The Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena is a 6,925 (4,710 for hockey) seat multi-purpose arena in Binghamton, New York. The Arena was completed in 1973, providing an entertainment venue for residents of the Greater Binghamton area. After decades of haggling over location, size, and design - it's rumored a college student's design won a nationwide design competition. Whether or not that's true, the Arena has a near twins in the Cornwall Civic Complex in Cornwall, Ontario (built in 1976) and similar facilities in the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine and WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia (both built in 1977). Originally, a performing arts center was to be adjacent to the Arena, across Washington Street, but plans fell through due to lack of funds. The arena contains eight luxury suites, each holding 25 fans (200 total).
The first act was the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, in an unfinished Arena in May 1973. Chicago played the first concert at the arena (with Bruce Springsteen as opener) on June 13, 1973. The ribbon cutting and first event on ice was with the Ice Capades; and the Broome Dusters of the North American Hockey League were the building's first full-time tenant. The Broome Dusters became the Binghamton Dusters in 1977 and moved into the American Hockey League. That AHL franchise would go through a number of name changes, becoming the Whalers and Rangers before moving in 1997. The BC Icemen, of the United Hockey League, occupied the Arena for five seasons until the AHL returned. Since 2002, the Arena has been home to the Binghamton Senators, who are affiliated with the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. Beginning in spring of 2012, it will be home to Binghamton's currently-unnamed expansion team in the Indoor Football League.
The Arena has hosted some notable names in entertainment - Bob Dylan, B.B. King, the Dave Matthews Band, Kenny Rogers, Aerosmith, Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, Elton John, Keith Sweat, Cher, Dolly Parton, Phish, Green Day, and Carrie Underwood to name but a few. Trade shows, the Binghamton Philharmonic, the Harlem Globetrotters, and the Circus all make yearly visits. Plus, every December, the Arena plays host to the Stop-DWI Holiday Classic, one of the premiere high school basketball tournaments in the nation. The arena contains 17000 square feet of space on the arena floor and an additional 12000 square feet on the concourse.
Read more about Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena: Notable Events, Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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