Amphitheatre Grand Opening
Cheque Presentation to Town of Sussex
On July 20, 2015, President Rob Driscoll and Past President Robert Kimball attended a Town of Sussex Council meeting to present a cheque to Mayor Marc Thorne for $40,000.00, the first of three payments as the Club’s contribution toward the new Amphitheatre. A very exciting and rewarding project for the Club and town.
It was a great day for Rotary on July 1 when the Club’s latest major project and donation to the greater Sussex Community officially opened with a ribbon and cake cutting ceremonies sponsored by Sobeys. Mayor Marc Thorne, MLA and Rotarian Bruce Northrup, along with President Rob Driscoll & Past President Bob Tremblett plus many of the Club Rotarians and family, were on hand to witness the great event. Bands were on hand to try out the new venue, and feedback from the entertainers and crowd on hand were that the acoustics were fantastic.
Well done Sussex Rotarians!
Construction
Amphitheatre to Replace Burton Park Bandstand
On Jan. 30, 2014, Club President Robert Tremblett was pleased to announce that the Sussex Rotary Club has selected a proposal submitted by the Town of Sussex to construct a community amphitheatre located in Burton Park in The Town of Sussex.
Club President Tremblett, “Sussex Rotary, is proud to announce an $80,000 financial commitment to the future construction of the Sussex Rotary Amphitheatre in Burton Park. We look forward to this joint venture with the Town of Sussex and the construction of the Sussex Rotary Amphitheater in Burton Park. What a wonderful addition to our community for everyone to enjoy our long-standing cultural and heritage in a new facility constructed to champion and showcase our communities’ talent and spirit. The Rotary Club of Sussex believes our contribution to a successful project can make a difference, long term, within our community, and we are excited to participate.”
“Everyone in the Sussex Community will benefit from the various recreational, cultural and community heritage experiences at this new amphitheatre, and we hoped to introduce this facility in 2015. The new Sussex Rotary Amphitheatre will be a modern, multi-functional, multi-use, outdoor, open-air theatre structure that will have a tremendous impact on the lives of residents and the quality of life throughout all of Kings County.”
Amphitheatre Sod Turning
On Nov. 18, 2014, the Kings County Record published the picture and article above announcing the sod turning for the new Rotary Amphitheatre and that the planned opening will be July 1, 2015, as part of the July 1 Sussex celebrations. Pictured above are MLA and Rotarian Bruce Northrup, landscape architect Jim Sackville, Rotary President Bob Tremblett, and Sussex Mayor Marc Thorne.
Amphitheatre Foundation in Place
In President Bob Tremblett’s Easter message to the membership on April 5, 2015, he advised and included pictures showing the completion of the footings and foundation for the Amphitheater- another major milestone.
Bob stated, “I’ve attached a couple of pictures of the Sussex Rotary Amphitheatre taken this afternoon showing its current progress. Though the persistent snow makes it look a long way to completion, it is actually less than three months before the opening celebration takes place. On July 1, our club, in partnership with the Town of Sussex and the New Brunswick Government, will be giving this gift to the residents of Sussex and surrounding communities. The amphitheatre will be a long-term reminder of the work you do for our community through Rotary, and thousands of people will enjoy it for years to come.”
Amphitheatre Steel Being Erected
On May 6, 2015, Rotarian Scott Hatcher advised the club that steel was being erected for the new Amphitheatre and that the structural steel assembly was almost complete. As Rotarian Lisa Brown replied, “Looking Good!”.
Getting Close
Rotarian Scott Hatcher advised the Club on June 8, 2015, that significant progress is being made on the Amphitheater, as can be seen in the latest pictures.
Scott emailed the membership saying, “The finishing touches on the structure are scheduled this week along with the landscape remediation to bring the site back to a public gathering place. We plan to have everything completed no later than June 19th, 2015, to allow two weeks for the new sod to heal into place before our opening.
I have attached a copy of the ceremony planning (subject to change as we find out the speakers) as well as some the interesting cultural / entertainment programs for the community scheduled this summer by our Community Service Department. I will have copies of the program and ceremony to share with members attending today’s (Rotary) meeting.”
So Close!
On June 19, 2015, Rotarian Scott Hatcher advised the membership that finishing touches that get completed this coming Monday and Tuesday are:
|
Within minutes of Scott sending out the email, Honorary member and Sussex Mayor Marc Thorne replied, saying, “Beautiful!”. Within the hour, Rotarian and our MLA Bruce Northrup responded: “Looks great; finally Scott it’s nearly done, one thing off your bucket list!!!!!!!!”
Later that evening, Rotarian Ian Smyth emailed, “Looks great! Nice cured facia, great detail. The community will certainly enjoy this.” And the next Monday morning, Past President Donna Gilchrist wrote: “This is awesome, proud to be a Rotarian, this will be great for our community.”
It sounds like the Club has a winner of a project here!
And then to top it all off, on Monday, June 22, the Town of Sussex Community Services Department posted the photo below on their Facebook page saying “Here are the events taking place at the new Sussex Rotary Amphitheatre this summer! We are still accepting sponsorships for our theatre/dance events, as well as our movies! Hope to see you there!”
Complete!!
On June 25, 2015, Rotarian Scott hatcher emailed the picture above and said, other than some small clean up, the Amphitheatre is complete and ready for the July 1 celebrations and official opening. The Rotary emblem can be seen in the front, the handrails on the right of the steps are in place, the speakers on the two side posts and stone worktops are in place, not to mention a few of the last finishing touches.