Pleased to say, I played in that fine establishment when it first opened, waaaaaaaaay back in.... I can't remember which year our IBMA Showcase was... 1994? Nah, 1995. Yeah, we got to play in there for like a Grand Opening to-do during FanFest that year. Cool that they are going to honor fellow Kentuckian Jerry there. He'd be proud.
There's been a lot of hubbub about where IBMA is going to land now that the deal with Raleigh, N.C. is running out. There is a contingency who are lobbying for a return to Owensboro. Trouble is, Owensboro ain't got the infrastructure to handle the thing anymore. They outgrew it which is why they moved to Louisville, Nashville, and Raleigh to start with. Owensboro is my sentimental favorite though. That was the last time I had stage fright. I really didn't enjoy Louisville at all, too closed and clique-ish. And Nashville was... they tried to make it into something it wasn't meant to be. Raleigh was perfect.
Come to think of it, I need a book of stamps.