Weather delays push back grand opening for Elizabethtown's Steelgrove Amphitheater

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) — The grand opening for Elizabethtown's Steelgrove Amphitheater is delayed to Spring 2027.

The amphitheater was supposed to open this fall, but Mayor Jeff Gregory said weather slowed the progress.

"We get flash flooding down here, seems like every other day," Gregory said. "Of course we battled the water a little bit. The heat has not been as big of an issue."

Construction on this $40 million outdoor music venue started more than a year ago. Among the acres of dirt, the music venue is starting to take shape.

Thursday morning, officials held a topping off ceremony and placed a signed beam.

"It used to be just two of us living on this farm," Linda Keith said. "Now it could be up to 10K people here."

Linda and Roy Keith Jr. once owned the land where crews are building Steelgrove Amphitheater. They never imagined it could someday host concerts several days a week and thousands of fans.

The space is designed to catch artists traveling between major cities like Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville and Chicago. There's no word yet on who will perform at the venue, but the Keiths have a few guesses.

"Simply Red," Linda Keith said. "I love him."

"I'd like to see some James Taylors and Jackson Browns," Roy Keith Jr. said. "Some of those old folks come in. Chris Stapleton, too. A lot of country music."

Danny Wimmer Presents, the production company behind Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life, will book the talent.

"There's a lot of irons in the fire right now," Steelgrove Amphitheater General Manager Sharilyn Mayhugh said. "Nothing's confirmed. It can range from rock to country to hip-hop. There's no show that we won't look at if it makes sense for the area."

Officials hope the amphitheater will draw in more hotels, restaurants and businesses to the booming city.

"We have new restaurants and hotels pop up all the time," said Krysta Souleyrette, interim executive director of Elizabethtown Tourism. "We're certain this will just add on to what wonderful things we have to do and see in Elizabethtown."

The Keiths hope to attend every show.

"I'll have a VIP box, I hope," Roy Keith Jr said.

Officials hope this space will be used year-round. In the winter months, there's talk of turning the mosh pit and removable seating into a ice skating rink and a Christmas village.

Around 80% of the project will be funded by tourism dollars through the city’s restaurant and transient room taxes. The city itself is committing $9 million from its general fund, to be paid in $1 million installments over the next nine years.