The Academy of Country Music has put a big-city spotlight on our own country music mecca, Penn’s Peak, by nominating it for Venue of the Year: Small Capacity for 2018.

These ACM Industry Awards are voted on by the academy’s professional members and honor the behind-the-scenes industry professionals and venues that “contribute so much to the artistry, success and longevity of country music,” an organization representative said.

Although these awards are less publicly visible than the annual AMA presentations each spring in a major telecast from Las Vegas, they are no less anticipated and coveted by the nominees and ultimate winners.

The nomination came as a shocking surprise to Craig Stelling, vice president of Penn’s Peak LLC, and was announced in an email last week. The first thing Stelling did was to go to the ACM website to see whether the email was legitimate. “I was skeptical, to say the least,” he said. “I asked the staff to do some additional research; when it came back all good, I became a believer.”

The other nominees are: Aura in Portland, Maine; The Georgia Theater in Athens, Georgia; Iron City in Birmingham, Alabama; and Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey.

The winner in this and other categories will be announced at the ACM’s annual Honors Awards program on Aug. 22 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in country music’s capital, Nashville.

Ironically, the Ryman Auditorium won top prize in this category in 2015 and again in 2017. In 2016, the winner was The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This is just the fifth year that the ACM has been awarding venue honors. The first winner in 2014 for small venues was Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas.

“To be up there with the Ryman Auditorium, well, they’re the big boys. Holy smokes, that’s impressive company,” Stelling said.

This is the first time that Penn’s Peak has been nominated for such an award, but the facility has been a magnet for country music legends for 15 years since its acquisition by Pencor Services Inc. in 2003. Penn’s Peak is the only Pennsylvania venue, regardless of size, to be nominated for one of these ACM designations in the five years the organization has been handing out these awards.

This is not a self-nomination type of award, Stelling emphasized. He didn’t even know Penn’s Peak was under consideration until he received the email last Friday. He has no idea who nominated the venue but believes it was probably performers, personal managers or booking agents.

“Word gets around on how well we treat acts and artists, and the dedication of our staff,” he said. He believes that word of mouth is so important. “A couple of people tell a couple of other people, and it builds upon itself. Pretty cool,” Stelling said.

Many of you may be familiar with the annual ACM awards program broadcast each April on CBS from Las Vegas. Top award-winners this year were Entertainer of the Year Jason Aldean, Male Vocalist of the Year Chris Stapleton and Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert.

Penn’s Peak has hosted a veritable Who’s Who of country music’s superstar legends, including then up-and-coming star-to-be Brad Paisley, who performed at the first concert in February 2003.

The venue has also held popular concerts featuring the likes of Trace Adkins, Glen Campbell, Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Lorrie Morgan, Willie Nelson, Blake Shelton, Porter Wagoner, Dwight Yoakam and Marty Stuart, who performed there this past weekend.

Penn’s Peak, located in Penn Forest Township, east of Jim Thorpe, can accommodate 1,800 concertgoers. One of the big draws of the venue, aside from its down-to-earth comfortable “feel,” is its spectacular view of Beltzville Lake, plus a panoramic view of the Blue Mountain and the Delaware Water Gap.

As for the awards ceremony itself in August, Stelling is still trying to find out how things work, whether the nominees will be invited and other specific information. Stelling said he is on vacation that week and has booked a summer home in North Carolina for the week, so if the invitation comes, he’ll have some juggling to do.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com