(www.aboutcandybarwrappers.com)We've been told over and over that Evansville isn't large enough for two arenas. We are led to believe that only big cities such as Houston, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles can have two venues. In an earlier post, I talked about and proved that this theory is a lie...
http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/05/small-and-mid-sized-cities-can-save.html
One town that I think speaks volumes about our situation here is Hershey, Pennsylvania. Most people associate Hershey, PA with chocolate, and indeed chocolate is what pays the bills for the city. It is popularly called "Chocolatetown, USA," and is also referred to as "The Sweetest Place on Earth."
But only a small minority of those living outside of Hershey are familiar with the current Hershey sports industry and its history. Although the town only has 12,771 residents, there are two arenas that call Hershey home. One of these arenas is an old, historic, and legendary facility, the other one is a state-of-art, new, and shiny facility. Let's take a look at the historic facility first...
Hersheypark Arena
(www.hersheypa.com)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hersheypark_Arena
Hersheypark Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The arena has a seating capacity, for hockey, of 7,286 people and in excess of 8,000, including standing room. Built in 1936, it was originally known as the Hershey Sports Arena.
It was home to the Hershey Bears, of the AHL, who moved to the Giant Center in 2002, but still use it as their practice facility. It also played host to some NHL exhibition games and hosted 18 Calder Cup finals and three AHL All-Star games.
Today, it is the home rink for the Lebanon Valley College and the Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania ice hockey teams, as well as the Hershey JR Bears, a youth team sponsored by the Bears organization. On most weekends during the fall and winter months, the rink is open to the public for ice skating.
The second sport at the arena was basketball. On March 2, 1962, Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain recorded a record-setting 100 points in a NBA game against the New York Knicks.
It hosted the PIAA basketball and wrestling championships, and it also served as the home of the Hershey Impact, a National Professional Soccer League team from 1988–1991.
Annually, it hosts part of the Music in the Parks competition. It has also hosted the Ice Capades, Disney on Ice, professional boxing, tennis competitions, and the fifth WWF In Your House pay-per-view in 1995.
On October 13, 1953, the arena also hosted an extravagant birthday celebration for President Dwight D. Eisenhower whose farm and "weekend White House" was located in nearby Gettysburg.
Now let's take a look at Hershey's new state-of-the-art arena...
Giant Center
(www.whiting-turner.com/)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Center
The Giant Center is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is home to the Hershey Bears ice hockey team, the longest-existing member of the American Hockey League.
Additionally, professional lacrosse was added in the form of the Hershey Haymakers, a member of the North American Lacrosse League, in 2011. Giant Center replaced the Hersheypark Arena as the Bears' home venue in 2002.
The Giant Center is owned by the Derry Township Industrial and Commercial Development Authority, as much of the money for its construction was provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is operated by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company, with the naming rights owned by the Giant-Carlisle grocery store chain based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
In addition to Bears games, the Giant Center also hosts an annual concert series and attracts many well-known entertainers. The first performance at the arena was by Cher and has since continued to host a wide variety of popular acts, including American Idol Live! and the Harlem Globetrotters. In 2003, Giant Center held the WWE's Unforgiven.
The Giant Center also hosted the Road to Victory rally for Republican Presidential candidate, John McCain, and his running mate, Sarah Palin, on October 28, 2008.
Obviously, their Giant Center is comparable to our Ford Center, and their Hersheypark Arena is comparable to our Roberts Stadium. Let's take a look at some of the comparisons that I find to be interesting/ironic...
1. Population at the 2000 census- Hershey: 12,771 while Evansville: 121,582.
2. Capacity- Roberts Stadium's currently (if floor isn't raised): Roughly 12,500; Hersheypark Arena: 7,286 + standing room.
3. Capacity- Ford Center: concert: 11,000, basketball: 10,000, hockey: 9,000; Giant Center: 12,500 for in-the-round concerts, 10,500 for hockey.
4. Construction Costs - Giant Center: $65 million for the building, $95 million including roads, parking lots and infrastructures (2002 dollars); Ford Center: $127.5 million.
5. Luxury Suites- Giant Center: 40 Luxury Suites 688 Club Seats; Ford Center:
16 16-person suites, One 24-person suite, Two eight-person mini suites, Two 10-person mini suites, 92 main concourse loge seats, 516 club seats with access to suite-level clubs
6. Square Footage- Giant Center: 306,000; Ford Center: 278,000
7. Reuse Tenants- Hersheypark Arena: Practice facility, youth hockey, college hockey, public ice skating, musical shows; Roberts Stadium: ???
