EL DORADO, Ark. (AP) A town in southern Arkansas is building a $100 million arts-and-entertainment district with the hope it can return to its glory from a century ago.
El Dorado was a boomtown after oil was discovered nearby, but it has lost a quarter of its population since 1980. The 18,000 people who remain have raised their sales and property taxes in the past decade with an eye toward boosting economic development.
The new Murphy Arts District opens this weekend with concerts by Ludacris, Brad Paisley, ZZ Top, Smokey Robinson and others. The entertainment area has a 2,000-seat auditorium and an 8,000-seat amphitheater, plus restaurants and a playground. The district’s chairman used to run the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and Marvel Comics.
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