LIMA, OH (WLIO) - With the Greater Lima Region Park and Amphitheater grand opening just around the corner, local media was allowed a sneak peek of the area and the different possibilities for how to use the space. GraciAnn Hicks has the story.
After several years of planning and construction, the new amphitheater and park, located at 128 East Spring St., Lima, OH 45801, will finally be open for the community to enjoy. With the opening comes a lot of potential for growth of the arts and entertainment in Lima, like the three nights of concerts that will take place there.
"Outdoor shows have been around forever, but they're really growing in popularity. There are a lot of artists that we've wanted to bring to Crouse Hall that we haven't been able to because they simply do summer shed tours. They're only looking for these outdoor venues that have the ability to bring in some larger crowds because you can do general admission and some things. So this opens up a whole new window of things for us to bring in different artists to Lima, Ohio, that we may not have been able to before, and it's also just another option," explained Abe Ambroza, director of the Civic Center.
The area will offer more than a space for musical performances, though. There will be different events from Wednesday, August 2nd to Saturday, August 5th to celebrate the opening, such as an art fair with more than 20 artists presented by Artspace Lima and a family fun festival presented by Allen Lima Leadership.
"The nice thing about this community is we're always arts-receptive. We've had a lot of great performances, great people, musicians, artists, and so this is just being a part of that great thing. And our variation ties into it, but it's also about celebrating just the culture and heritage of the arts-receptive Lima," said Sally Windle, executive director of Artspace/Lima.
The amphitheater and park relate to a greater, city-wide effort to transform Lima into a place where people are excited to spend time.
"Lima is so blessed to have this amphitheater come to town. A lot of people when we did a lot of questioning throughout the community go elsewhere to different communities to do things such as concerts and family fun festivals. So to have something this amazing right downtown in the heart of Lima with all of the other opening, emerging things coming to the area is just so special and exciting to have," said Jessica Cunningham, Allen Lima Leadership.
Those interested in purchasing tickets for one of the upcoming shows or in learning more can go to panglepavilion.com.
"It's really going to be really just an amazingly versatile space that's going to bring a whole new version of the arts to Lima, Ohio," added Abe Ambroza.
7/26/23 3:42 PM Update/Edit: The City of Lima has stated that the Greater Lima Region Park & Amphitheater will be open to the public as a city park when there are no scheduled community events. However, they are still working through some security measures, and will provide additional information over the coming weeks about public use.
