Here is your hockey rink....

[IndyValpo]

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2016/02/16/plans-75m-sports-resort-indiana-revealed/80451598/

[agibson]

An indoor drive-in movie theater? I see mostly down-sides.

[Kyle321n]

I sure hope the county or Portage isn't footing any the bill of this. While it seems like some of this is interesting the claim that 3 million people come here for the dunes so they'll obviously come to this thing seems patently untrue. They come for nature, not an amusement park.

[VULB#62]

Maybe a better alternative (I'm discounting the rink thing) for the region (and especially for VU) is for Valpo to build a 2,000-2,500 seat performing arts center (PAC) on campus.  Yeah, yeah, I know, but please hear me out.

The city of Green Bay has about 110K citizens and the general area is estimated at 304K (not counting cows).  The NW Indiana region was quoted in the Evansville V. Valpo string as: "If you are looking at Metropolitan statistical information, then Valparaiso belongs to the Gary Metropolitan Division with a population of 685,000."

UWGB has, on campus - and actually away from downtown GB, the Weidner Center, a 2000 seat PAC that has a very active performance schedule that brings in acts and programs from all over the world.  They are a concert stop and a show stop for many road companies. http://www.weidnercenter.com

In past discussions on this board we have lamented the lack of community involvement with Valpo and wondered about more ways to draw the surrounding community onto campus.  A PAC would do that, and it could be self-sustaining while it could also be the focal point of an upgraded theater and performing arts department that would add greatly to the university's portfolio of programs and add to its attractiveness to potential new students.

Here's a sample of their Upcoming Events to illustrate the activity.
FEB18 Hodges to Ornette – Jeffrey Benedict
FEB18 The Peking Acrobats
FEB19 Sing Out 2016
FEB20 Simply Elton - A Tribute to Elton John
FEB25 Miniatures Consortium
FEB25 Once
FEB25 The Hourglass Project - Presented by UW-Green Bay Theatre
FEB26 The Hourglass Project - Presented by UW-Green Bay Theatre
FEB27 PostSecret: The Show
FEB27 PostSecret: The Show
FEB27 The Hourglass Project - Presented by UW-Green Bay Theatre
MAR1 After Thoughts with Caroline Boswell - Olde English Pubs
MAR2 Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Band - Presented by UW-Green Bay Music
MAR3 The Hourglass Project - Presented by UW-Green Bay Theatre
MAR4 The Hourglass Project - Presented by UW-Green Bay Theatre
MAR5 The Hourglass Project - Presented by UW-Green Bay Theatre
MAR9 Chorale & Concert Choir - Presented by UW-Green Bay Music
MAR17 Dancing in the Streets
MAR31 Stories For Our Time
APR4 Hit Makers: Songs, Stools & Stories - Richie McDonald, Suzy Bogguss, Larry Stewart & Billy Dean
APR5 After Thoughts with Sarah Meredith Livingston - Women Who Dare!
APR8 Wild Kratts Live!
APR9 Gaither Vocal Band - Presented by Bill Gaither • A Premiere Production
APR10 University of Wisconsin Varsity Band - Presented by the Wisconsin Alumni Association of Brown County
APR12 Mnozil Brass
APR13 Andy Grammar - Presented by UWGB's Good Times Programming
APR15 Opera & Musical Theatre Workshop - Presented by UW-Green Bay Music and Theatre
APR16 Opera & Musical Theatre Workshop - Presented by UW-Green Bay Music and Theatre
APR21 Alt-Nostalgia – Gypsy Trip
APR22 Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Band - Presented by UW-Green Bay Music
APR30 Chorale & Concert Choir - Presented by UW-Green Bay Music
MAY1 RAIN - A Tribute to The Beatles
MAY12 Joe Bonamassa
MAY21 Andi & Alex - with special guest Madi Davis

There is a PAC in Munster, but there are only 600 seats and the programs offered are more local in nature 9based on their site).

As an aside, "back in my day" at homecoming, I can remember having homecoming concerts in the Hilltop Gym with performers like songstress Julie London, the Kingston Trio and other "name acts."  I do not see that happening anymore.  But there are mid-strata rock groups, bands, and vocalists who would attract a full house at such a venue -- if it were built.  Back in my old home state of Massachusetts, there are three "melody tents" (North Shore, South Shore and Cape Cod) that seat around 2500 where I've seen Chicago, Bare Naked Ladies, and Bill Cosby (before the stuff hit the fan) among others.  This PAC venue could also attract this type of entertainment - year round.

Part of living in or near a college town for residents are all the cultural and other activities that makes a campus vibrant and that residents can enjoy as well.   Many of the top rated places to retire are college towns because of this. I don't see Valpo providing this like other college communities.   This would be an opportunity to alter that.

I posted  the USNews 2016 ratings.  We are #5 regionally. This type of new program and facility is sure to bump us up much higher and keep us there  perennially.

[a3uge]

As an aside, "back in my day" at homecoming, I can remember having homecoming concerts in the Hilltop Gym with performers like songstress Julie London, the Kingston Trio and other "name acts." I do not see that happening anymore.  But there are mid-strata rock groups, bands, and vocalists who would attract a full house at such a venue -- if it were built.  Back in my old home state of Massachusetts, there are three "melody tents" (North Shore, South Shore and Cape Cod) that seat around 2500 where I've seen Chicago, Bare Naked Ladies, and Bill Cosby (before the stuff hit the fan) among others.  This PAC venue could also attract this type of entertainment - year round.

Jason Derulo came 4 or 5 years ago. He had a lot of fun.

It's not the venue that draws the acts... it's the money.

[VULB#62]

A PAC could generate revenue that could attract a few (not a lot) modern name acts to sweeten the full annual schedule.  You could reasonably  charge $75 (maybe more) a seat in the PAC for these few headliners that you could not charge for bleacher seats in the ARC.

Another thing I thought of was that evening theater/concert events at a PAC of this size also generate a lot of ancillary income for surrounding restaurants/businesses.  More of VU contributing to the local economy and a closer tie to the community.

BTW, I rethought the capacity.  Probably should just be 2,000, like the Weidner Center.  Reason?  The Marcus Center in downtown Milwaukee is 2300+.  It's pretty darned big;  too big for what I was describing for Valpo.

[bbtds]

I sure hope the county or Portage isn't footing any the bill of this. While it seems like some of this is interesting the claim that 3 million people come here for the dunes so they'll obviously come to this thing seems patently untrue. They come for nature, not an amusement park.

If they do build this and it can be seen from I-94 where large amounts of traffic from other parts of the midwest pass through they might be able to get some of those people to stop for a few hours before continuing on to other points east and west of Portage.