The grand opening of El Dorado's Murphy Arts District drew more than 21,000 people from around the state, nation and world to the south Arkansas town for the four-day event, organizers said Monday.
It's too soon to make dollars and cents of it all, but the overall belief is that the opening festivities were stratospherically beyond expectations, said Bob Tarren, chief marketing officer of Murphy Arts District.
The attendance numbers are based on ticket sales mostly and clicker counters.
"We have no money estimates yet. We have to combine our restaurant sales, memberships and ticket sales. It's not done that fast," Tarren said, adding that the district's crew is exhausted but excited.
[INTERACTIVE: 360° photos offer interactive views of new Murphy Arts District]
The grand opening, which coincided with the 30th annual MusicFest, kicked off Thursday with a sold-out performance by Natasha Bedingfield followed by Train at Griffin Music Hall and wrapped up Sunday with a concert by Smokey Robinson backed by the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra at the Murphy Arts District Amphitheater. The celebration included more than 30 musical acts -- from hip-hop group Migos to country crooner Brad Paisley -- as well as arts and crafts vendors, food trucks and activities like a zip line.
The plan for the $100 million Murphy Arts District began five years ago when community leaders were searching for ways to improve quality of life for its residents, increase the city's declining population and attract more business and industry.
The first phase includes an 8,000-capacity outdoor amphitheater, a farm-to-table upscale restaurant with a cabaret stage and a 2,500-seat indoor concert venue. A children's playscape and splash pad will be finished shortly afterward. Phase II, which will begin in the coming months, will see the revival of the 1920s-era Rialto theater as a venue for plays, musical acts and movies, and the opening of an art gallery.
Tarren said there were times during the harried weekend that he had to pinch himself.
"I was so focused on work, but then I'd suddenly have a moment of 'Holy heck! This is real!' I'd be in front of the stage talking to a photographer, then turn around and see the crowd of dancing and screaming people having a great time," Tarren said. "It'd hit me, like 'Wow!' Everything that we've worked so hard on was actually happening. Wow, it's here. And it's working."
Murphy USA Chairman Madison Murphy -- who is also a board member for Deltic Timber and Murphy Oil -- created El Dorado Festivals and Events in 2011 to make the Murphy Arts District a reality.
"It was an amazing weekend. Frankly, it was extraordinary," Murphy said. "The feedback has been superb from attendees, staff and performers. It's really gratifying to see. There were super positive vibes all around town. I think there's a sense of 'Wow!' It's demonstrative of how great things can happen if you have a good plan and a lot of great people rowing in the same direction."
Murphy said the event was a bit of a town reunion with guests not only from all around the state and Louisiana, but also those visitors from around the globe, including Canada, England, Scotland and Venezuela.
"Hampton Inn was like the United Nations," Murphy said.
Many of the hotels reported being completely booked for the weekend. Ba Tonya King, the front desk clerk at Super 8, said she had booked visitors from all corners of the nation, including Florida and Tennessee.
"We were a full house," King said. "I've been in El Dorado all my life. This is a good thing. I've never seen a crew show up like we did this weekend."
Claiborne Deming, chairman of the board at Murphy Oil, said the celebration "exceeded expectations" and gave its organizers and staff "rave reviews."
"The facilities really stunned people," Deming said. "The restaurant, which is attached to the music hall, is a gorgeous space. The crowds were fabulous. It was everything we could have hoped for and more."
Tarren said there were definitely some learning moments, but overall it went off without a hitch.
"We've got to take another look at our staffing levels and things like that," Tarren said. "We're revamping our concession response so you get your beer faster."
Security, though, was effective and thorough. Each person who entered the gates had to go through three checkpoints: the metal detector, the wand scan by a security detail and then a driver's license and personal property check by another security member.
Tarren said the group consulted with the FBI as well as Homeland Security before the event to ensure the safety of guests.
"We had layers between the uniforms as well as security personnel. Cameras were everywhere and our people were everywhere," he said. "Our posture and our in-house measures were pretty sound."
A concert featuring Selah and Jason Crabb is set for Thursday at Griffin Music Hall. It comes on the heels of Sunday's mass shooting at an outdoor Jason Aldean concert in Las Vegas, where at least 59 people were killed and more than 500 wounded.
Tarren said the same security measures as at the festival will be enforced on Thursday.
"We went into this knowing that we had a good protocol in place," he said. "Of course, you should always have a little bit of worry. In the security business, you never relax the attention."
El Dorado Mayor Frank Hash said the district means great things for the community and he's anxiously waiting for Phase II to be completed.
"We think it went extraordinarily good considering we came out of the shoot wide open," Hash said. "I, quite frankly, was worried. That is a huge undertaking. Any one thing can make you look bad. I think they covered their bases very, very well. We're back in business this morning without any hiccups."
State Desk on 10/03/2017