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Amphitheater gains funding Lithia Motors� $500,000 gift makes Expo project a reality By Dani Dodge Lithia Motors will pony up a half-million dollars to become the title sponsor of the proposed 5,800-seat amphitheater at the Jackson County fairgrounds. That means the venue will be known as the "Lithia Motors Amphitheater." "Lithia Motors is very proud to be a part of this," Lithia CEO Sid DeBoer said at a press conference Thursday. "Our name will be on this, but more than that, we hope the money we help raise and put into this will ensure its success." The amphitheater, planned for near the south pond at the Expo Park, is designed to bring major music acts into the Rogue Valley as well as provide a facility for smaller local productions and events. The Britt Festival will be the primary promoter for the shows. The donation is a big boost for fair officials working on building the amphitheater at the Jackson County Fairgrounds and Exposition Park. The project is expected to cost $2.85 million and be completed by May 2002. Before the Lithia donation, the fair board had $710,000 in economic development grants and donations. Fair board members plan to continue fund raising to get the rest of the cash. But before they started looking for smaller donors, fair board members wanted to line up a title sponsor. Board President Leigh Johnson said he actively looked for a local company. Johnson said the board found a perfect match in Lithia, a local car dealership that has gone national and employs 600 people in Southern Oregon. Not only will Lithia�s name be on the amphitheater, every ticket and T-shirt sold also will bear the moniker. The next step in raising the cash for the amphitheater will be for the fair to sell skyboxes for $200,000 apiece. The donations will get companies their names on the boxes and 18 luxury seats for each show. County Commissioner Sue Kupillas said Lithia�s donation will help develop a legacy of generosity and caring in the community. "The theme of this was `imagine the impossible�," Kupillas said. "With this generous donation, we aren�t just imagining the impossible ... we are realizing it." For more information about the amphitheater, call Johnson at 541-776-6900. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA