Umpqua Community College unveils new amphitheater

Tools

Story Published: Nov 14, 2007 at 9:45 AM PST

By Warren Wells

Umpqua Community College dedicated its newest facility Tuesday, the Swanson Amphitheater.

The outdoor venue was envisioned and constructed by community interests, and was a project of the morning Rotary Club in Roseburg.

The amphitheater is named after the late V. Dean Swanson, the founder of Superior Lumber Company in Glendale, Oregon. Two of his four children attended UCC, and Swanson was a proponent of higher education.

UCC Vice President of Administrative Services, Beverly Brandt says many donors paid a little over a quarter of a million dollars for the amphitheater.

"The Cow Creeks were actually our first donors, and the V.D. Swanson family, who this facility is named after, gave us a $50,000 contribution in their father's name, so besides the Whipple Foundation and the Leonards and Paul Bentley giving us the architect fees, and tons and tons of other community members donating their time and services, and a lot of in-kind support, we made this happen.''

The new V. Dean Swanson Amphitheater sits on campus in the west side of campus, opposite of the large fountain that sits to the east.

"It's been about eight months in the building, and about two years in the fund-raising activities, so it's something that the Rotary, the UCC Foundation and UCC are very, very proud of. It's the community's amphitheater.''

Brandt says weddings have already been booked for the location, and future plays are to be staged here.

Last May's graduation was held out there, before the shell was finished, and they were able to accommodate 1800 chairs, almost double what the Jacoby Auditorium can handle.

Current Weather

Current Temp 44.0 °F

Overcast

Video

More Weather

Current Weather

More Weather

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.