ARDMORE, Okla. (KTEN) — Hardy Murphy Coliseum, an Ardmore landmark since 1937, will soon be adding to its facilities hoping to bring more tourism dollars to Carter County.

The coliseum's additions result from an increase in the number of events being hosted — the venue is busy at least 45 weekends every year, hosting more than 80,000 visitors.

A new $500,000 outdoor arena is already approved for construction, and there are plans to upgrade the coliseum's roof.

Hardy Murphy Coliseum has been an Ardmore fixture since 1937.
Hardy Murphy Coliseum has been an Ardmore fixture since 1937. (KTEN)

"The wings have a flat roof on right now, and we're going to eliminate those and put a sloped roof on it," explained Hardy Murphy's executive director Jeffery Storms. "A new covered arena, it will allow us to have more space for people to warm up, but also more space to put stalls under for some of our bigger shows."

He added that the coliseum has provided an average annual boost of $22 million to Ardmore's local economy, hosting livestock events and competitions and the annual Carter County Free Fair and Carnival.

Ardmore Tourism Authority executive Marthanna Donald said shows have returned to Carter County, and more could be coming.

"The same event will come back to Hardy Murphy Coliseum every year, and there is a waiting list of events that want to come to Hardy Murphy Coliseum because of its location," she said.

"By having the ability to offer more space, we can maybe attract some bigger shows," Storms added. "We want to increase that number to be well over 100,000 people flowing through here."

Hardy Murphy Coliseum has no events scheduled until the beginning of August, Storms said he and his staff will use that time to prepare facilities and work on upgrades.