Grand opening planned

CELINA - Officials will celebrate the grand opening of the highly anticipated Harley C. Jones Memorial Rotary Amphitheater with a family-friendly, rock 'n' roll spectacular featuring the music of the Eagles.

On Sept. 21, the amphitheater in the Bryson Park District along Lake Shore Drive will be inaugurated in grand fashion with a ribbon-cutting and tributes to Jones, an accomplished jeweler and city benefactor. A concert will feature world-class Eagles tribute band Out of Eden, Scott "Allen" Hildebrand, a friend of the Jones family, told the newspaper.

The event is free and open to the public.

Hildebrand, who befriend Harley and Fay Jones when he worked as a radio personality for WMER in the early 1970s, said the Eagles were Harley Jones's favorite band.

The event is being underwritten by the Jones family with assistance from the city and the Celina Rotary Club, Hildebrand said, adding that organizers plan to pull out all the stops to celebrate this milestone in Celina's growth.

"The Jones family wants to give back to the community that has given them so much and made such a wonderful home for their family for all these years," Hildebrand said. "Harley loved Celina. If you took his blood it would have Celina DNA in it. He just loved the community, loved the people. He did a lot of things for the community."

Harley Jones died at his residence in Celina on March 20, 2016, at the age of 82. He was known for founding Jones Jeweler in Celina and serving on numerous local and state committees and civic organizations. Named the Mercer County Republican of the Year in 2015, Jones was more than an acquaintance of then-Gov. John Kasich; State Rep. Keith Faber, R-Celina; and former State Rep. Jim Buchy, R-Greenville.

Looking to honor the memory of Harley Jones, Hildebrand set out to secure an Eagles tribute band for the opening of the amphitheater. His search led him to the Cleveland band Out of Eden, which he characterized as an outstanding bunch of accomplished musicians who enjoy a large following.

Concert-goers are asked to bring lawn chairs. No coolers or alcohol will be permitted, but water will be available on site. In case of inclement weather, the show will be moved to Sept. 22.

"I hope it gives a really good positive boost to the community and everybody can take a great amount of pride in what the city and the state and the Bryson Trust Fund and everybody have come together to help to make this another jewel in the crown of Celina," Hildebrand said.

The amphitheater was bankrolled with a $1.2 million state capital line-item grant secured by then-State Senate President Faber. The line item did not include funding for the concrete decking so city officials later decided to go with the decking rather than the grassy slope in the original plan to provide more secure and lasting seating.

Council members this year moved to borrow $550,000 to pay for concrete for decking and for one of five new restroom facilities planned for the Bryson Park District.