MAD's grand opening
It started with the announcement of MAD's grand opening Sept. 27-Oct. 1. Performances by the likes of Brad Paisley, Migos, X Ambassadors, Smokey Robinson, ZZ Top, Train, Ludacris, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, and John Hiatt are scheduled. These performances are set to take place in a revitalized six-block area downtown. Add to that mix former Rock And Roll Hall of Fame president Terry Stewart and former House of Blues executive Dan Smith, who are bringing MAD to life with the help of a talented cast of locals and top-notch national architectural/construction firm, and you've created a space and atmosphere that leaves folks scratching their heads. How did they do that? There's your buzz.
In what must surely be a first, a line-up of performers in El Dorado was covered by Billboard — yes, Billboard Magazine, as in the go-to news source for all things in entertainment. The coverage, of course, was tied to MAD's grand opening and that fabulous, diverse group of artists who will be playing. In fact, I'm told that Billboard Magazine and El Dorado News-Times were the only print/ digital mediums to post the announcement on Thursday, June 8. From there it was on.
The event later was covered by U.S. News & World Report, Prefixmag, Mashable, and Hot New Hip Hop. Local, regional and state news outlets offered plenty of coverage and all the plans in the works even garnered an editorial Wednesday in the Arkansas Democrat- Gazette. All of the aforementioned was shared on social media. Plenty of hashtags for what's happening here.
My favorite post was from someone in Little Rock who commented beneath a story one of the television
stations aired about MAD's opening and musical lineup. The person pondered how El Dorado had managed to get a better lineup for its event than what Little Rock had for Riverfest.
The buzz will get bigger. Just wait until all of the plans fall into place. The firm Westlake Reed Leskosky has designed a master plan to create the El Dorado Arts and Entertainment District centered around the Rialto Theater. Multiple performance venues for all sorts of entertainment genres, new restaurants, green spaces, play spaces and other attractions will meld with El Dorado's already beautiful, historic downtown to create a destination city.
Phase I, according to the El Dorado Festival & Events website, will include:
The Griffin Restaurant — historic gas station and former automotive sales center, built in the early 1930 is being retrofitted into a farm to table gastropub and caberet. With seating for up to 300 patrons, weekly musical performances will happen on stage in a variety of genres throughout the year.
The Griffin Performance Hall — Directly behind the restaurant in the original mechanic's shop of the automotive dealership, a performance hall for up to 2,400 seated patrons or general admittance for more than 3,000 will be created in this mixed-use facility. A monthly music series is envisioned in a multi-genre package. The facility has a flexible seating and staging package allowing for full size concerts, weddings, conventions and trade shows.
The Amphitheater — the amphitheater will have the flexibility to house up to a 7,000-person event quarterly with VIP seating for up to 1,200 patrons. The facility will host summer outdoor films, a seasonal farmers market and the parkscape will be accessible to all.
The Playscape — This two-acre children's playground contains ADA accessible play equipment, educationally driven thematic decor tied to the region and a splash pad for play in the summer months. The park will be open daily at no cost to visitors.
All of these will be celebrated during September's grand opening.
And there's a Phase II: The Rialto Theater — Completed in 1928 as a vaudeville theater and movie house, this performance facility is being restored to an 850 seat hall for touring performances, music, live HD broadcast shows and symphonic performances by our very own South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. In addition, the stage will convert into a 125 seat black box for comedy, spoken word and lecture series.
The Gallery: The Gallery lobby for the exhibition hall has room for more than 1,200 patrons with reception and concessions. This space connects the exhibition hall with the Rialto Theater, featuring the original architectural steel work of a 1920's era bus depot.
Stay tuned for more on Phase II.
In the meantime, if you haven't looked around downtown lately, I encourage you to check out what is happening. Walk thru, drive thru, check out what's to come at: http://www. eldofest.com/page/renderings/. I'm not in El Dorado every day, so I am truly overwhelmed each time I visit by all that has been accomplished.
And you might want to watch for ticket sales, the buzz on Billboard is that some good music is coming.