LAMAR, Mo. — A local event center is gearing up for an exciting weekend.
The Freeman Outdoor Event Center at the Stompin’ Grounds in Lamar has its first event of the season Saturday – “The Heritage Tractor I-49 Power Pull.”
“Oh, everybody is getting wound up. Everybody is ready for the first one, start out the new year – or event year for us. Just look forward to putting together a little bit different show than what most these are and trying to ‘set the bar’ so to speak and looking forward to seeing it happen,” said David Johnson, Owner, Freeman Outdoor Event Center
Last year was their first season, and officials at the Grounds say they were overwhelmed with the turnout.
“After that first event, I mean I’ll be honest, we were shell-shocked by the turnout. This is turning into a way bigger venue than we ever envisioned. You know, that’s where those corporate sponsors are coming in and really that’s what is helping us out where we can go ahead and take it to the next level,” added Johnson.
They’ve spent the off-season preparing for much more. With extra seating, concessions, lighting, and a new press box, thanks to Arvest Bank, they are ready to go this season.
“So for Arvest, it’s more about more than just putting a name on something. We want to create opportunities for people to come out and have fun with their family. Arvest is in 14 different communities across this area. And so, in each of those we try to make decisions and invest in ways that are not just going to benefit the community as a whole, but also create financial opportunities for folks that want to start a small business. This by no means is a small business, you know, this is a lot of opportunity, there’s a lot of growth opportunity here, and that’s why Arvest wanted to get behind them,” said Austin Hyslip, Arvest Bank.
The family-owned event center is proud to share this with their community.
“Oh, quality of life. It’s all about quality of life you know, like you mentioned about the COVID, everybody has went through so much in the last two years. Everybody is tired of it. And we can come out here and forget about it for a few hours,” said Johnson.
The gates open at 5 p.m. and the tractor pull will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday (6/10) night.