Basically, we are getting outplayed by a city that is 1/10th the size of our city. Like Evansville, many Hershey residents criticized Milton Hershey when he built the 7,000 seat Hersheypark Arena in Hershey when the town's population was only 2,000...
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/08/the_old_barn_hersheypark_arena.html
But now we see who was right and it was Milton Hershey. Now, Hershey has only grown to 12,771 residents yet now supports two arenas. This has only been possible because of Hershey's smart planning and aggressive building campaigns.
Milton Hershey is the perfect example of how government spending and entrepreneurship should go hand-in-hand. Hershey's chocolate business had finally gotten off the ground in the early 20th century after it had failed in Lancaster. Instead of complaining about taxes, community involvement, and capital improvement projects, Milton Hershey decided to build an arena he knew would give both his business and his hometown national recognition.
Like his chocolate company, Hershey's plan worked. It turns out, Hersheypark Arena was just the beginning. Because of the many visitors the arena drew to the city, Hotel Hershey was thriving. Both the hotel and arena played a big role in exposing the American public to both Hershey's chocolate and Hershey, PA. It has also allowed Hershey's entertainment company to prosper.
Today, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company owns and/or runs the following...
Hershey Entertainment Group
Hersheypark
Hersheypark Arena
Hersheypark Stadium
GIANT Center
ZOOAMERICA North American Wildlife Park
The Star Pavilion at Hersheypark Stadium
Hershey Theatre
Hershey Bears American Hockey League Team
Hershey Resorts Group
Hotel Hershey
The Spa at The Hotel Hershey
The Jewlery at The Hotel Hershey
Circular Dining Room - Fine American Contemorary Cuisine
Iberian Lounge
Trevi 5 - Authentically Modern Italian Grill
Harvest - Genuine American Cuisine
Hershey Lodge
The Bear's Den - Casual Sports-themed restaurant
Hershey Grill - Contemporary Cuisine with upscale casual ambiance
Lebbie Lebkicher's - Classic and specialty breakfast items
The Forebay - Premium steaks, seafood and pasta served in a cozy loft setting
Hershey Country Club
Hershey Highmeadow Campground
Houlihan's
Devon Seafood Grill - Premium Seafood
Cocoa Beanery - Specialty coffees, lattes, cappuccinos, pastries and lunch items
Cafe Zooka - Gourmet sandwiches, paninis, soups, salads, coffees and exotic chocolate desserts
Commercial Group
Hershey Nursery
Hershey Laundry
If Milton Hershey would have been a naysayer, or an entrepreneur only and not an urban planner as well, NONE of this would have happened. For this reason, we need to do the same thing here in Evansville. By investing in our city, we will be investing in our businesses who inturn invest in our town as well. We need to do the following...
1. We need to make sure the Ford Center is a success so that businesses around downtown Evansville are a success just like Milton Hershey did in Pennsylvania.
2. We need to save Roberts Stadium and use it for mid-sized concerts, trade shows, youth sports tournaments, indoor football, basketball, and soccer just like Hershey Entertainment does with Hersheypark Arena.
3. We need to build our ball fields project at Kleymeyer Park so that they can boost historic Bosse Field and the surrounding neighborhood. It will also connect the area to downtown Evansville just like Hershey Entertainment does with Hershey Stadium, Hersheypark, and the Giant Center.
4. We need to use ALL our capital improvement projects to promote our local industries. Personally, I think a windmill monument is the perfect thing we can build for our new arrival GBT...
http://evansvillemovingforward.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-windmill-tower-would-separate.html
If you look at Hershey Entertainment's website...
http://www.hersheypa.com/things_to_do/venues/index.php
You will see that they are running like a well-oiled machine. All of their facilities, both old and new are cross-promoting each other. All of their facilities are still successful and drawing large crowds. Most importantly, all of their facilities are boosting the city of Hershey.
Over the course of time, Evansville greats such as Benjamin Bosse and Hank Roberts have given us great facilities to boost our city. Shouldn't we be using these facilities to promote our town, our businesses, and our way of life as well?
Evansville is TEN TIMES the size of Hershey, PA, it's about time we acted like it. SAVE ROBERTS STADIUM!
No comments:
Post a Comment