate 100 years of history, service and hospitality July 1 - July 3 during a three-day "Centennial Celebration & Reunion" led by former United States Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt of Harrison. The Basin Park Hotel was an integral part of the early years of tourism in the state, drawing thousands of visitors seeking renewed health and leisure.

Located in the hub of the downtown historic district of Eureka Springs, the hotel is adjacent to the cold water Basin Spring, which came to be the heart of the new health resort community 100 years ago. With its signature white limestone and pink dolomite rock walls built into the side of a mountain, all eight levels of the hotel are at "ground level," bringing the hotel international recognition by being named to Ripley's Believe It Or Not list.

A birthday festivity will kickoff the celebration weekend on Friday, July 1, at 1 p.m. for hotel employees, tourism VIPs and local citizens. Former employees of the Basin Park Hotel, as well as local citizens that were part of the hotel's history will reminisce during a roundtable discussion immediately following the event at 2 p.m.

At 5 p.m. an invitation-only event, including state notables, tourism VIPs and past guests and employees of the hotel, will feature a Eureka Springs memorabilia show with live entertainment and keynote address by Hammerschmidt. A painting commissioned by local artist Larry Mansker, will be presented for auction. All proceeds will benefit the Eureka Springs Historical Museum.

The current-day Rooftop Billiards Room, located on the sixth floor of the hotel, will also be renamed the Lucky 7, as it was well known by visitors in the 1940s.

Saturday will kickoff with an antique car parade led by former Basin Park Hotel limo driver Floyd Pendergraff, who will chauffeur Grand Marshall Hammerschmidt. A Reunion Barefoot Ball will follow that evening.

The Barefoot Ball, initiated in 1948, was inspired by Ralph Edwards' radio show Truth or Consequences . A newlywed couple from Santa Ana, California won a two-week vacation in Eureka Springs at the Basin Park Hotel from the show. The "consequence" was that the couple had to arrive and remain barefoot for the duration of the trip. To celebrate the couple's accomplishment, Joe Parkhill, owner and manager of the hotel at the time, held the first ball on June 25, 1948.

Arkansas' own Greasy Greens will provide live entertainment at the already sold-out July 2 event. Original Barefoot Ball Queen and Truth or Consequences winner Marge Pruitt, who now lives in Irvine, California, will be in attendance.

A "Charming Farewell" event will conclude centennial activities on Sunday morning.

"This celebration is more than a trip down memory lane, "Basin Park Hotel General Manager Jack Moyer said. "The Basin Park Hotel is a gem in the foundation of Arkansas' tourism, and a cornerstone of Eureka Springs' history. This once-in-a-lifetime celebration will be a weekend for everyone to enjoy."

For more information about the 1905 Basin Park Hotel or scheduled centennial events, visit www.basinpark.com or contact the hotel concierge at 800-643-4972, ext. 350.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named Eureka Springs one of America's Distinctive Destinations for being one of the best-preserved and most unique communities in the United States. An authentic 19th century Victorian resort located in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, the town is encircled by two beautiful lakes and two scenic rivers and is filled with old-world charm and European flavor.

Note to editors: Additional information, stories, and photos are available for use. Please contact Andrea Smalec at 501-604-6148 for special media requests.