City needs hit by Dolly Parton's brother

Roanoke Rapids leaders hope to revive a struggling economy by creating a tourist destination along the I-95 corridor

ROANOKE RAPIDS -- This border city has visions of Branson. Or at least Myrtle Beach. Long known as an interstate pit stop at North Carolina's northern entrance, Roanoke Rapids aims to become an entertainment destination. Leaders envision a showcase with a water park, live shows and restaurants to grab tourists along Interstate 95 and rev up a sputtering economy.

What they have is a name, Carolina Crossroads; 123 acres carved with roads such as "Music Way;" a Hilton hotel covered in scaffolding; and a theater bearing the name of a man best known for being his sister's brother.

Randy Parton, sibling of country music superstar Dolly Parton, is the linchpin of the endeavor. His theater, built with $21.5 million borrowed by the city, opens today. Officials project as many as 300,000 patrons the first year, a forecast some consider optimistic.

In the community, excitement mixes with uncertainty.

"I think it's going to work out," said Ruby Dodson, who was minding her son's downtown shop, Allgood General Store, earlier this week. "We hope so, anyway."

Many residents are skeptical that Parton, who is virtually guaranteed $750,000 a year, plus a house and car, will be a big enough draw. His last hit was in 1983 -- "A Stranger in Her Bed," which was No. 92 on the Billboard country charts -- yet, he's the only name on the playbill through year end.

The project is unfolding slowly.

Plans called for the theater to open as early as March. By now, city leaders wanted as much as 200,000 square feet of other amenities at Carolina Crossroads, according to the contract with the city, the developer and Parton.

An Outback Steakhouse, Zaxby's restaurant, a Japanese steakhouse and a travel center with food court are planned. A Virginia developer has announced a Fairfield Inn by Marriott. Professional pool player Jeanette Lee, known as "The Black Widow," has said she will build a facility for billiards and comedy acts.

They won't come until 2008.

"We have to be patient," said Phyllis Lee, the city manager.

Roanoke Rapids exists where the Piedmont meets the Coastal Plain. In the early 1800s, a canal was dug around nearby rapids so boats could carry goods between the coast and the inland.

When the railroad came, the canal was converted into a source of electric power, which attracted textile magnates and made Roanoke Rapids a mill town.

As foreign competition intensified, it suffered. Unemployment in Halifax County jumped as high as 11.9 percent in January 2002. It's now 6.5 percent.

"We were really in serious economic distress," said Rick Benton, the city's economic development manager. Elected officials "have taken an aggressive approach" to repair the economy.

It's a tactic similar to those adopted in the state's other ailing manufacturing towns, but it's playing out differently.

In Kannapolis, near Charlotte, leaders are betting on a new biotechnology hub backed by billionaire octogenarian David Murdock and top universities. Lenoir won Google, which is building a computer facility.

Roanoke Rapids got Parton.

He was attracted in 2004 by the Northeast Partnership -- whose leader later left to work for him -- which uses public and private funds to bolster the economy in a 16-county region. Several places competed for the theater.

City and tourism representatives and a local developer, Michael Dunlow, hashed out a plan for the entertainment district with The Randy Parton Theatre as its centerpiece. They made their pitch to Parton in December 2004. In June 2005, the project was publicly announced.

Roanoke Rapids ultimately agreed to borrow the money to build the theater. Under terms of the deal, the city leases the facility to Parton for $41,192 a month.