BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER-50 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN ENTERTAINMENT
Blossom Music Center is named after the family of Dudley S. Blossom, who served as president of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1936 to 1938. The site’s natural parabolic setting, the pavilion’s sloping slate roof, and the area’s natural wooded surroundings distinguish it from other contemporary amphitheaters. The facility, designed by architect Peter van Dijk, is located on 800 acres of natural woods inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park, about 10 miles north of downtown Akron and 33 miles south of downtown Cleveland. There are currently plans to sell 580 acres of Blossom’s undeveloped acreage to the National Park Service to add to the park. As of March 2011, 233 acres have been purchased by the National Park Service for US $4 million with hopes for NPS to purchase the remaining unused land. This would financially benefit the owners and serve to protect the natural setting of Blossom. In 2003, the venue underwent a $17 million renovation.
In addition, the annual Carnival of Horrors has been held at the venue every October since 2003.
The Michael Stanley Band, intensely popular on the North Coast, holds the Blossom attendance record, of 74,404, with four sold-out shows, on August 25–26 and 30-31, 1982.