Alabaster holds ribbon cutting to celebrate opening of new amphitheater

Published 12:38 pm Wednesday, December 18, 2024

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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

ALABASTER – On Monday, Dec. 16, the Alabaster City Council held a ribbon cutting to officially celebrate the completion of the city’s new amphitheater next to Alabaster City Hall.

The Alabaster amphitheater was recently completed in time for its debut as the venue for the city’s fifth annual water tower lighting ceremony which was held on Friday, Dec. 6.

“The amphitheater project has been a long time coming,” Alabaster Mayor Scott Brakefield said. “We’re super excited about… not only the amphitheater, but also our senior center expansion. We got to kick it off last week… with our lighting of (the) water tower here. It’s a big celebration, everything went off great.”

The amphitheater is located next to the Alabaster Senior Center, city hall and the historic Siluria water tower. All of these facilities are considered part of Alabaster’s new Siluria Mill District which was officially established in 2024 and marks the anchor point of the development of new a city center.

“It’s really just one more piece of the puzzle to create a city center where we envision an opportunity for our citizens to be able to come and spend a lot of time, (and) long days and nights watching events here” Brakefield said.

The new amphitheater features a state-of-the-art sound system, a performing stage and a video board as well as loading and unloading areas for bands and storage. The space also offers a versatile seating setup that allows options for seating or for residents to utilize blankets and lawn chairs. New hardscape around the stage makes both configurations possible.

The venue will serve as the location for several of the city’s future events, including its annual Fall Fest.

“We’re going to learn a lot this first year as to the capabilities of what we want here in this location and then maybe how we grow into the future and host bigger events,” Brakefield said. “This first year, you’ll see smaller musical acts, different events out here that take advantage of not only our amphitheater, but the municipal green. So, (it’s) just a great location for families.”

The city has also completed construction on an addition to the Alabaster Senior Center which will aid with the center’s programs while also complimenting the new amphitheater with venue space. The new senior center expansion features various additions, including a large catering kitchen, new restroom facilities and an open porch that faces the amphitheater.

“What a surreal moment,” Alabaster City Councilmember Jamie Cole said on Facebook. “It’s an honor to be a part of this group of leaders and share in the vision for our city. Much more to come.”

During the Alabaster City Council meeting that followed the ribbon cutting, the council formed a new entertainment committee that will oversee the types of events and performances that will come to the amphitheater’s stage in the future.

“This is a venue that belongs to the residents of Alabaster and I don’t want to just see them visit it, I want them to use it,” Cole said. “There are a lot of ways that can happen, and we’ll be talking about that a lot more over the next year.”