Published: Apr 17, 2008 12:06 PM
Modified: Apr 17, 2008 11:56 AM
Since Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park opened in 2001, Lyman Collins can see how it has changed and how it has stayed the same.
Collins, Cary’s cultural arts manager, has been involved in the operation of the venue since the beginning.
At least one thing has stayed the same at the site.
“Something the town is proud of is that we have maintained the Regency experience,” Collins said.
“It evolved into a place where people would bring their picnics and enjoy the music.”
He called the amphitheater “a relatively laid back venue that people are comfortable going to.”
Others agree. The facility has been nominated by Pollstar magazine as best small outdoor venue and cited by numerous local “best of” lists.
Regency Park, for years before the amphitheater was built, was the summer home of the N.C. Symphony.
The amphitheater was renamed in 2004 for former Mayor Koka Booth, who championed the venue. Booth served as mayor from 1987 through 1999.
The facility, which can accommodate 7,000 people, opened in the summer of 2001 and cost the town $12 million.
What has changed is the number of events and “wide variety of national acts” at the facility, Collins said.
Big-name performers have included Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson and B.B. King.
Though this year’s complete lineup has not yet been announced, the big event is expected to be a fundraiser Sept. 20 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum and the John Entwistle Foundation.
Cary resident and hall of fame national trustee Rick French, who is overseeing the event, has said, “This will be one of the bigger music events in the country without a doubt.”
The amphitheater hosts events about 100 days per year, Collins said.
There is more than music. There is a summer movie series, several festivals and even a winter celebration.
The “Movies by Moonlight” series started in 2002. Festivals range from the “Great Grapes” wine event that has been at the amphitheater several times to Diwali, the Indian “Festival of Lights.”
The movies and festivals, Collins said, “give the venue a uniqueness that a lot of outdoor venues don’t normally have. … We’re proud of that.”
Collins recalled that the amphitheater’s dedication was originally set for Sept. 15, 2001. Instead, the next day it was used for a community interfaith prayer vigil to commemorate those lost on Sept. 11.
Those events are “seared into my mind,” Collins said.
Even though it was not the event that had been intended, it left the amphitheater “kind of community blessed in a way,” Collins said.
The community is still key for the amphitheater, Collins said.
“We manage to welcome the community and the region into this very special place and I think other people think that too,” Collins said.
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