Dwight Yoakam. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Bob Dylan, Fiona Apple.

That's the caliber of nationally known entertainers who could be booked at a 7,000-seat venue.

That's the caliber of nationally known entertainers who might one day come to Smith Mountain Lake -- and not for the great bass fishing either.

Darrin Snyder and Holly Sweet hope to bring a 7,000-seat open-air amphitheater to Moneta.

The pair, who are married and live in Nashville, Tenn., met Wednesday with prominent Moneta residents and Bedford County officials to gauge interest and concern about bringing an amphitheater to Smith Mountain Lake.

They call it Sweetwater Amphitheater at Eastlake. It would offer a permanent stage and under-roof area to seat 2,500, in addition to lawn seating for 4,500. Its primary season would be April through October. The pair plans for an opening in April 2008, according to the amphitheater's Web site.

Snyder, a 1988 graduate of Franklin County High School, has worked as an audio engineer for several artists. For country singer Darryl Worley he also served as production, set and stage manager.

As he crisscrossed the country and the world with Worley, he saw a lot of venues, good and bad, and learned what made good ones work. For years, he said he's dreamed about applying that knowledge in Moneta.

"I've just always seen the lake as a perfect setting for the venue," he said.

The amphitheater would be built on 56 acres in Moneta off Virginia 122 near Hendricks Store Road.

The pair spent the last year researching the project. Sweet declined to comment on how much they estimate the project will cost or how they plan to finance it. They have an option to buy the land, Sweet said.

They share the same concerns as residents, said Sweet, a 1991 graduate of Staunton River High School. They don't want to cause traffic or noise problems.

Property that large, Sweet said, will create a natural sound buffer.

Bedford County Supervisor Chuck Neudorfer doesn't believe traffic congestion will be a problem because shows will likely begin after rush-hour traffic.

The announcement about Sweetwater Amphitheater comes a month after a consultant unveiled a study at a Roanoke City Council meeting about the feasibility of building a 7,000-seat amphitheater in Roanoke.

While Roanoke officials will monitor the progress of Sweetwater Amphitheater to see if it progresses beyond planning stages, the city isn't axing the idea for an amphitheater in Roanoke, said Brian Townsend, Roanoke's director of planning, building and development.

"We're committed to continuing the study of such a facility," he said.

At least one of several sites the city is studying for a pavilion -- graded property off Orange Avenue just north of the civic center -- would offer a very different experience than that planned for the Sweetwater Amphitheater.

The site proposed for the Moneta venue, Sweet said, has naturally sloping land that works perfectly for an amphitheater, she said.

"An outdoor venue is about the setting," said Sweet, who performed in Nashville while working in sales and marketing. "It's about the experience, not just the show."

At this early stage of planning, Bedford County officials seem optimistic about the project.

Moneta will make a good location for an amphitheater, Bedford County Administrator Kathleen Guzi said, because it's centrally located between Roanoke and Lynchburg.

"At this point the concept appears to be appropriate for commercial use," said Lynn Barnes, who sits on the county planning commission.

Dylan Locke, director of programming for the Jefferson Center in Roanoke, said he thinks an amphitheater at Smith Mountain Lake would be less damaging to his organization's ticket sales than one in Roanoke.

Lois Spencer, president of the Center at the Lake, said she doesn't think the amphitheater will affect her organization's plan to bring a performing arts building to the lake. That plan includes a 1,000-seat hall.

Public hearings will eventually have to be held for the project, because part of the parcel must be rezoned.

"We're just excited and happy to be moving forward," Snyder said.

On the Net: sweetwateramphitheater.com