By Heather Palmer
College students who are seeking free entertainment and refreshing summer feelings of paradise in the wet winter don''t need to wait for the sun to shine in May.
The Tahitian Noni International visitor''s center is attempting to provide a fun, island atmosphere and focusing on giving an experience as well as entertainment. Students and local performers can also perform at this tropical venue.
Tahitian Noni is publicly opening its doors to the community of Utah County to gain public awareness of their company and their desires to share what they have with others.
The visitor''s center, auditorium, gardens, 30-foot waterfall and caf? provide a venue of a tropical oasis setting in the midst of the Mountain West that is open to local artists.
'This will be the place for performers to showcase their talents,' said Adam Olsen, Tahitian Noni Interntational public relations coordinator. 'We invite all their friends to hang out and have a good time. We would like everyone to experience a little ''Paradise in Provo.'''
The new venue could provide a new element for Provo concertgoers - it''s free all the way around.
' other venues you perform for free but they charge your friends $5,' said The Otters band member Kyle Blodgett. 'This venue gets you and your friends in for free.'
Tahitian Noni International completed work on the modern visitor''s center in September 2005. The center includes a performance venue called 'The Paradise Stage.' It seats up to 150 and has been the site of a series of Friday night concerts since its opening. These concerts have been free to the public, and have played host to such local favorites as Peter Brienholt, Jon Schmidt and David Tolk.
'We have free events almost every night of the week,' Olsen said. 'We have concerts on Friday nights, movie nights on Mondays, beautiful gardens and a world-class caf?.'
The auditorium, garden, caf? and visitor''s center are open to the public.
'I think this offers something different to Provo,' said BYU student Suzy Anderson, a home and family living major from Bluffdale. 'It seems to offer a place where you could go to get out of the regular Provo scene.'
BYU students have utilized the facility for Family Home Evening activities, jazz festivals in the auditorium and class presentations as well.
BYU band The Otters will take the Paradise Stage on Feb. 17.
'The fact that a corporation would open their center up is a step in fulfilling a need in the Provo music scene, which in my opinion is lacking in variety,' band member Blodgett said.
Tahitian Noni International is a Provo-based company that does global research and focuses on the health benefits of the noni plant. Students would probably be most familiar with the Tahitian Noni Juice that has become popular in the last few years.
Tahitian Noni is open to all performers who want to perform at the venue.
The free concerts are held on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. The Tahitian Noni International visitor''s center is located at 333 W. River Park Drive in Provo, which is just west of The Shops at Riverwoods.
For more information about upcoming events, visit the Tahitian Noni Web site at www.visittni.com
(For comments, e-mail Heather Palmer at heathpalm7@hotmail.com)