Outdoor amphitheater is focus of June 24 event
Josephine County – The Rogue Community College Foundation invites the community to save the date for an upcoming free, family-friendly community festival slated for June 24 from 2-8 p.m.
The festival will include a selection of food trucks, live music from local bands, a kids’ zone with games and activities, live theater, a radio broadcast booth, and tours of the Bowl with an opportunity to see preliminary renovation plans.
The “Revive the Bowl Community Festival” will celebrate memories of the historic Marjorie Holzgang Concert Bowl in Grants Pass and launch a capital campaign to renovate the venue for future generations to enjoy.
“We want to invite the community back to the Bowl for a wonderful day of fun!” said RCC Foundation Interim Executive Director Anna Manley.
Nestled in the hills of the RCC Redwood Campus, the Bowl served for more than 40 years as a community gathering spot for music, theater, ceremonies and political rallies. Graduations, church picnics and battle-of-the-band events once filled the grassy slopes with visitors.
The Bowl was closed in recent years due to required accessibility improvements and other urgent renovations.
RCC and the RCC Foundation are working together to raise matching community donations through a grassroots fundraising effort. The College and Foundation have committed more than $500,000 toward the project, which is initially estimated at $1.6 million to complete Phase 1 of the renovation.
To bring the Bowl into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act planned Phase 1 improvements include accessible aisles in the parking area and pathways from the parking lot to the facility, seating at the front of stage, and ramps leading to the stage. Additional Phase 1 plans include bandshell structural modifications, three rows of seating at the front of the stage, a concrete plaza entry, new retaining walls at the entry path to the stage and stormwater drainage.
Phases 2-4 will deliver new electrical infrastructure, terraced lawn seating, sound and lighting equipment, expanded restrooms, new walkways, and stairs between the upper and lower Bowl. The final goal is to create a top-quality 1,600-seat outdoor venue capable of hosting local and touring performances, gatherings, ceremonies and events of all kinds.
For more information, visit www.roguecc.edu/rogueBowl or contact RCC Foundation Interim Executive Director Anna Manley at 541-956-7293 or AManley@roguecc.edu.
For general media inquiries or to schedule an interview with RCC staff, please contact Kelly Gonzales, Public Information Officer, Marketing Director, at 541-956-7525, kgonzales@roguecc.edu.