Kodebreaker performs on the Pangle Pavilion stage during the Party at the Pangle event Saturday.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
LIMA — There are many options for families when it comes to finding something enjoyable to do on a sunny summer Saturday, and organizers hope that Saturday’s Party at the Pangle will put downtown Lima on the top of that list.
Saturday’s free event brought a variety of attractions to the Pangle Pavilion, including live music from local artists, food vendors, bounce houses, a cornhole tournament and more. Saturday marked the second day of activities at the amphitheater after the Taylor Shines Laser Spectacular on Friday night, which featured nearly 1,000 attendees, according to Veterans Memorial Civic Center CEO Abe Ambroza.
For the Civic Center Foundation and the Rotary Club of Lima, the two-day event was all about showing the community that downtown Lima has a lot to offer.
“When [the Rotary Club] first had the idea of bringing this amphitheater to Lima, one of its purposes was providing an open space for the public,” Ambroza said. “Sometimes it’s going to be a ticketed event, but we want to make sure we have some free days too where people just come out here and enjoy this beautiful new venue.”
Ambroza and the other organizers hope that events like this will help showcase some of the newer additions to Lima’s downtown, such as the new Spring and Main development.
“This is a very easy space to get to, and seeing all the development that’s happening around here, it’s a safe walk back to your car,” he said.
The event also gave the opportunity for local musicians to showcase their talent, including Steve Nungester, who performs under the stage name Stephen Craig. Nungester has been performing as a hobby for 25 years, and events like this will help him see how far his talent and skills can take him in the music world.
“I just love getting out and entertaining people,” he said. “I kind of see this as my foray into the public because everything I’ve done up until now has been mainly at Mulligan’s. So now that they’re closed, I haven’t played much of anywhere else. So we saw this as an opportunity to start really getting out there.”
Allan, Angie and Ashley Reigle wanted to take advantage of the event to see Kodebreaker, another local musical group specializing in 1980s rock music.
“With the Pangles Pavilion being up, it’s nice to get some fun stuff here,” Angie said.
To learn more about Stephen Craig, go to https://bit.ly/4ff9T81. For more information on Kodebreaker, go to https://bit.ly/46lcVDB. To learn about future events at the amphitheater, go to https://bit.ly/3R8P43A.
