Alerus Center facts for kids
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Alerus Center in 2006
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| Former names | Aurora Events Center (pre-construction) |
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| Address | 1200 S. 42nd Street |
| Location | Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°54′40″N 97°05′28″W / 47.911°N 97.091°W |
| Owner | City of Grand Forks |
| Capacity | 21,000
Configurations
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| Field size | Overall: 447,000 square feet (41,500 m2) Ballroom: 26,000 square feet (2,400 m2) Arena floor dimensions: 415 feet (126 m) north to south 240 feet (73 m) east to west |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 15, 1998 |
| Opened | February 10, 2001 |
| Construction cost | $80 million ($144 million in 2022 ) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket JLG Architects Schoen & Associates |
| Structural engineer | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc. |
| Services engineer | Obermiller Nelson Engineering, Inc. |
| General contractor | Mortenson Construction |
| Tenants | |
| North Dakota Fighting Hawks football (NCAA) (2001–present) | |
The Alerus Center is a large indoor building in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It's used for many different events. This cool place has both an arena and a convention center.
The city of Grand Forks owns and runs the Alerus Center. It first opened its doors on February 10, 2001.
The main team that plays here is the University of North Dakota football team. But it's not just for football! Many big concerts, other sports events, and trade shows happen here too.
For football games, about 12,283 people can watch. For other events, up to 21,000 people can fit inside. The Alerus Center is located near Interstate 29.
The convention center part has a huge ballroom, about 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) in size. It also has twelve meeting rooms. People use this area for conferences, parties, and smaller concerts. Right next to the Alerus Center is a big hotel and waterpark called the Canad Inns Destination Center.
The Alerus Center got its name from a local bank, Alerus Financial. They bought the rights to have their name on the building. Before it opened, people called it the Aurora Events Center.
Contents
Building the Alerus Center
People in Grand Forks wanted a new event center for a long time. In 1995, they voted to raise local sales tax to help pay for it. The idea was approved, and the center was first called The Aurora Events Center.
A big flood in 1997, called the 1997 Red River flood, caused some delays. The plans for the building had to be changed. This made sure it would be safer from floods in the future.
In 2000, the Aurora Events Center got its new name, Alerus Center. This happened after Alerus Financial bought the naming rights for 20 years. The Alerus Center officially opened on February 10, 2001. It cost about $80 million to build.
In 2006, work began on the Canad Inns hotel and water park next door. This was finished in 2007. Since July 2017, a company called Spectra has been in charge of managing the Alerus Center.
Fun Events at Alerus Center
The Alerus Center has hosted many exciting events over the years. From huge concerts to thrilling sports, there's always something happening!
Concerts for Everyone
Many famous music artists have performed at the Alerus Center. Here are some of the big names:
| Date | Artist | Opening act(s) | Tour / Concert name | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 17, 2001 | Backstreet Boys | Black & Blue Tour | |||
| September 28, 2002 | Cher | Cyndi Lauper | Living Proof: The Farewell Tour | 19,351 / 19,351 | This concert had the largest audience for Cher's solo career. It was also the second biggest event ever at the arena. |
| August 19, 2003 | Fleetwood Mac | Say You Will Tour | |||
| March 26, 2004 | Barenaked Ladies | Howie Day Butterfly Boucher |
Everywhere for Everyone Tour | ||
| April 8, 2005 | Mötley Crüe | Red, White & Crüe ... Better Live Than Dead | |||
| August 23, 2006 | Cirque du Soleil | Delirium | |||
| July 24, 2007 | Nickelback | All the Right Reasons Tour | |||
| November 22, 2008 | Neil Diamond | Neil Diamond: Live in Concert | |||
| September 12, 2009 | Britney Spears | The Circus Starring Britney Spears | 12,713 / 12,713 | ||
| May 17, 2011 | Tim McGraw | Southern Voice Tour | |||
| February 16, 2013 | George Strait | Martina McBride | The Cowboy Rides Away Tour | 19,500 | This was the largest event ever held at the arena! |
| May 8, 2015 | Luke Bryan | Randy Houser Dustin Lynch |
Kick the Dust Up Tour | ||
| June 5, 2015 | Eagles | History of the Eagles – Live in Concert | |||
| January 28, 2016 | Jason Aldean | Thomas Rhett A Thousand Horses |
We Were Here Tour | ||
| September 8, 2018 | Metallica | Jim Breuer | WorldWired Tour | 16,970 | |
| February 22, 2020 | KISS | David Lee Roth | End of the Road World Tour | 7,812 / 7,812 | |
| September 17, 2021 | Luke Combs | Ashley McBryde | What You See Is What You Get Tour | 22,000 | |
| March 12, 2022 | Morgan Wallen | Hardy (singer) | 20,000 | ||
| May 29, 2022 | Hank Williams Jr. | Lainey Wilson | |||
| May 9, 2023 | Kenny Chesney | Kelsea Ballerini | I Go Back Tour | 15,000 | |
| November 17, 2023 | Jonas Brothers | Lawrence | Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour | 0 | This concert was cancelled. |
| March 2, 2024 | Journey (band) | Toto (band) | Freedom Tour (Journey tour) | 9,000 | |
| April 4, 2024 | Chris Stapleton | Allen Stone | All-American Road Show Tour | 14,000 | |
| April 20, 2024 | Kane Brown | Tyler Hubbard | In The Air Tour | 15,000 | |
| August 25 and 26th, 2024 | Zach Bryan | the Quittin Time tour | 24,000 and 20,000 |
Football Games and Records
The Alerus Center is a fantastic home for football. It can hold 12,283 fans for a game. The most people ever at a North Dakota Fighting Hawks football game here was 13,500. This happened on October 6, 2001, when they played against North Dakota State University.
The Fighting Hawks have a great record playing at the Alerus Center. As of September 2024, they have won 110 games and lost only 30!
Other Exciting Events
Besides concerts and football, the Alerus Center has hosted many other cool events. These include WWE Smackdown wrestling shows and the Toughest Monster Truck Tour. In 2008, important political meetings were held here, with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton speaking.
Nearby Fun: Canad Inns Destination Center
Right next to the Alerus Center is the Canad Inns Destination Center. This big complex was finished in 2007. It has a 13-story hotel tower, which is the tallest building in Grand Forks!
The Destination Center also has the largest waterpark in North Dakota. Plus, there are three restaurants, a small casino, and an arcade for games. This was the first time the Canadian hotel chain, Canad Inns, built a facility in the United States.
Images for kids
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Alerus Center in 2006
See also
- List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums
