Oswego’s new entertainment venue will be officially opened Thursday.
The public is invited to celebrate the official opening of the amphitheater at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the north end of Station Drive on the village’s west side.
Guests at the event will enjoy non-alcoholic beverages, a performance by the Bree Gordon Band and the official announcement of the venue’s new name, officials said.
“This is what can be accomplished when a community works together with a single vision,” Village President Troy Parlier said in a press release about the facility’s opening.
The Oswego Village Board in 2019 accepted a donation of three acres by Oswego business owner Kevin Fialko for a future outdoor entertainment venue and park at the site off of Orchard Road to the west of the former Park N Ride lot.
Local officials envisioned a place where people could gather for community performances by theater groups, concerts and charitable fundraisers.
The village has already scheduled a major event later this month at the venue. The facility will be the site of the four-day VetFest, headlined by country music duo LoCash on Friday, Aug. 27, and Vince Neil of Motley Crue fame on Saturday, Aug. 28.
Thursday’s unveiling will celebrate the completion of the first phase of the entertainment venue, village officials said. The cost of the first phase is $1.1 million, of which thousands of dollars worth of services and materials were donated and $238,000 of state grant money was secured, according to officials.
“The venue demonstrates the best of Oswego. I hope everyone will come out to thank our partners who have made this project possible,” Parlier said.
Future phases at the venue will include semi-permanent seating, landscaping with a brick entranceway and walking paths, art installations, a playground and a concession stand, as well as improvements to the pavilion.
Residents and organizations can participate in subsequent phases of the park through sponsorships and donations. Community partners have donated more than $552,000 toward the project so far, village officials said.
For more on the project, go to www.oswegoil.org/amphitheater.
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Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.