BULLHEAD CITY – Bullhead City celebrated the Grand Opening of the John and Olivia McCormick Performing Arts Pavilion over the weekend. The community-driven project is 10 years in the making, and the dedication ceremony marks a significant milestone for the city and its residents.
Pavilion Palooza followed the dedication ceremony and featured a beer garden, carnival rides, food trucks, vendors, a mechanical bull, and face painting. Saturday featured a Bullhead’s Got Talent competition, as well as various bands, with the 80’s tribute band The Spazmatics headlining the evening.
The dedication ceremony was led by Community Pride Advocates, which was the main driving force behind the constructing of the pavilion.
The event featured performances by community members, including the Mohave High School Choir, Mohave High School Thunder Band, and Mohave Accelerated Schools Cheer Squad. Mohave High School ROTC also presented their colors, under the direction of Major Earl Morris, with the national anthem sung by Kate Johnson. Following this, the ROTC Spinners also performed.
The ceremony featured speeches from the many community leaders that were involved in bringing the pavilion to life.
Banner showing all the park’s supporters. Photo by Alan Hayman
City Manager Toby Cotter emphasized what it was like to work with private partnerships to finish the pavilion. “It shows how community can work with businesses and private nonprofit groups to get a good project done,” he said.
Mayor Steve D’Amico also spoke proudly about the honor of being the mayor on the day of the pavillion’s grand opening. “After years of watching this project come together, it’s an honor to be her on the day we cut the ribbon for this beautiful outdoor amenity,” he told the crowd.
Bullhead City Mayor Steve D’Amico speaking at dedication ceremony. Photo by Alan Hayman
Arizona State Senator Hildy Angius also spoke, telling the story of how her office became involved in financing the pavilion. Three years ago, then Supervisor of Mohave County Angius sat down with Olivia McCormick about securing funding through an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant. Just over $1 million of the pavillion’s eventual cost came from this grant.
“We should be so proud,” Angius said at the ceremony. “This is ARPA money, this is money that came out of COVID that was such a destructive force in our community, in the country, and in the world. And now we get to leave something behind in Bullhead City that will outlive us.”
The final speech was given to Olivia McCormick, after whom the pavilion was named, because her passion for the project was the biggest driving force. She spoke about the importance of funding, which was the biggest and main obstacle to the pavilion’s success.
John and Olivia McCormick, with friends and volunteers. Photo by Alan Hayman
The original budget called for $639,000 for the stage and $250,000 for the ramadas on the sides. After COVID, building costs soared, leading to a final price tag of around $3.7 million. Nearly $300,000 worth of work was provided in-kind from local businesses.
According to McCormick, funding for the pavilion is as follows: 16% private sector businesses, 20% Legacy Foundation, 29% Bullhead City, and 35% from Mohave County.
McCormick says that upgrades will be made to the park over the next year, including the construction of additional men’s and women’s bathrooms.
Gary Keith Civic Park sits on a 22-acre community space across from Mohave High School, near City Hall. The park was named after Gary Keith, who was a charter member of Los Matadores de Bullhead City, which purchased the flagstone sign marking the park as Gary Keith Civic Center Park in 1997.
The park includes a civic walkway, landscaped picnic ramadas, and walking paths. The pavilion features professional stage sound and lighting, climate-controlled storage and dressing rooms, and front-of-house controls— all of which is fully electric. Because the stage faces the west, sunshades were added to shield performers from the sun as it sets.
Gary Keith Civic Park is located at 2295 Hoppas Dr. For more info about the park, call (928)763-9400 or visit the website at https://www.bullheadcity.com/government/parks-and-recreation
