MACON, Ga. — It may look like just your average high school football stadium, but Henderson Stadium has been a premier location for concerts, the annual Soul Jam, and community events in Macon for years.
Macon-Bibb leaders agreed to a 2-year contract with Teeger Entertainment in an effort to increase community engagement at the venue.
The Macon-based booking and talent agency will now exclusively manage the stadium.
"We'll be bringing different events, making more memories for the people in the community and the people all over Macon and middle Georgia," Teeger Entertainment President Danette Tillman said. "It's a historic stadium ... people would come here to drive [and] to learn how to parallel park. I learned to parallel park here."
The company will receive $65,000 a year to promote a variety of sports, music and other community events. The stadium used to be known as the home field for Southwest and Central High Schools.
Danette was a member of the Southwest High School band, but Vice President Al Tillman says he also has roots in the neighborhood.
Tillman resigned from the Macon-Bibb commission earlier this year, but says the opportunity to promote the stadium is a full circle experience.
"There is so much we can do to incorporate the community," Al Tillman said. "This has been a premier spot for talent shows, Battle of the Bands, and football games for years. I would walk here in the second grade every day going to Matilda Hartley. Growing up as a young man in this neighborhood and now to be able to market and promote this stadium, is surreal."
Macon-Bibb attorney Michael McNeil told 13WMAZ the county is not required to request bids on consulting or management contracts like Tillman's.
He says the former commissioner's company was picked based on his experience as a concert promoter.