Groundbreaking Held for New Downtown Attraction

April 30, 12pm Oelwein band shell.
An exciting new addition to downtown Oelwein has been launched.

Groundbreaking took place today (Thursday) for a new bandshell, to be located next to the Oelwein Chamber and Area Development, on West Charles Street.

The idea for the bandshell was the brainchild of Deb Howard, the executive director of OCAD.

They had been using the Plaza Park for summer musical entertainment, called Party in the Park, and needed a stage, plus an electricity source.

The funding for the bandshell's construction is coming from grants and other sources, plus volunteer work.

The price tag is $52,000, and OCAD is still taking donations.

Construction will be handled by Miller Construction, with the electrical work through Ken's Electric in Oelwein.
Volunteers will also be doing a good deal of the work on the stage and seating.
It will be a few months before the bandshell is ready for use. The concrete stage will be poured first, so that it will be ready for the 1st Party in the Park event, on June 11th.
The band shell itself, will be assembled and ready for the next event, on July 9th.
The bandshell will be available for use for a variety of events, including the downtown Christmas celebration, the United Way, and others.

Manning the shovels at today's groundbreaking, were Howard, Bob Bouska, incoming OCAD president, Travis Bushaw, current president, Mayor Peggy Sherrets, plus representatives from the companies doing the construction, electric and landscaping work.