No. 6: High-profile arena projects attract audiences to the Ozarks

While one Springfield arena project made its debut at the start of the year, another in Ridgedale underwent a major expansion in preparation for a season of high-profile concert acts.

The Queen City saw the January grand opening for Wilson Logistics Arena, the multipurpose venue at the Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds & Event Center. Killian Construction Co. served as general contractor for the roughly $31 million, 164,000-square-foot arena designed by BRP Architects. The facility replaced a 2,800-seat livestock arena built in the 1960s.

Events hosted at the arena this year included O’Reilly Auto Parts Outlaw Nationals Monster Truck Show, GT Arena Motocross Springfield and Cavender’s PFI Bullriding Nationals. Additionally, the 6,300-seat facility served as the home for the debut season of the Ozarks Lunkers, an indoor arena football team.

In November, Ozark Empire Fairgrounds captured Developer of the Year honors for its new arena as part of the Springfield Contractors Association’s 40th Salute to Design and Construction Awards banquet.

Down south in Ridgedale, hundreds of construction workers contributed to the expansion of Bass Pro Shops’ Thunder Ridge, a Johnny Morris-owned venue. Located off Highway 86, the 20,000-capacity amphitheater sits on 1,200 acres with views of Table Rock Lake and the Boston Mountains of Arkansas.

After Thunder Ridge debuted with a trio of concerts by country superstar Garth Brooks in conjunction with Bass Pro’s 50th anniversary in fall 2022, the company set out to upgrade the infrastructure in and near the venue. That included doubling on-site parking and helping fund a $22 million expansion of Highway 86 to four lanes from two. Additionally, the construction of several areas of suites and premium seating areas, including a 12-story tower that features bedrooms, private bars and outside decks, was part of the expansion project. Nabholz Construction Corp. served as general contractor.

The venue’s 2024 season included concerts from Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan, Imagine Dragons, Pitbull and The Rolling Stones.