The Rockin’P Bar has been located on the Stephenville, Texas square since 2004. Carol Gibson founded the Rockin’P Bar. Carol’s daughter Amanda Gibson manages the Rockin’P alongside Ryan Scheid. The 21+ bar is home to weekly concerts and events, keeping downtown Stephenville lively. 

Amanda shares that acoustic shows began last spring, after the Gibson’s witnessed what COVID-19 had done to the bar and restaurant industry. They had noticed that live music was picking up again, but not too much in the Stephenville area, so they took advantage of the opportunity to provide their customers with a different type of entertainment. 

Shelby Stone, from Decatur, Texas, is one of the many up and coming singers who performs at the Rockin’P. Stone is currently pursuing her bachelor’s in Music Industries Studies at UT Arlington. 

“The P [The Rockin’P] is actually a newer venue on my list of venues. I think my first show was in July. The environment of the P during the week is definitely pleasant. Everyone there always appreciates the live music, which is not something to be said about all venues,” Stone said.

Throughout the month of October, eight different artists played acoustic shows at the Rockin’P. Each show had nightly specials and no cover charge.

“We are very fortunate in where we live because we have a large number of incredibly talented musicians close,” Scheid said. “We are in the planning phase of building a small stage so we can accommodate full bands because a lot of our acoustic artists have band members they would like to include.”

“We are also gaining some dance floor space in this process,” Amanda added.

Foot traffic is unfortunately not big in numbers on the Stephenville square, according to the Gibson’s. Though the concerts do bring in revenue, people also attend for their specials as well as their food and appetizers. 

“We would love to get more going on downtown. We are excited to have some new businesses down here like Pinspiration, The Shack and Newton’s Cellar, but would love to see more,” Amanda said.

With a population of over 20,000, Stephenville has been steadily growing in terms of population. According to worldpopulationreview.com, Stephenville is growing at an annual rate of 1.65%. 

“Depending on what’s going on in town or on campus the crowd size can go from a packed house or just a handful of people. Either way it’s a fun place to play. The people in Stephenville are my favorite people to play for. They are so much fun, they take good care of artists and are genuinely good people,” Stone shared.

Apart from the Rockin’P concerts, many specials and events are held. Scheid shares that with the kitchen up and running, food special will be coming back to the menu as well.

“A big thing we have going now is Saturdays we open at 11 for college football games and offer a Bloody Mary bar and Mimosa Pitchers.  We also have happy hour specials from 3-7 and nightly drink specials 8-11,” Scheid shares.

According to Amanda, the Rockin’P will have a throwback Halloween Carnival with games and prizes, as well as a dunk tank. A “no-shave-November contest” as well as a “Sexy Santa contest” are also in the works.

Scheid shares that it’s the Rockin’P’s goal to provide a relaxing atmosphere for customers to enjoy food and drinks. 

“We have a great customer base and are very appreciative of them. We know everyone took a hit during these past few years, so their continued support means a lot,” Amanda shares.

The Rockin’P is located at 133 W Washington. Its hours are Tuesday to Friday and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. 

For more information about The Rockin’ P, go here. For more information regarding Shelby Stone and her future shows, go here or find her on Instagram and Facebook.