Greg Smith’s dream of opening what he calls “the ultimate outdoor live music venue” is one step closer to becoming a reality.
With help from a dozen people, including Siloam Springs Mayor David Allen and Chamber of Commerce Director Wayne Mays, Smith broke ground on Osage Creek Thursday morning.
“This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and now we are building it,” said Smith, adding that the arts center is still on track for a 2011 opening.
Video from the ceremony
The venue, which includes plans for an outdoor amphitheater with room for up to 15,000 people, is located on an 856-acre site near Osage Creek in western Benton County.
“I’m very familiar with what music acts have done to put Austin, Texas on the map and many other places,” said Mayor Allen. “This is fantastic for us. It’s going to bring an economic boom to the area.”
Smith said he couldn’t comment on who will first appear on stage at Osage Creek, but was very excited when we spoke to him last month. “We’ve got a national act signed for July 2011,” he said. “Things are going to start moving really fast.”
Crews were plowing dirt Thursday morning and had already cleared a large portion of land where the amphitheater’s stage will sit. The building plans for the project cleared the Benton County planning commission on Nov. 18.
