Familiar face opens new event center
A new event center has opened in Hot Springs, and a familiar face is running the show.
The Hot Springs Event Center is the new project of longtime Spa City entertainer Tom Wilkins. Wilkins, who previously ran the Five Star Theater, is known for putting on plays and concerts, but with this latest venture, he is trying something different. In addition to entertainment, the event center is designed to be a quality place to rent for a variety of occasions.
Wilkins said he is trying to wean himself off concerts and plays as they start to rent out the facility for weddings and business meetings. The place, Wilkins said, is perfect for everything from reunions to birthday parties.
However, the facility will also be an entertainment venue. The grand opening of the facility in November saw Elvis impersonator Walt Sanders perform. Wilkins said he has been in contact with numerous Nashville artists about potential shows in the future.
The event center, located at 116 Albert Pike, will also host plays, with plans to put on around four plays a year going forward.
This new business adventure comes a year after Wilkins retired from the industry after 32 years. Ten months later, “it was very evident that I wasn’t as happy as I thought I (would be in retirement),” Wilkins said, noting he had planned on traveling once retired, but this year his wife, Susan, accepted a new job at Mountain Pine Elementary School, reducing the amount of traveling they could do.
At the same time, building owner Darrell Smith decided to convert the building, which was previously a church, into an event center. Wilkins heard about the place and decided to visit it. Actually, Wilkins said it was God who told him to visit the center.
Wilkins then asked his wife for her thoughts about him joining the center. “She paused, took a deep breath and said ‘I think it’s a blessing,’” he said.
In October, Wilkins joined the project. The event center had been open for a couple of months before then. Since joining, Wilkins has made sure the place is state-of-the-art, with new lights and sound equipment installed to make the place professional.
Also helping is Corey Baldwin, the assistant manager and techniThe
cal director at the event center.
Baldwin had previously worked for Wilkins in the late ’90s. “I am extremely excited … to be working with him again,” Baldwin said. Wilkins said Baldwin has been instrumental in getting everything installed.