Image Credit: Monte Creek Ranch via Facebook
January 21, 2016 - 8:30 AM
KAMLOOPS - The manager of a local winery hopes to attract new and interesting entertainment acts to the Kamloops area with his plan to have an amphitheatre on the property, a request he hopes will go over smoothly with the district.
Erik Fisher of Monte Creek Ranch Winery says he’s not looking to take away from the agricultural use of the land out on Miner’s Bluff Road east of town, but hopes to bolster tourism to the region with a unique entertainment space.
“The community can come together to celebrate the space,” Fisher says. “We’re not trying to re-create the Merritt Mountain music festival."
Fisher says, if approved, he hopes the space will accommodate around 500 people for live theatre and music. He plans to model it after similar amphitheatres at other wineries, specifically Mission Hill Winery in Kelowna.
“As soon as I saw the property for the first time I thought it was a perfect opportunity for an amphitheatre. I think we started the application process with the (Thompson-Nicola Regional District) September 2015, knowing it could take up to a year,” Fisher says.
Along with the performance space, there are plans in place for the winery to have a restaurant and space for private events, such as weddings.
For the project to go ahead, it will require approval from the district and the agricultural land commission. Fisher says the district will discuss the proposal at a meeting today, Jan. 21.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016