THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 25, 1995 TAG: 9510250441
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
With a mountain of mud as a backdrop, developers of the Virginia Beach amphitheater dedicated the site Tuesday and promised that the $17.5 million project is on schedule to become Virginia's leading concert venue.
The event carried with it all the customary trappings of a construction site dedication, plus a silly surprise. It was all designed to conjure what the pile of soggy dirt will become by April 1, the scheduled opening day.
Full-color sketches of the 20,000-seat facility hung on easels, courtesy of the project's developers - the Virginia Beach Development Authority and Cellar Door of Virginia. A scale model encased in plastic also was on hand for those unable to envision where the stage would be in relation to the hill that will form the amphitheater.
The drawings showed perspectives not seen by the public until now. The project's color scheme is blue, red and yellow, while the dominant feature, a 60-foot-high berm, will be covered in grass.
The front plaza will contain the box office, set apart from a main gate constructed of vertical blue steel I-beams with horizontal beams extending into the plaza.
The main sign is similarly constructed but leans slightly to the right with the city's name hung in yellow letters, bisected by a red band. While the gate suggests nothing of music or the performing arts, it clearly will tell visitors they're at an amphitheater.
Set to either side of the stage are concessions buildings, and, in keeping with Southern traditions, a barbecue tent. Four restroom buildings, two on each side of the stage, three advertising towers, a corporate tent, and a first-aid and security building comprise the other buildings.
The event began with a saxophone solo and a series of speeches. Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf spoke of traveling with Lynnhaven Borough Councilman W.W. William Harrison to see the Walnut Creek Amphitheater in Raleigh - a trip that convinced her the project should proceed.
Harrison, a champion of the project, went through a checklist of important city officials who worked to negotiate a deal with Cellar Door, which will lease the facility for 30 years.
Bill Reid, president of Cellar Door, offered his gratitude to the city and especially the mayor and Harrison, and then borrowed a line from the movie ``Field of Dreams'' when he said, ``Build it and they will come.''
After all the talk, Harrison took the podium again to say the amphitheater would be the kind of place that Elvis might play if he were around to sing. Moments later, a black limousine pulled up, and out came an Elvis impersonator who sauntered to the microphone and droned, as only the King could have, ``Uh, thank you. Thank you very much.''
Dressed in a royal blue, caped jumpsuit, circa Las Vegas 1972, and gold-rimmed, black sunglasses, and wearing a belt buckle the size of a license plate, he stood still for a moment and looked at the audience.
``Uh, what are you looking at?'' the late King of Rock 'n' Roll said, before walking away with an entourage of three backup singers and somber-faced ``security'' guards.
For months, the site next to Princess Anne Park has been busy, as workers using enormous earth-moving equipment sculpt 708,900 yards of dirt that will form the amphitheater. Carved from six sites that will serve as stormwater retention ponds, complete with seven fountains, the dirt will rise 60 feet above sea level.
The project will consume 2.2 million pounds of steel, 4 1/2 miles of underground piping, 3,300 cubic yards of concrete and 32 acres of parking. A closed-circuit television system will help those in the back see who's playing, while 11,900 plants will adorn the area.
The 96-acre complex will consist of 24 structures - including 12 permanent buildings, seven kiosks and five modular buildings - totaling 111,340 square feet, according to the city.
Promoters plan to hold 40 concerts a year at the amphitheater. ILLUSTRATION: DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
The Virginian-Pilot
Bill Reid, president of Cellar Door of Virginia - one of the
amphitheater's developers - thanked city officials Tuesday.
[Color Photo]
DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
The Virginian-Pilot
The amphitheater's backstage area, like the rest of the $17.5
million project, will be finished as promised by April 1, developers
said.
by CNB