The Stars Come Out in BRANDONSusan MarquezWhen city officials began laying out their visionin 2014 to bring about more tourism, recreation, andlifestyle improvements to Brandon, the idea of anamphitheater was raised. Mayor Butch Lee and theboard of aldermen began brainstorming the idea andit took a lot of people to bring it to fruition. From thebeginning, the city’s goal for the Brandon Amphitheaterand The Quarry was to create a quality,family-centric atmosphere that will bring moreeconomic growth and increased tourism to the city ofBrandon, as well as the state.The amphitheater opened in April 2018 and hasfar exceeded expectations, according to BrandonParks and Rec. Director Ramie Ford, who overseesthe operations of the venue. Although the amphitheaterhas a flexible capacity of 7,000 to 8,300 people,Ford says the objective is more about quality showsrather than quantity of crowds attending. “We needbig names to validate the venue,” he says. “And we’vebeen surprised with a few sell-out shows.”One example is the Beach Boys, which drew acrowd of 7,500 people. “We work to have a variedselection of acts including Christian, comedy,country, pop, and rock. Some of the most notableperformers include Hank Williams, Jr., ChrisStapleton’s All-American Road Show with MartyStuart and Brent Cobb, the Dave Matthews Band,Alan Jackson, Widespread Panic, Jason Aldean andAlabama featuring the Charlie Daniels Band.In addition to both lower and upper-level seating,the venue offers box seats. A state-of-the-art audio andvideo infrastructure, complete with LED video wallsprovides a superior experience for attendees. Thereare ample concession windows and beverage kiosksthroughout the venue. The Community Bank Club isa private VIP club for amphitheater sponsors and boxseat ticket holders.The Brandon business community has supportedthe Brandon Amphitheater since the beginning.When it opened, the city welcomed a distinguishedgroup of sponsors, including C-Spire, Miller Lite/Capital City Beverage, Community Bank, BrownBottling Group, Bob Boyte Honda, Merit Health,Entergy, Ergon, and Cathead.The Brandon Amphitheatre is part of a 250-acrepark called The Quarry, which includes walking andbiking trails, a dog park and tournament-equippedbaseball fields. “We had our first season on TheQuarry fields last year,” says Ford. “Right now we havethe fields at Shiloh open allowing baseball teams topractice. We are hoping to have league games andtournaments this summer.” Ford says the hiking andbiking trails are currently under construction.It’s unfortunate that the COVID-19 pandemichas cut the concert season short this year. “I think thiswould have been a banner year for us had thecoronavirus not been a problem. We had a greatline-up scheduled.” But Ford is optimistic about thefuture. “I am in contact with promoters weekly, if notdaily,” says Ford. “I’m letting them know that once it’ssafe to have large outdoor concerts, Brandon,Mississippi, is ready! We may have a lot of showscrammed into the last few months of the year!”People can stay up to date on all the latest concertand ticket announcements by following the BrandonAmphitheater’s website www.brandonamphitheater.com or by calling the box office at 601-724-2726.52 • Our Town 39042
39042 Our Town • 53