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Wooden arches raised, bringing Riverfront Park amphitheater one step closer to completion

A heavy lift crane hoists a giant arch made of Pacific Yellow Cedar into place Monday at the site of the $4 million Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater in Riverfront Park on Feb. 8. Construction workers from Western Wood Structures and Dalke Construction are putting the structure into place that will be the roof over the stage of the amphitheater. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)

An outdoor amphitheater honoring Salem civic icon Gerry Frank is one step closer to completion after crews raised the structure’s wooden arches in Riverfront Park Monday.

The $4 million Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater is a gift from the Rotary Club of Salem to the city in honor of the club’s centennial, which they celebrated one year ago.

On Monday, the club announced they’d finished raising money for the project, which bears of the name of their oldest member.

“What was a dream five years ago is now becoming a reality thanks to the incredible generosity of Rotarians and many others across the region,” said Barry Nelson, the club’s co-chair for the project, in a statement.

The club raised $1 million from members toward the project, according to a news release, with major contributions from the State of Oregon, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, the Larry and Jeanette Epping Family Fund and Mountain West Investment Corporation.

Larry Tokarski, president of Mountain West, is also a co-founder of Salem Reporter.

The amphitheater is scheduled for completion in the summer and will serve as a covered outdoor venue for concerts and other events. The roof was designed to look like a basket woven by the Kalapuya people, the original inhabitants of Salem.

“The Kalapuya used this site as a gathering place. We’re pleased to be able to honor their heritage and culture through this design, and celebrate the amphitheater again serving as a place where the regional community can come together,” Nelson said in a statement.

A heavy lift crane hoists a giant arch made of Pacific Yellow Cedar into place Monday at the site of the $4 million Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater in Riverfront Park on Feb. 8. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)

A heavy lift crane hoists a giant arch made of Pacific Yellow Cedar into place Monday at the site of the $4 million Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater in Riverfront Park on Feb. 8. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)

A heavy lift crane hoists a giant arch made of Pacific Yellow Cedar into place Monday at the site of the $4 million Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater in Riverfront Park on Feb. 8. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)

A heavy lift crane hoists a giant arch made of Pacific Yellow Cedar into place Monday at the site of the $4 million Gerry Frank | Salem Rotary Amphitheater in Riverfront Park on Feb. 8. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter)

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.