With public opinion as divided as ever, the question remains: Should the last of the 1900s Blue Laws be reconsidered? Artwork by Zachary Christian.
By Lana Pierce
In Hot Springs, we’ve historically bent the rules—if not outright rejected them. When, in 1912, Spa City began unilaterally enforcing the state’s Blue Laws, the change shocked many.
Blue Laws, based on a then-popular religious tenet that Sabbath days are for rest only, outlawed not just liquor sales on Sundays but many of America’s now-favorite pastimes.
Between 1910 and 1915, Hot Springs squared off with saloons and restaurants, movie houses, dance halls, businesses, and sometimes even baseball managers. “Amusements” were discouraged overall, but dare to open a theater and that owner (and all his employees right down to the ticket taker) would be arrested.
Before 1912, some Hot Springs officials and police officers helped “Sabbath Desecration” via bribery and pre-raid tip-offs. But a notable Sunday afternoon murder galvanized local churches, who pressured the mayor and city council, who then pressured the police officers to put more bite into their bark.
Women’s groups circulated petitions, though they were not yet legal voters. Clergy preached “Sabbath Adherence” and encouraged locals and visitors to attend, even taking out large ads in the Sentinel Record, which ran editorials favoring the closure of any saloon and saloon-adjacent restaurant on Sundays.
But in 2025, we can again enjoy amusements: Magic Springs, baseball, shopping, gambling, dancing, and even a Sunday matinee. But we stubbornly cling to that temperance-era rule that liquor stores close shop on Sundays—much to the chagrin of many tourists and some business owners.
Our town finds itself back to debating the pros and cons, just as our predecessors 115 years ago did, and the old arguments for and against haven’t really changed much. It seems the issue may potentially land on the ballot this fall, and Hot Springs will possibly strike down the last of our old Blue Laws.
Lana Pierce works at the North Little Rock Fire Department, sometimes even on Sundays.
