Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center is being renamed to the Brown County Music Center.
Executive Director Dana Beth Evans says that the name suits the identity of the venue.
"We’re taking the name from Brown County, which is our huge market and we’re already branded as Brown County," Evans says. "So why not just take that brand and keep going forward with it?"
This is the second name change the venue has undergone in the past month. The board voted in favor of “Sundown at Salt Creek” in mid-February. The board decided to change the name after it created public outcry due to its negative connotations. Historically, sundown towns were towns that banished non-white individuals after sunset.
The board had initially decided to change the name "Maple Leaf Performing Arts Center" because of its commonality. Evans says that it was hard for the board to obtain internet domains and be prioritized in web searches. The name was too similar to the Toronto Maple Leafs, a Canadian hockey team.
The venue is scheduled for a grand opening on August 24. The opening act has yet to be announced.
