Photo from Trip Advisor of happier times when amphitheater was open.

And so it begins...

The Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet announced today that the Commonwealth of Kentucky is leasing the amphitheater at My Old Kentucky Home State Park to the Nelson County Fiscal Court.

The amphitheater closed in December 2017 due to safety issues.

This agreement authorizes the Nelson County Fiscal Court to make required safety and structural repairs at the J. Dan Talbott Amphitheater. That venue has staged the Stephen Foster Story musical in Bardstown for 60 years.

The lease includes an initial five-year term with the option for two additional five-year terms. The maximum life of the lease is 15 years but includes an option to extend...

No financial terms were included as part of the lease agreement. The Nelson County Fiscal Court also has authority to sublease the theater upon repair.

For years my husband has said, sometimes half jokingly, other times completely seriously, that if the Commonwealth is not going to maintain the state park system, it should just give them to the counties.

If this arrangement works out, look for the state to shed more properties. It may turn out to be a most excellent idea. Local management may be just what the parks need. Or not. It should be on a case by case basis. There are counties with wonderful parks that cannot afford to maintain them.

Once again, our futurist is prophetic.

And so it begins...