Kellen Fleener
Similar to a Cinderella sports story, the tiny town of Beaver Dam in western Kentucky has made a come-from-behind win, even when the odds were not in its favor. Although the town was financially stable, administrators were looking for an attraction to bring people there, and in 2012, they found their answer.
“We never considered that it wouldn’t work,” said Mayor Paul Sandefur. “We just did it.”
The boost they needed came from taking a chance and building Beaver Dam Amphitheater. Of course, lots of cities have amphitheaters, but not every town with a population of about 3,500 builds a venue that holds 5,000.
Sandefur, who has been mayor since 2011, was working with city commissioners to create a new park on 35 acres downtown. They wanted ball fields, walking trails and a spot for a farmers market. Then someone pointed out that there was an area that had a hill, which would be great for an amphitheater.
“We were originally thinking on a much smaller scale,” Sandefur said. “We pictured a few hundred people sitting on the hill watching a local musician.”
But when they looked at the numbers, they realized they could build something bigger than that.
“Our goal was to bring people into our community,” he said. “So we did go bigger.”
Last year, in just its fourth year of operation, Beaver Dam Amphitheater hosted singer John Prine and had its first sell-out concert.
Beaver Dam Tourism Director JoBeth Embry said the success of the venue is unlike anything the town has ever seen.
“The first few years, we had tremendous local support,” she said. “People loved it because they didn’t have to leave the county to see entertainment. But it is true tourism now, with out-of-state visitors coming in for every show.”
The town sits one exit north of the Western Kentucky Parkway, about 30 miles south of Owensboro. Since the amphitheater opened, the town has gone wet—although the county is still dry—and new businesses have opened. Currently, there are one hotel, one motel and 22 restaurants. The Ohio County Park and RV Campground is nearby and can accommodate about 130 RVs as well as primitive campsites. On concert days, it offers a shuttle to and from the show.
“The restaurants, shops and boutiques are all mom-and-pop shops, and we even have volunteers from Beaver Dam work as volunteers at the shows,” Embry said. “They are such great ambassadors because no one knows our town better than the people who live here.
“We want everyone to come see what we have. We can offer a small-town feel with a big-time amphitheater.”
Heath Eric is no stranger to the music business. As a member of the husband-and-wife duo Heath & Molly, he has traveled the United States and Europe performing American-roots rock, and he is founder and president of The Eric Group, which is dedicated to concert and festival promotion. He got involved with the amphitheater in 2017, handling all bookings, publicity and production of the shows.
“This is like a Field of Dreams-type venue,” Eric said, comparing it to the movie in which a beautiful baseball field is built in a cornfield in Iowa. “These progressive-thinking folks have built a world-class venue.”
Not only the people of Beaver Dam love it, but the performers love it as well, Eric said. He believes word is spreading among fans and artists.
Eric said when people talk about shows they have seen, they regularly include the venue as something that made it memorable—think Ryman Auditorium in Nashville or Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver.
“I think as fans recall concerts, they will say, ‘Yeah, but I saw them at The Dam,’ and that will be all they need to say,” he said.
Eric described his favorite part of any show by describing the scene: “We see thousands of people in the venue having the time of their life. Then the performer comes on stage, and at that moment, it all comes together. It is magical.”
Kellen Fleener
Upcoming Shows
June 8 Bret Michaels with special guest Corey Smith
June 15 Old Crow Medicine Show with special guest Molly Tuttle
July 6 Parks in the Park featuring Andy Brasher, the Wilson Brothers Band and Josh Merritt
July 20 ’80s Rock The Dam Fest with Night Ranger, Warrant and Slaughter
Aug. 25 The Temptations with special guest The BB King Blues Band featuring Michael Lee
Aug. 31 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Sheryl Crow
Sept. 7 The Big Dam Acoustic Rock Show featuring Don Dokken, Kip Winger, Jack Russell and Eric Martin