HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Big weekends mean big business, at least that's the hope in Hot Springs as Central Avenue is already busy as thousands flock to Oaklawn.
"Traffic is going to be horrendous, we're going to have people from all over," Chris Dunkel, owner of Stubby's BBQ just across the street, said.
It may sound like he's upset by that but far from it.
"We are a tourist town, so we embrace the fact that people are going to travel from all over to enjoy what we have to offer," Dunkel said.
And travel they will! This is the biggest weekend for Oaklawn – the Arkansas Derby.
And Dunkel is ready.
"Just as far as the weekend goes, proximity wise, we are a stones throw from the main Oaklawn entrance," he said.
Business is going to boom for them this weekend. Dunkel said plenty of Oaklawn employees cross Central to eat, but now they've got the boom from tourism.
And there's going to be a lot of them.
"65 to 70,000 people, infields open, I mean, what more can you ask for," Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, said.
Arrison knows how big this weekend is, especially for a city that relies on tourism.
"We're not just coming back, we're back," Arrison said. "Hot Springs is open for business, I think Arkansas is open for business."
There's a lot of money being given out for the derby's winner, but even more to gain from visitors.
"The purse in the derby is $1.25 million dollars, add that and this is a ten million dollar weekend if you look at that," Arrison said. "You win a horse race and you get a million and a half, so yeah, the economic impact is just dramatic."
Dunkel is a little short staffed right now, but he said they're ready.
With a neighbor like Oaklawn, you won't hear him complaining.
"It's a great neighbor to have, I'm not going to complain," he said. "Anybody out there who needs a job, please, we need people! Just like everyone else in the world, but having them across the street, that is a wonderful person to have as a neighbor."