June 2026 Sunriver Scene - Flipbook - Page 35
John Gray Amphitheater beautification project complete
By Shae Callewaert
SROA NEWS – Benham
Hall at SHARC is a beautiful venue to have weddings,
family reunions, prom and
much more.
Two years ago, the interior
was given a facelift with fresh
white paint and new flooring.
This transformation, while
simple, had a big impact.
It opened the space up, giving
it a brighter and lighter aesthetic. With the interior completed,
focus turned to the outdoor
portion of the event space.
Just outside Benham Hall is
the John Gray Amphitheater, a
large grassy area perfect for live
music and community events.
It is increasingly used for
wedding ceremonies in warmer months. As more couples
choose Central Oregon as their
wedding destination, Benham Hall at SHARC took
the initiative to beautify its
outdoor space.
This beautification project
involved planting:
• 77 Karl Foerster grasses
• Eight red echinacea coneflowers
• 11 Shasta daisies
• 15 blue oat grasses
• 21 catmint plants
• Six Swedish aspens
• Four quaking aspens
The SROA Public Works
landscaping team did a wonderful job seeing this beautification
project into fruition while also
taking measures that go beyond
the aesthetics.
The team provided soil ero-
sion control through the strategic use of boulders on the
backside slope of the amphitheater. These boulders mitigate
erosion that would eventually
compromise the fence structure.
In addition to erosion control
measures, they updated the
irrigation system.
“One of the less visible but
most impactful phases of this
project has been the conversion
of over 65 spray irrigation heads
to drip irrigation. This transition covers both new and established plants within the active
work zone. Once completed,
this conversion will reduce water consumption in this specific
area by approximately 800 gallons per watering cycle, result-
Visit the John Gray Amphitheater at SHARC to view the landscape transformation.
ing in a savings of nearly 12,000
gallons per month during the
irrigation season,” SROA Parks
Recreation and Landscape Lead
Bryan McLaughlin said.
Visit sunriversharc.com/
event-space or email sharcev
ents@srowners.org to learn
more about reserving Benham
Hall at SHARC for events.
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JUNE 2026 SUNRIVER SCENE
Page 35
