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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2021)
10A | SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2021 | SIUSLAW NEWS F LORENCE E VENTS C ENTER T HROUGH THE Y EARS In the past 25 years, the Florence Events Center has host- ed thousands of memorable events, including the Rho- dodendron Festival Coronation of Queen Rhododendra and the King of the Coast, FACE’s Winter Music Festival, Florence Festival of Books, SEAcoast Entertainment Asso- ciation’s concert series, art fairs, live theater, dance shows, flower sales, City of Florence meetings and events, con- ferences, gallery shows, holiday gatherings, scholarship nights, trainings, vaccination clinics, expos, award ceremo- nies, Florence Community PTA’s Talent Show, weddings, celebrations of life, anniversaries, classes, Florence Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours, town halls, community meetings and so much more. Florence Event Center’s 25th Anniversary T he Florence Events Cen- ter’s vision began with a group of Florence citizens in 1986. Ten years later in 1996, the vision became a reality in the form of a 21,600 square foot structure. Ground was broken on July 29, 1995. The original concept was for a multi-purpose space, but it was later determined that a flat floor space alone would not meet the entire needs of the community. That is when the plans for a theater entered the picture. In search for the optimal design, a group of all-event center enthusiasts made sev- eral trips to various facilities and, while in a café in Nevada, scribbled the first rough de- sign on a piece of scratch paper which is currently framed and displayed in the FEC office. The event center eventually, through room tax funds, foun- dation grants and fundraisers, was built for $3.3 million. At the beginning of the cam- paign, the original name of the facility was to be the “All Events Center,” but was changed to the Florence Events Center during the construction pe- riod. In September 2000, the name was once again changed to the “Florence Convention and Performing Arts Center,” with hopes the name would at- tract more conferences. A few years later by popular demand, the name was changed back to the Florence Events Center which remains to this day! There was degree of risk for a small community to under- take a project of such mag- nitude. There were concerns the building would sit vacant. Fortunately, business exceeded expectations and the FEC was 1991 soon in need of more space. Through a generous dona- tion from volunteer and FEC supporter George Weber, the Executive Board Room, Direc- tors Office, Green Room and a storage room were all added, bringing the total square foot- age to 22,500 feet. The first FEC General Man- ager Joseph Kerr was hired on Jan. 16, 1995. On his second day on the job at the opening of the bids, he learned the low- est proposal came in $750,000 over budget. After the daunt- ing challenge of making cuts in order to reduce the cost of construction and pursuing ad- ditional funding, the City of Florence had accepted a new bid five months later for $2.4 million from local contractor, G&C Construction. Kevin Rhodes joined the staff as operations manager 1994 on July 22, 1996. He oversaw the opening of the center, re- ceiving pages of projects that needed to be completed prior to the ribbon cutting. The Florence Events Cen- ter officially opened its doors and was dedicated on Aug. 31, 1996. That first year saw 303 events at the events center, which has continued to expand its offer- ings over the past 20+ years. To this day, the facility contin- ues to remain full of activity and has grown to host an av- erage of 400 events and 50,000 attendees per year. “By the end of 2020, we hosted over 9,000 events, with just short of a million attend- ees coming through our doors since our grand opening,” said Rhodes, who became the FEC director in 2002. “The FEC as we know it exceeded all expec- tations and has become an in- tegral part of our community.” Rhodes retired from the role of director at the end of December 2020. A dedicated staff has remained on board throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and volunteer op- portunities are popping up. In addition, local nonprofit FACE (Florence Arts, Culture & Entertainment), which used to be the Friends of the Flor- ence Events Center, is becom- ing more active. The FEC is preparing for the next round of conferences, events, concerts, meetings, weddings, celebrations of life and whatever else Florence needs from its “all-events cen- ter.” For more information, stop by 715 Quince St., visit eventcenter.org or call 541- 997-1994. 1996 Green Light For All-Events Center — The Siuslaw News November 16, 1994 The first drawings of the Florence Events Center are submitted to the Florence City Council and the All Events Center Committee for ap- proval. The preliminary architectural drawings and a preliminary project cost estimate came from the project’s architect, Richard P. Turi. 1993 The Last Resort Players established with the Florence Performing and Fine Arts Festival, performing “Log- gers Lament”. The group was able to contribute $5,000 toward the building of the Florence Events Center. The ink on the final plans is drying, the plans are almost ready to go out and, with luck, construction will start early in the new year. The all-events center project is finally at the point where the long-time wish for a per- forming arts and convention center in Florence will become a reality. “We’re done, we’re ready,” architect Richard Turi said when he told the Florence City Council about the plans for the center. Councilors voted unanimously to authorize the architect and the city to finalize the plans and start the con- struction bidding process. The vote was greeted with applause from the audience of planning and advisory committee members and residents. “This is something that’s been going on for almost a decade at this point,” Mayor Roger McCorkle said about the planning and campaigning for the all- events center. Area residents joined the coordinating committee in support- ing the FEC through a brick campaign and fundraising efforts. First dreamt of in the late ‘80s, the Florence Events Center, 715 Quince St., became a reality in the early ‘90s and was introduced to Florence under the name “All Events Center” with the following slogan, “All Events Center — We All Need Our Place!” The FEC Grand Opening was on Aug. 31, 1996. The FEC was dedicated to the cit- izens of Florence whose vision and efforts made the community facility possible. During the opening, Last Resort Players performed “The Music Man.” The FEC is a 21,000-square-foot convention and performing arts cen- ter. The building consists of a 455- seat proscenium theater, 8,000 square feet of meeting space, state-of-the- art technology and a professionally equipped kitchen.
