BY LANCE GAITHER

lance.gaither@bluegrassnewsmedia.com

For the ninth annual Lexington Music Awards, The Nook has been nominated for Venue of the Year. The Nook was nominated in a public vote along with Austin City Saloon, The Burl and Manchester Music Hall, all in Lexington. The winner will be announced March 5.

“It’s absolutely awesome, I’m very grateful. I’m not surprised, we have been having amazing shows out here,” said The Nook owner Teddy Tolar. “It’s huge, we deserve it. We are going to keep rising. This place is only 10 percent of what I want it to be. It’s not the time to stop and smell the roses but we appreciate the support and want to keep earning our way. The people of Danville are starting to realize that the caliber of the acts we have had here are of the same caliber of the venues we are nominated against.”

Tolar wants to expand The Nook further and bring bigger acts to Danville.

“In the future we are hoping to start having a national act once a month,” Tolar said. “We want to keep it going. There is talk of getting big acts like Jelly Roll here. By the summer I want to have an outdoor area for shows. We could have a bigger act without having to charge crazy prices. We have beefed up our security. We just started a week and half ago having security with metal detectors checking things out and making sure everyone is safe. I;m so glad we are doing it. So far people have come in and been happy with it.”

Tolar is grateful for the staff and musicians who have made the Nook possible.

“Hats off to the musicians that have played here. They are really getting the word out,” Tolar said. “A few months ago I went to The Burl to see one of my favorite bands play, the Bedford Band, while I was watching I was thinking that they are great band and I wanted to play my first show at The Nook and open for them. I asked them if they have heard of The Nook and they said they had and that everyone is talking about it. I asked them if they would play and if I could open for them. Last Saturday we did that and it was an awesome rockin’ show. Musicians all over the country are talking about us. You have to stay calm, keep an open mind, and hard work pays off. You have to be humble enough to hire people that are better at what they do than you. All of our staff down to our cleaning crew are top notch. We are really getting tight.”

Even though The Nook has only been open for a little over seven months, staff and patrons have already made a lifetime of memories.

“Just recently we had a drag show here and a guy proposed to his girlfriend, it was huge and an incredible show,” Tolar said. “We have had some incredible local artists like Brad Hardin, Taylor Road and Daniel Cain sell out shows here. Our New Year’s Eve show was one we will never forget. Our regulars our like our family. We make memories every night. We have memories that will last a lifetime already. We have fun and cut up but we get down to business. We make sure everyone feels comfortable and safe. All the hard work and things we have done, we are just getting started. This is just the beginning. We are so thankful for the city of Danville and all the people who have made this possible and guided us to where we are. We are here to stay and have a lot of surprises coming up.”