LAYTON—The Davis Arts Council (DAC) has been entertaining audiences for 46 years and the Kenley Amphitheater, the venue they use for their Summer Nights with the Stars, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The Kenley will be filled with music over the next few weeks as the concert series continues into the fall.

“DAC started in 1979,” said DAC Director of Communications, Kym Ridl. “The mayor of Layton wanted something for community members for the July 4 celebration that year. The response was huge and DAC was born.”

It was a grassroots effort to bring more arts to Layton, she said. “Our free concert series is the longest running free concert series in the state.”

It grew a little bit each year, said Ridl. “We became a nonprofit in the 90s and we made a push for bigger events in Layton. Anne Murray was our first artist. It was a sell out hit. That kind of got us on the map for other artists to come and give us a chance. We try to bring in the highest quality artists we can to the community.”

Getting those acts takes a lot of hard work though. “Our director of programming spearheads that every year,” said Ridl. “He reaches out to their agent. Some he’s worked with for a few years. He tells them our budget, the size of our venue and asks who they have on their roster that would like to come out west.”

It’s kind of a puzzle, she said. “For example, who do they have that our patrons would like to see and how much the artist would charge. Then we offer how much we can pay through ticket sales, etc. The agent takes that back to the artist and what date they want to pick.”

Some don’t work out, Ridl said. “So we move onto another artist. So many pieces have to fall into place just so.”

Summer Nights with the Stars is funded by ticket sales and sponsors, she said. “Layton City RAMP, private donations and sponsors fund the free concerts. We try to keep as many free events as possible, 80% are free to the community.”

Building the Kenley 30 years ago. Courtesy photo

 Before the Kenley most of the shows were happening in the park, she said. “The Kenley was attached to the Layton Heritage Center. They built it around where performances were already happening.”

The Kenley was started when Ed Kenley was killed in a car accident, said Layton City Councilmember Dave Thomas. “His wife wanted to do something in his memory. The city came up with the idea of an amphitheater. She thought that was a great idea.”

The city formed a plan of what it would look like and whether to put it in front of the museum, he said. “They hauled in about 400 loads of dirt to build it up 40-50 feet. They made changes to the stage with a mote in front for chairs.”

The city asked DAC if they’d be interested in booking it, Thomas said. “The city would take care of something and DAC would take care of something. They hired me to run it.”

When DAC booked Anne Murray lights and sound had to be brought in, he said. “She had a semi and a half of equipment. It was a pretty good setup. We have to bring in lights and sound for some big acts.” 

It’s grown and grown, he said. “It went from grass in one section to chairs and then went to stadium seating.”

The theater has evolved in 30 years from what it was, said Thomas. “Big acts love it because it’s quaint and they can see the audience up close. We’ve built a green room, added a kitchen, bathroom, a couple of rooms and a shower for artists. It’s been a great time to see how things all fell into place.”

For the first time ever DAC will be bringing Odyssey Dance Theatre’s Halloween Spectacular “Thriller” to the Kenley Amphitheater stage Sept. 26 and 27, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. For a list of all DAC performances visit https://www.davisarts.org/.