Layton amphitheater schedules free concerts

It's difficult to find free entertainment nowadays. But if you live in Davis County, you're in luck. You can go to the Kenley Centennial Amphitheater in Layton on any Sunday evening during the summer and enjoy the best in local entertainment free of charge.

"We have a few outstanding people from outside Davis County, but it's mostly local talent," said Kathy Skidmore. "We bring them in, and it's all free."

Skidmore, who has been organizing the series for 21 years, said she tries to find entertainment appropriate for Sundays and suitable for the entire family. "This is a fairly conservative county. We do things that are inspirational and wholesome and which won't offend anyone. We have something for every age level."

One of the offerings this summer is what Skidmore believes is the only concert in Utah commemorating Harold Arlen's centennial. "He wrote some of the most popular songs in the '30s and '40s, but nobody knows his name," she said. Among his many songs, Arlen wrote "Stormy Weather," which became a huge hit in the 1930s, and the score for "The Wizard of Oz."

Skidmore said she likes to include concerts with community choirs each year. "We especially like to focus on those groups, because they bring a wide audience with them, and it's also fun seeing people you know performing."

For the past decade, there has been a concert that features some of the winners of the current Gina Bachauer piano competition. "We don't know who they'll send this year," Skidmore said, "but it will be some of the finalists."

Classical music and Broadway shows also find their way to these Sunday-evening concerts. This year, the new musical "Pride and Prejudice" will be presented in a concert version with chamber orchestra.

Davis County's free Sunday evening concerts began years before the Kenley Amphitheater was built. Back then, the concerts took place in front of Layton's Heritage Museum on borrowed sound equipment.

Skidmore remembers those days fondly but said she's happy that she was able to move the series to the new amphitheater. "It's a great place for concerts. When the Utah Symphony came here to play for the opening of the amphitheater, they said it's one of the most beautiful places to perform."

The series has a devoted following. There are quite a large number of people who have been faithfully coming to these concerts since the beginning. "Older people have been coming consistently for the past 20 years," Skidmore said.