LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The stage is complete and now downtown Lima celebrating its future with its latest project.
The nearly four million dollar Greater Lima Region Amphitheater and Park was officially opened Monday afternoon, located at 128 E Spring St, Lima, OH 45801. The project started as just an idea back in 2017 and grew into a future destination for arts and events in downtown Lima. The funding for the amphitheater came from a variety of places. $1.2 million from the state and $800,000 from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and nearly half a million dollars from the city. The rest was raised through the Lima Rotary Club and donations from various individuals and businesses who like the idea of creating this for the city.
"I mean if it wasn't for the State of Ohio and the City of Lima and all of our donors and sponsors that have put forth the effort, and especially the Rotary and all that Rotary has done to raise the money, something like this could never have happened so this is really exciting that everyone has kind of trail blazed behind it," stated Tracie Sanchez, Lima Rotary Club.
Mayor Sharetta Smith says there are more than 60 million dollars in investment happening in Lima. She adds that the park is a great example of public and private partnership and has spurred more improvement to the downtown area to make it more inviting for residents and visitors.
"If you look right beyond us, you can see that the construction does not just stop here," said Mayor Sharetta Smith, City of Lima. "We have one million dollars of investment, public investment, just public investment in the streetscape that is going to make this more inviting for people to come down and open space for all and so again we are just excited about what this means for Lima. We're changing the story about what it is to work, live, and play in Lima."
Starting Thursday, the amphitheater will be hosting a series of musical acts for its opening weekend, including All-4-One, Al Jardine, and Ian Munsick. You can buy tickets at https://www.limaciviccenter.com/panglepavilion or the Lima Civic Center box office.
