First Concert, Dedication of New Amphitheater This Week

Construction has been underway since last year, but the amphitheater at Manchester's , built to keep the memory of a local teen alive, is finally complete and ready to be used.

Thursday night, the facility will be dedicated to 2002  graduate Corey Donnelly who was killed in an automobile accident in April 2003. He was 19 years old and a student at St. Louis Community College, Meremac at the time of his death.

The amphitheater is a project that's been in the works for a while between Donnelly's family and the City of Manchester, explained Donnelly's mother Lauri King.

"I'm very honored that the City of Manchester has allowed this to be dedicated to Corey." King told Town and Country-Manchester Patch.

She said that her son loved music and was a member of the Parkway South High School band, which will perform at Thursday's dedication.

King said the completion of the amphitheater is bittersweet.

"It's a little overwhelming, exciting and wonderful at the same time. We're all so excited that it has all come together, and it's come together in such a beautiful form," King said. "I've been kind of struggling this week. Seeing the plaque go up with his name on it, it kind of hits home the reason why we're having this. I'm struggling with it.."

King said in addition to the South High School Band, local musician Wayne Givens will perform.

"His son, Jason, was one of Corey's best friends since third grade, so he knew Corey for years," King said.

A donation of $15,000 from the Corey J. Donnelly Memorial Scholarship Fund was given to the City of Manchester to put toward the construction of the new amphitheater. The $15,000, plus a $330,000 grant was put toward the $543,000 total construction cost. Ground was broken in mid-November on the site.

The dedication ceremony and concert begins at 7 p.m. Thursday at

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