Carolina Shed Sold

A troubled amphitheatre in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., has a new owner in an investment group from Tennessee and Kansas.

Carolina Dirt LLC recently purchased the Carolina Crossroads Amphitheatre for $660,000 from owner Michael Dunlow, the local Daily Herald reported.

While the venue previously operated as the Atlantic One Amphitheatre, it hasn’t hosted a concert since last year. Dunlow told the paper the new owners have some “exciting stuff planned” for the amphitheatre.

“They’re in the entertainment business, and they sure know what they’re doing,” he said. “It was the right people in there doing the right thing, and that makes the rest of it better.”

The amphitheatre is part of the troubled Carolina Crossroads entertainment district, which also includes the 1,500-capacity Roanoke Rapids Theatre.

Dunlow said he hopes new traffic at the shed will also help increase activity in the surrounding district, possibly spurring a sale of the theatre.

The venue opened as the Randy Parton Theatre a few years ago but failed to bring in tourism dollars under Parton’s management. The city eventually bought out Parton’s contract and officials recently a signed short-term agreement with Neste Event Marketing to operate Roanoke Rapids.