River concert highlights big plans for Kentucky Palisades property

MERCER COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Mercer County couple promoted plans to revitalize their stretch of the Kentucky palisades with a concert, dubbed the inaugural Bluegrass River Fest.

“We are trying to make this the happening place it used to be,” said owner Kristy Gooch.

The band 27 South played during the festival. Gooch said they plan to hold more festivals during the rest of the summer featuring other types of music.

Catfish was sold at the festival, a throwback to when it was the signature dish at the former restaurant on the property.

Gooch and her husband frequented the restaurant, and said it’s been tough to watch the building and property deteriorate over the years, in part due to flooding.

Their plans for the property include a new restaurant building, a large deck where concerts like Saturday’s can be held each week during the summer, a series of treehouses which will be used as air-bnbs and a campsite. The property is already home to a boat ramp.

“We’re revitalizing this whole thing from Brooklyn Bridge to 470 palisades,” Gooch said.

People who attended said they’ve passed the site for years, just waiting for someone to breathe new life into it. They said they are excited for the Gooch’s plans.

The property is on Lexington Road just east on the Brooklyn Bridge, and across from the historic Colonel “Chinn’s Cave House.”

The current restaurant building, which was condemned, will be demolished.

Information about future concerts can be found on the Facebook page for the property, known as the Villages.