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The City of Niota has recently dedicated the new outdoor stage to two individuals who conceived the stage project.

According to Niota City Recorder Jeannie Anderson, the city has obtained a plaque to place on the stage in honor of the dedication.

Anderson noted that the plaque will read: “Niota City Stage, Dedicated on September 9, 2023 in loving memory of Charles ‘Tony’ Carver and Matthew D. Arden for their inspiration and desire to bring the community they loved together.”

“For a little background, Tony Carver was the husband of Tammy Carver, who works with us, and Matt was her son. Tammy had approached the city commission in 2018 and stated the position of why the city needed a stage,” Anderson explained. “It turned out that it was her husband’s idea to have a stage to be the center point of the community. Her son Matt was a contractor and builder and they were going to build it but, unfortunately, for reasons beyond our understanding, they are not with us anymore so we felt that it was appropriate for the stage to be dedicated to those two gentlemen who had the vision. If they had been here they would have been a major part of that stage happening.”

The stage was eventually paid for through donations, proceeds from city events and the hotel/motel tax from the county.

“Tammy is a volunteer firefighter and when this project first started the fire department was heavily involved and they had, initially, taken a big lead in raising money for the stage,” Anderson noted. “Dedicating the stage to these two individuals means a great deal to us. They put the wheel in motion and today we are realizing their vision and their dream, so it is only proper that this stage be dedicated to the individuals who helped launch the project.”

Reflecting on the town’s recent festivities, Anderson believes the stage has helped bring the community together.

“It is a really great feeling when you watch your community come together and have a good time and enjoy each other’s company,” she expressed. “It takes away all of the pretenses people may feel about the town, the government or anything and we want the citizens to enjoy the stage ... Personally I think the stage sets the town a little bit and gives us a focal point for events in the community and it is another point to see our city grow.”

According to Anderson, they have received positive feedback from the community concerning the stage.

“Once people saw what it was going to become and what we were doing, we have received nothing but positive feedback,” she stated. “People love the look, they love the styling, they love the events, I think this has been just a positive all around.”

Looking ahead, Anderson noted that the town has several events coming up for the community to look forward to.

“We have the car show coming, we are planning for our Christmas event and more,” Anderson noted. “We have more events coming up next year and we would like to invite the community to come out, meet your neighbors and see what we are really about because we enjoy our people and our community.”

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