Live music will soon be returning to a location in downtown Morehead. The Venue was closed in March of last year after the now-former owners suffered a family accident.
Lori Fries and Patrick Dawson are the new owners of The Venue, which will be reopening under a new name, The Stargazer Lounge. Fries said their goal is to create a space for the community to come together and enjoy different kinds of music.
“When we came to visit in September, we asked people that we met, what do you feel like would be a good fit for The Venue, or what do you think this town needs, and the overwhelming response was more diversity. We need more things to do than listen to country,” said Fries.
Fries added that the bar will still have musical selections like those offered in the past, but said she wants the space to be a place where all genres of music are enjoyed.
Dawson and Fries began interviewing for new staff in late January and said they now have the crew they need to open once the space is ready.
Dawson said renovations have taken a while because they want to take the bar in a new direction aesthetically. He added building a space for smaller artists to feel comfortable is one of the first steps they took.
“When they come through these doors, and they see this venue, they’ll be like ‘Oh wow, that is a really cool space, and its warm and inviting and we had a great time there’, and they are going to let others know, and word of mouth is going to spread like wildfire,” said Dawson.
Dawson said they are open to a diverse group of musicians, including those under the age of 21 who want to perform.
The duo said they plan on being open six days a week and intend to offer live music on Fridays and Saturdays. No official opening date has been set, but Fries said they hope to be open by early March.