The success of a local rising star could translate into success for an underutilized local venue. At least that's part of the hope behind US101 CountryFest, being held at Northwest Georgia Amphitheatre Saturday, Sept. 2 and featuring country music sensation Kane Brown.
"... There were some larger concerts out there when it was first built, but more recently it's been underutilized," said Katie Sponberger, economic development coordinator for Catoosa County. "We really just want to bring entertainment to our community so people don't have to go to Chattanooga for everything."
The venue opened in 2007 but hasn't seen much use. Last summer, the county's Parks and Recreation Department, which runs the 3,500-seat amphitheater, hosted a series of free summer concerts meant to boost the venue's exposure within the community.
"This is the biggest thing we've had out there in a long time, and I really just hope the community comes out and supports it," Sponberger said.
Ticket sales already indicate the positive. As of last week, tickets were almost sold out, she said.
Kane Brown"Country is huge in this area. Then you get someone as major a country radio station as US101 and it just makes a lot of sense," Friends of the Festival Executive Director Chip Baker said of the concert, a partnership between the county, US101 parent company iHeart Radio and the Chattanooga-based event company he runs. "It's something we [Friends of the Festival and iHeart Radio] talked about for about year and a half. [Catoosa County] has got a really beautiful amphitheater that's not really used that much. It seemed like a natural opportunity."
Brown was also a natural fit. He is a sought-after performer, currently on tour with No. 1-selling artist and two-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Jason Aldean. Brown himself is a chart-topping musician, having built up a loyal following via social media, where he garnered millions of supporters in a matter of weeks.
Brown is also a Catoosa County native.
"Kane Brown is from Catoosa County and has a lot of hometown fans. I think everyone is really excited about it," said Sponberger. "My hope is that this concert will be a top-notch event and have a lot of community support, and that Friends of the Festival and US101 will want to continue doing events out there."
To learn more or purchase tickets for the event, which also features Walker McGuire, visit us101country.iheart.com/content/2017-07-14-us-101-countryfest-with-kane-brown. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. with the show kicking off at 7 p.m. The amphitheater is located at 220 Catoosa Circle in Ringgold.
Email Jennifer Bardoner at jbardoner@timesfreepress.com.