The Alerus Center is an indoor arena located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It opened in 2000. It is the home of the University of North Dakota football team ("The Fighting Sioux"). The arena also plays host to many large concerts, sporting events, and trade shows. It can seat as many as 22,500 people at one time. The facility includes an adjacent convention center which features twelve meeting rooms and a 28,000 square foot ballroom. The convention center is used for conferences, seminars, banquets, parties, and smaller concerts. The Alerus Center is named after a local bank, Alerus Financial, which purchased the facility's naming rights.
The arena has had many big musical acts including Cher, The Backstreet Boys, Nsync, Kiss, Aerosmith, Bette Midler, and Mötley Crüe. The 2002 Cher concert was the largest such event ever held at the arena and, at that time, was the largest audience the entertainer had ever performed in front of.
Ground will be broken this spring on an adjacent $40+ million "destination center." This addition will include a 13-story Canad Inns hotel, large waterpark, state-of-the-art 10-screen cinema complex, and three restaurants. A wellness center and spa will likely be added in the future.
External links
Last updated: 08-24-2005 12:49:27
