The Miss Arkansas Pageant
| | Hot Springs Central Avenue Historic District | |
The Miss Arkansas Pageant has been held in Hot Springs since 1958 and is regarded as one of the top five state pageants. In 1964, Donna Axum became Arkansass first Miss America. Her homecoming to Hot Springs included a parade down Central Avenue with Guy Lombardo as Parade Master.
Erected by City of Hot Springs.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1958.
Location. 34° 30.604′ N, 93° 3.236′ W. Marker is in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in Garland County. It is on Central Avenue (State Highway 7) just south of Spring Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is embedded in the sidewalk, beside a streetlamp post. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 707 Central Avenue, Hot Springs National Park AR 71901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Arkansas’ Ouachita Mountains. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Gunfights and Brawls (a few steps from this marker); Bridge Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Jay Hanna Dizzy Dean & Paul Dee Daffy Dean (within shouting distance of this marker); Jimmy Driftwood (within shouting distance of this marker); Chester Lauck & Norris Goff
this page online
Also see . . . Miss Arkansas Pageant. Encyclopedia of Arkansas website entry:
Excerpt: The Miss Arkansas Pageant officially began in 1939, though two competitions before that year set the stage for the pageant. The pageant is Arkansass preliminary for the Miss America Pageant, which began in 1921. The competition is managed by a non-profit organization and co-sponsored by the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Foundation, Inc.(Submitted on January 7, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)In 1958, the pageant was held at the Oaklawn Park Racetrack (now Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort) in Hot Springs (Garland County), where it remained each year until 1965, when it was held indoors at the newly built Hot Springs Convention Center. In its last years at the racetrack, the pageant drew up to 9,000 paying observers, but the seating of the convention center limited the number of guests to 4,600. The 2016 pageant was the last in Hot Springs, with organizers announcing their intention to relocate the event to Little Rock (Pulaski
County).Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 13, 20242. The Miss Arkansas Pageant MarkerLooking west across Central Avenue. The marker is embedded in the sidewalk, beside the streetlamp post.The Miss Arkansas Pageant has provided three winners of the national title: Donna Axum of El Dorado (Union County) in 1963, Elizabeth Ward of Russellville (Pope County) in 1981, and Savvy Shields of Fayetteville (Washington County) in 2016. In 1980, Arkansas had its first African-American Miss Arkansas, Lencola Sullivan of Morrilton (Conway County); she became a runner-up at the Miss America competition, in which she was also the first African-American contestant to place in the top five.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 6, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 239 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 7, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
