walks over to the jukebox and puts on "Apologize," the song Allen performed on Fox singing competition earlier in the week.
Everywhere you turn in this city of 55,000 in central Arkansas, there's some reminder of Allen's run on "American Idol." He's one of two singers who will compete in next week's finale.
Windows are decorated with supportive messages, shirts and signs are everywhere, and last Friday a crowd estimated at over 20,000 packed the streets when the 23-year-old contender performed live downtown.
"I'm definitely rooting for Kris — not just because he's from Conway," said 19-year-old Jansen McGuire, who works at an Old Chicago restaurant downtown. "He has talent."
McGuire was the person who called up "Apologize" on the jukebox; he likes the song on its own, so his choice wasn't entirely because of Allen. Still, it was an appropriate selection in this community about 20 miles north of Little Rock.
The other finalist, Adam Lambert of San Diego, has drawn mostly rave reviews from the judges. He figures to be a formidable opponent, but Allen will have plenty of voters on his side.
"We've been voting like crazy around here," said 40-year-old Debbie Patrom, who works at Stoby's, another restaurant in Conway. "He's a humble guy, he's really nice. No words can express how he is."
Allen has been known to eat at Stoby's and even stopped by last week during his homecoming visit. That day included performances in both Little Rock and Conway.
"I was so impressed at how many people turned out. It was amazing," Patrom said. "I know that he was overwhelmed."
A few days later, Allen impressed enough people to advance at the expense of Danny Gokey, who was eliminated from the competition. Allen sang One Republic's "Apologize" and "Heartless" by Kanye West.
"Unbelievable how he did that," said Kym Schluterman, a Conway storeowner. "I think 'Apologize' is a hard song to sing because you have to escalate your voice to reach the top notes that he did — and he did. He went above and beyond reaching the notes."
Allen is still probably the underdog. He hasn't received nearly as much hype as Lambert, and perhaps that's appropriate given their backgrounds.
Lambert is from San Diego, just down the road from Hollywood.
Conway? It's home to Hendrix College and the University of Central Arkansas. It's also the proud home of Toad Suck Park, and a short drive from Pickles Gap and a few other weirdly named Arkansas locales.
Toad Suck Daze, the town's spring festival, was practically overshadowed this year by Allen's visit. The sheer number of people downtown last Friday has become a source of pride for the area.
"You're watching the amount of people for Adam Lambert, and you're watching the amount of people for Danny Gokey and then you see the amount of people for Kris Allen," Schluterman said. "You're like, 'Oh my gosh, we like topped them to nothing!' ... How many people came in from everywhere to see Kris Allen? It just multiplied."
Schluterman, who said she knows Allen's family, owns a store that specializes in shoes, purses and jewelry. As Allen advanced through the competition, she decided to do what any fan and storeowner would: make shirts supporting Allen's "American Idol" bid, with proceeds going to the singer.
She had the design all picked out. It included a pair of guitars and the words "Kick Awesome" — the slogan Allen's fans use to describe him.
First, though, Schluterman had to sweat out this week's cut. When Allen held up his end of the bargain and made it to the final two, she could finally go through with her plan and order the shirts.
"It's none like you have ever seen. ... I'm sure that we are going to blow them out," she said. "Right when he made it, I made the phone call: 'Start doing it!'"
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