Country music star Miranda Lambert played to a full house at Onondaga County’s new Lakeview Amphitheater Thursday night. Now that the stage has its first concert under its belt, what does the future holds for the entertainment venue?
First off, it’s going to be intimately intertwined with the New York State Fair. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made that clear this week when he outlined specifics regarding a $50 million renovation of the town of Geddes fairgrounds.
"This amphitheater is going to expand the breadth and entire footprint to the fair, and it brings a dimension to the fair that we never had before,” said Cuomo on Tuesday.
Concerts that used to take place at the fairs soon-to-be-demolished Grandstand will move to the amphitheater.
Also, Onondaga County is anticipating booking 20 major concerts next year at the venue that holds over 17,500 concert-goers. Beyond that, Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney says there are no specific plans. But, the community is talking about it.
"There are people who have suggested maybe a community quad with a little music on a Saturday or Sunday morning with food trucks and coffee, and those kinds of conversations are happening. Because this is a county park, and people will be there every day.”
As a county park, the amphitheater will be open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week starting next spring.
Experts say by 2019, it’s economic impact could reach $22 million a year. Mahoney has repeatedly said it’s the sales tax money generated by projects like this that will fund much of the county’s operations going forward.
