Do We Need a New Amphitheater?
March 29, 2021
The main argument for the $10.4 million Alternate Master Plan (AMP) is that it will stimulate economic development in Fond du Lac County. The amphitheater component is now on hold, without it, all we are left with is the restaurant on Lighthouse Point. We already have 220 restaurants in FDL county. Will adding one more advance the stated economic development goals of the AMP? For me, the amphitheater is the key component of the AMP that would stimulate tourism and help retain and recruit young professionals to Fond du Lac.
I support the idea of more events like concerts and festivals in our community. I would like to see more events like Fondue Festival and Sturgeon Spectacular; events that bring people to our downtown district not just Lakeside Park. We need cooperative marketing by the Fond du Lac Downtown Partnership, Envision, and Destination Lake Winnebago to bring more people to our community. The relocation of the Farmers Market to Main Street and the outdoor concerts on Thursdays at the Thelma are good steps in this direction. We need to build on what has been successful.
I would also like to see more cooperation between the City, FDL County and FDL School District on using our resourses wisely to fill the needs of our community. The FDL School District owns Fruth Field. Could this site be used for outdoor concerts? It is fenced, it has parking and all the facilities needed for a large outdoor event. Much of the time the site is unused.
The County fairgrounds hosts large concerts at their grandstand during the fair.
They currently use a temporary stage and they are considering the installation of a permanent stage. Their facility is already set up with all the infrastructure needed to handle a large crowd. They are successful with putting on concerts during the fair. Could this be expanded to more events throughout the year?
I would like to see us have a broader discussion about when and where to hold more outdoor events in the city. We have existing facilities that could be used for more music events or festivals. It is fiscally irresponsible to build new facilities when we already have capacity that is underused.
I am asking for your vote on April 6th. Working together, we can put the resources we have to better use and have more activities in our city.
