When Hannah Harper was crowned the winner of American Idol Season 24, Willow Springs, Missouri, erupted in celebration.
Local business owners described it as a whirlwind. “The whole town was super excited,” said Lori Foster, owner of Pizza Americana. “Just to have her win was just an amazing experience for Willow Springs in itself.”
The town had already declared May 6 Hannah Harper Day, throwing a parade and hosting a free outdoor concert during her Hometown Hero visit before the finale. As they were already certain of her American Idol win
Willow springs ecstatic after Hannah’s win
People in Willow Springs had been watching Hannah long before the rest of the country knew her name.
She grew up in nearby Bunker, then married into Willow Springs, where she and her husband Devon have been raising their three boys.
Before the audition, she was a stay-at-home mom posting songs on Facebook. “String Cheese”, a song written during a hard stretch of postpartum depression, wasn’t meant to go anywhere beyond her own page.
After the win, Christy Graves, co-owner of Vintage Floral, said she’d already called the city administrator to ask when the painters were coming.
“When are you going to have the painters come put ‘Willow Springs, hometown of Hannah Harper’ on the water tower?” she said.
“It’s not every day that you have somebody from Willow Springs on American Idol, let alone an American Idol winner.”
Hannah thanks Willow Springs for support
Hannah herself said during the Hannah Harper Day visit that the support from her community was what kept her going. “Every single person who voted, loved on me, sent me messages, prayers this is just to give back to them to say thank you.”
She also became the first female country singer to win American Idol since Carrie Underwood in 2005. For a small town in southern Missouri, that’s now their claim too.