Kettering moves earlier to book entertainment for 2025 Fraze season

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Kettering is moving earlier to book shows and advertise for next year’s Fraze Pavilion season.

A series of measures that includes more than $2.9 million in spending for the 2025 season was approved by Kettering City Council Tuesday night.

Kettering has commonly approved similar packages for the Fraze in the first few months of the same year’s season.

The city taking action now “will provide administrative flexibility to promote programs and activities at the Fraze and other facilities” under Kettering’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department, according to Assistant City Manager Steve Bergstresser.

“Essentially, in order to begin booking and advertising shows for the 2025 season, the city needs to pass the authorizing legislation now,” he added.

The move comes the same year Kettering commissioned a study on its 4,300-seat outdoor entertainment venue that opened in the early 1990s.

Earlier this year city officials said the study would be extensive, involving focus groups, cost analysis and a survey, as well as other regional outdoor music venues with similar seating capacities.

While no specific sites were named, the Rose Music Center in Huber Heights is a 4,200-seat covered amphitheater completed in 2015.

“Over the past (several) years, Fraze has faced headwinds with other regional venues that provide entertainment options that directly compete for customer’s time and money,” according to Kettering records.

Kettering said in recent weeks the Fraze survey results are still being compiled, analyzed and will be included in the consultant’s report when it is finalized.

Last month, Huber Heights officials announced a proposal for a second music venue near the Rose Music Center.

The proposed indoor venue would be managed by Music and Event Management Inc., known as MEMI, which also operates the Rose, Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore has said. Gore said he expected an announcement by October.

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