(WKYT) – Laurel County is still rebuilding more than a year after a massive tornado killed 17 people.
Buildings at the Laurel County Fairgrounds were wiped out. But now, more than 370 days since that event, a new open-air pavilion the size of a football field on that same site is up and running. County leaders believe it will generate revenue.
Hundreds gathered to celebrate the new open-air pavilion. Last year’s tornado, which packed maximum winds of 170 miles per hour, destroyed the fairgrounds.
Chris Robinson, director of London Tourism and Parks, said the tornado destroyed multiple buildings.
“It destroyed all of our other buildings…it destroyed our bathroom building our Kentucky Farm Bureau ag building…our barns…all of our fencing,” Robinson said.
The damage cost $2 million. The $1 million open-air pavilion had not been built at the time of the tornado.
“So this will be a great event space for everything and for many things that we look to host and look for others to host but it’s a great space for what we are going to have this weekend for the Archery Shooters Association,” Robinson said.
Archery tournament this weekend
Josh Grine, president of the Archery Shooters Association, said the rebuilding is impressive.
“Here we are a year later and this place is incredible,” Grine said.
This weekend, the ASA will bring in 2,000 archery shooters for a tournament. Some will come from across the world. They will gather in the pavilion and use the surrounding grounds for shooting.
The ASA has been coming to Laurel County since 2006.
“The way the community came together and the way they rebuilt this area…definitely was silver lining of people coming together and then seeing the results of everybody’s hard work,” Grine said.
The county and the area hope to attract more events to the fairgrounds.
The ASA event this weekend will have an estimated $4 million impact on the Laurel County region.