Organizers, businesses reflect on Hannah Harper Day

Hannah Harper Day last week featured music downtown, a parade, and a professional free concert with thousands of attendees in quiet Willow Springs. Any one of these events could have, and usually does, take months to plan, but things move quicker in TV-land than in the Ozarks. When Willow Springs resident Hannah Harper progressed through this season’s American Idol competition, organizers from the show reached out to Willow Springs about their “hometown” concert tradition for finalists, selecting May 6 as the potential filming date. Harper were to make it to the top 3, Willow Springs would be on national television. 

 

With less than two weeks to prepare, the city, the Chamber of Commerce, the business community, and an army of volunteers sprang into action. 

 

“While we had very little time to prepare, it was the partnerships within our community that made this event possible.  Our collaboration with the city of Willow Springs, Willow Springs Schools, and our local businesses was the driving force behind our ability to bring everything together in such a short amount of time. From businesses decorating in whatever capacity they could, to running specials, donating time and materials, and our four Palenske Stage sponsors stepping up to support the event — not one ask was turned down, not one portion of the event went unplanned, and not one of the many teams involved struggled to come together and get the job done,” Chamber Director Kim McCormick told Howell County News. 

 

“Every person brought their very best to the table, and together we created an unforgettable, historical day in Willow Springs. That is what makes our community so special, and that is my biggest takeaway from this entire experience,” McCormick said. 

 

The business community had a great day. Shelby Gray of Vintage Floral says the boutique showed strong numbers that day, but what was really encouraging was the number of new customers making purchases. 

 

“That tells me the event introduced new people to Vintage Floral and Willow Springs,” Gray said. 

 

Restaurants like Pizza Americana, name-checked by Harper herself during the concert, and the new Opera House Grille, were busy. Lori Foster of Pizza Americana said via online post that very few order tickets took longer than twenty minutes, despite the crowds. 

 

For Anna Mayberrry, of H&M Ranch Store, Hannah Harper represents an opportunity for the future. 

 

“It was great to see the town get excited, visit with visitors, and soak up some hometown pride,” Mayberry told Howell County News. “My hope is that the City of Willow Springs and the community sees this as an opportunity to work together and bring in the travelers who are on 60/63 every day.”

 

For our coverage of Hannah Harper Day, see the keepsake pullout section digitally, CLICK HERE.