Amphitheater opens on a high note

COLDWATER - The first Coldwater summer concert series kicked off on Tuesday during the Taste of the Town, also marking the first performance at the newly completed amphitheater in Coldwater Memorial Park.

The village hosted an opening ceremony for the amphitheater as a crowd of hungry people perused the Taste of the Town along North Elm Street. Speakers, among them Peoples Bank President Jack Hartings, Mercer County Commissioner Greg Homan and mayor Joe Knapschaefer, were present to help dedicate the structure.

The $250,000 structure was completed about a week before the event and right before the deadline, said village administrator/engineer Eric Thomas. About $200,000 in funding was acquired from the state capital improvement fund with the help of then-state Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina. The same fund had helped with other local projects, including the St. Henry Pool and some Celina park improvements. Another $50,000 was raised by the Coldwater Community Picnic.

Thomas said it all began about 15 years ago, when the organizers of the Community Picnic brought up the need for a permanent stage. Memorial Park is host to many different events, and a portable stage had been used for such occasions to support performers and speakers.

Construction started after last year's Community Picnic. The 1,600-square-foot amphitheater, located behind the depot and between the gazebo and shelter house 3, is equipped with a stage and a back room for performers.

For now, the amphitheater will be used to host Coldwater's summer concert series, organized by Hartings and sponsored by several other local businesses. Hartings said he wanted to create the concert series as a way to give back to the community, and businesses such as S&K Products, Lefeld Welding, Coldwater Machine, McDonald's and Mercer Health all agreed to help sponsor the series to make it a reality.

Local band Empty Tank was the first to take the stage. Three more bands are expected to perform in the coming months. Nessa, a Celtic fusion ensemble, will play on July 12; Flying Toasters, a self-described party band, will perform on Aug. 16 in conjunction with the Coldwater Muscular Dystrophy Association Softball Tournament; and The Barefoot Movement, a bluegrass band will close the concert series on Sept. 8.

All concerts will start at 7 p.m., and people are free to bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets to sit in the park and enjoy the free family fun, Hartings said.