Well, every town has buildings, bridges, and other structures that once had a purpose, but now are just abandoned relics of the past. El Dorado, my hometown, hasn't been much different except for the oil boom, which poured millions into South Arkansas. In 1921, the town exploded from 3500 folks to well over 40,000 in just a couple of years. That led to a huge building boom in the downtown and adjacent residential areas. Sadly, many of those buildings are gone. The gorgeous High School, most of our grand oil boom mansions, and almost all the famous Hamburger Row were leveled.
When the oil boom was over, and the town settled down with a population of just under 30,000 in the 1950s, a slow but steady population loss continued. After several years of declining population, several individuals from El Dorado heard a "Destination Expert", Roger Brooks, from Seattle, Washington give a talk on how small towns needed to be a destination in order to prosper. They were so impressed that he was invited to El Dorado, and after hearing his speech, he was hired to make a detailed destination proposal. He took nearly a year to work it out, and when he finished, his recommendation was to make El Dorado an Entertainment Destination focusing on the historical downtown buildings. His proposal was enthusiastically received, and El Dorado Festival and Events was formed. The first phase of a two-phase program has been completed, and with a Cabaret and Music Hall, a top restaurant along with the biggest Playscape in the state, and with the Haywood, a new; hotel and Conference Center the area a block south of the courthouse has been wonderfully transformed. Thousands have already been entertained, and more are on tap in the weeks and months. Last Saturday night Mark Chestnut packed 'em in. The Entertainment District concept is paying off.
Now, before I detail a plan about adding to El Dorado's Entertainment District, let me congratulate the El Dorado Festival and Events folks for making a great start to make El Dorado an "Entertainment Destination." When Phase Two is completed with the Fine Arts Museum and the Rialto as an "Broadway" Theater venue is reopened, our city will have made a giant step in becoming what Roger Brooks, the Destination Expert, envisioned as a key to El Dorado's future prosperity.
The two adjoining additions I am going to make will enhance the Entertainment Destination, and in this case "more is definitely better." Now, let's look at these two additional entertainment venues with the idea of how they could significantly enhance Roger Brooks Entertainment District Concept. The first addition is what I have named El Dorado's Rialto Bridge: (the current Viaduct). The original Rialto Bridge is in Venice, Italy, and to say it's a great attraction is a gross understatement. The bridge was built as a walkway over one of Venice's many canals, and instead of removing it after it was no longer needed, it was repurposed into retail shops, bars, and restaurants. Today, it is a hugely popular tourist destination. Vertis and I were there recently, and as we crossed Venice's Rialto Bridge. We marveled at the activity. It is one of the top attractions in the city.
El Dorado's Rialto Bridge, which I named after the original one in Venice and our own Rialto Theater, should be repurposed into a similar manner, as a pedestrian bridge with retail shops, bars, and restaurants. It overlooks the MAD complex and would measurably add to the Entertainment District Concept. From an earlier column about repurposing the Viaduct, I have already had an outpouring of support, and one interested individual contacted me about putting an open-air restaurant on the structure.
Of course, the Arkansas Highway Department, in its plan to widen and improve pitiful Highway 82, plans to remove it, and waste $1,000,000 dollars (an estimate) just to take it down. When the original Viaduct was constructed in the 1920s, 22 trains a day were coming in and out of downtown El Dorado. Now, with 3 to 5 trains and multiple other crossings including the Highway 82 Bypass, the viaduct is no longer needed. Why not repurpose it as part of El Dorado's Entertainment District? The Viaduct literally overlooks the MAD Complex. It is certainly an easy walk from the MAD Amphitheater to the Viaduct.
Now let's add another entertainment venue to the Entertainment District. I was MUSICFEST Chairman for 5 years. Before that I lived in South Texas for 12 years, and the biggest thing the two areas have in common is Country Music. When I was El Dorado's MUSICFEST Chairman, Friday was Country Music Night. Do you think Charlie Daniel's packed 'em in playing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"? You bet he did; packed streets and by far the largest crowd in the history of MusicFest. Of course, we had been to those South Texas music and dance halls when we lived in South Texas, and watched as folks lined up by the hundreds to get in. It is obvious that the South and mid-south of our Country is the Country Music Heartland. It's who we are, and I am going to recommend the El Dorado Entertainment District add the Sandyland Country Music Dance Hall. It just happens we already have a historic building there, and it is "For Lease". The building is a big, empty tin warehouse, between El Dorado's Rialto Bridge and MAD. It would be a perfect addition to the Entertainment District.
When MAD adds Phase 2, with a Fine Arts Museum and the renovation of the Broadway Rialto Theatre is finished, can you envision the impact of adding the El Dorado's Rialto Bridge, and the Sandyland County Music Dance Hall to the entertainment mix? I can only say "wow'! This is town would really take off. We would be the top entertainment destination in the mid-south!
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