Why Sesame Street’s Elmo and Abby Cadabby are celebrating the Opry’s 100th anniversary
Sesame Street’s Elmo and Abby Cadabby talk with The Tennessean’s country music reporter Marcus K. Downling on what they love about country music and the Opry.
- If the deal’s approved, Opry Entertainment Group will take over for Live Nation, which has managed the open-air riverfront venue for the past decade.
- O’Connell said the agreement would come with at least $12 million in improvements to the venue and its bordering greenway.
Ascend Amphitheater is set for a leadership change, and with it, $12 million investment in upgrades to both the venue and its adjacent greenway.
On Sept. 5, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced that the city had reached an agreement with Opry Entertainment Group, perhaps best known for their work with Nashville institutions the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium, to operate the riverfront amphitheater, which is owned by Nashville’s government.
“This 10-year agreement brings with it major investments in one of our most beloved outdoor facilities,” O’Connell told reporters at a roundtable on Sept. 5.
If it’s granted final approval, the agreement will mark a changing of the guard at the popular venue, which has been managed by Live Nation since 2015. For the moment, it remains unclear whether the open-air amphitheater will retain its name, though. Live Nation negotiated and executed its own contract with Ascend Federal Credit Union for naming rights within its agreement with Metro Nashville.
First, the agreement needs three rounds of approvals with the Metro Nashville Council before it’s official. Its first appearance on a council agenda is slated for the group’s next meeting on Sept. 16, according to the mayor’s office.
If it does get approval, that agreement will come with a minimum of $11 million in facility improvements at the amphitheater, plus up to an additional $1.1 million to relocate, enhance and upgrade the greenway bordering the event space. The agreement also includes assurances that the greenway will remain open and accessible to the public at all times, which hasn’t been the case in years past.
“Importantly, they’ll deliver on a commitment I made as a Council member and repeated as mayor to fix access to the greenway during events,” O’Connell said.
Austin Hornbostel is the Metro reporter for The Tennessean. Have a question about local government you want an answer to? Reach him at [email protected].
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.tennessean.com ’
