Long's Park Amphitheater Foundation Plans Gala

The Long's Park Amphitheater Foundation is known for attracting up to 6,000 visitors to each of its summer concerts - 30,000 for the July Fourth celebration - as well as offering an annual art festival, but looking ahead, the organization would like to be seen as more collaborative with other organizations. Toward that goal, the Lancaster County Food Hub, SWAN (Scaling Walls A Note at a Time), Lancaster Farmland Trust, Lancaster Conservancy, and the Spanish American Civic Association have been invited to have a part at upcoming concerts, and the art festival will feature up to five up-and-coming new area artists. "After 60 years, people are aware of our summer concerts and our art festival, and now if we can just extend that reach to other great community resources, that is a blessing for everyone," said Tom Ellis, interim president of the foundation.

In celebration of the organization's anniversary, a gala and art auction will be held on Friday, Sept. 30, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at The Trust Performing Arts Center, 37 N. Market St., Lancaster. Tickets, which will go on sale on Monday, Aug. 1, at http://www.longspark.org, will be limited. Board member Janice Henry is chairing the event.

A segment of the event will be devoted to a presentation by well-known local architect Gregory Scott, whose firm originally designed the amphitheater. Scott will look back on the history of the iconic building, which began when the Sertoma Club put together a leadership team in 1959 and then built and commissioned the amphitheater before turning it over to the city.

The live auction of original art, which will benefit the foundation, will showcase members of the Echo Valley Art Group. A highlight of that portion of the event will be the sale of a commissioned piece created by artist Lisa Madenspacher. Her rendition of the amphitheater pays homage to the concerts and fireworks with which the building is associated. Another auction item will poke fun at the amphitheater's long association with wild birds. "We have a bird feeder that was created as a fundraiser," said Ellis, who noted that the roof of the feeder has the same profile as the amphitheater. "We are calling it an amphi-feeder." The feeder was fabricated and painted by Viocity Group and donated by Woodstream Corporation.

Food for the gala will be created by former White House chef John Moeller, known for owning and preparing cuisine at the Greenfield Restaurant and Bar.