Four Seasons Arena facts for kids
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| Location | 400 3rd Street NW, Great Falls, Montana, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 47°30′52″N 111°19′12″W / 47.51444°N 111.32000°W |
| Owner | Cascade County, Montana |
| Operator | Cascade County, Montana |
| Capacity | Basketball: 5,054 Concert: 5,870 Rodeo: 4,146 |
| Opened | 1979 |
| Tenants | |
| Great Falls Americans (WHL) (1979–1980) Montana Golden Nuggets (CBA) (1980–1983) Great Falls Americans (AFHL/AWHL) (1995–2003) Great Falls Explorers (CBA) (2006–2008) |
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The Four Seasons Arena is a large indoor building in Great Falls, Montana, United States. It's used for many things, like sports games and big shows. Built in 1979, it was mostly an ice rink until 2005. Problems with its ice rinks led it to become a place for sports and shows. In 2018, local leaders started planning to replace the arena. The new arena might cost $86 million and seat up to 12,000 people. Voters might get to decide on this plan in November 2019. As of 2011, it is the biggest place for events, music, and sports in Great Falls.
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Building the Arena: A Community Effort
Before the Four Seasons Arena was built, Great Falls didn't have a big indoor sports center. High school gyms and other local buildings were too small. For example, the gym at Great Falls High School, built in 1930, only held about 1,200 people. The biggest gym, at Charles M. Russell High School, could seat 4,000.
Having no large arena made it hard for professional sports teams to grow in the city. It also meant Great Falls couldn't host big high school sports events. In 1975, the city of Billings built a huge arena called METRA, which could seat 12,000 people. This inspired leaders in Great Falls.
In 1977, a group called Leadership Great Falls decided the city needed a big, multi-purpose indoor sports arena. City Commissioner John St. Jermain pushed for this idea. He tried to get city tax money to build it, but voters said no in 1977. Then, in 1978, he got a special grant from the government to pay for most of the building costs.
The Four Seasons Arena was built in 1979 at the Montana State Fairgrounds, now called Montana ExpoPark. Because it was built mostly with government money, it ended up being half the size first planned. It was mainly designed as an ice rink and didn't even have air conditioning at first.
The arena originally had two ice rinks: a main one and a smaller practice rink. The main rink could be changed from ice to a basketball court or rodeo arena in about four days. It could seat 6,314 people when it first opened.
In 1994, Great Falls voters approved $7.9 million to improve the fairgrounds. This money helped build a new exhibition hall and fix up the Four Seasons Arena. The new Exhibition Hall, built in 1995, is 15,000 square feet and can seat up to 1,500 people.
How the Arena Has Been Used
Cascade County owns the Montana State Fairgrounds and the Four Seasons Arena. Even though it wasn't built for everything, the arena quickly started being used for many different events. This led to a lot of wear and tear. By 1987, the fairgrounds were in debt, and people criticized how the county managed them.
In 1988, the city of Great Falls took over managing the fairgrounds and arena. But the building was already getting old. In 1988, the Montana High School Association said Great Falls couldn't host basketball tournaments at the arena after 1989 because it was in such bad shape. In 1989, a big roof leak forced a high school basketball tournament to move to another school.
In 2001, the arena's heating and ventilation system was updated for the first time. A study showed that both ice rinks needed $1.5 million in repairs, but these repairs didn't happen. Many groups used the arena, like hockey teams and rodeo promoters. But they often argued with each other and with the city managers.
In 2003, the city's management agreement ended. The city wanted to keep managing the arena and planned to spend money on renovations. They also wanted to plan for a new, bigger convention and sports center. The county decided to take over management again. They hired a company called SMG World to run the fairgrounds and arena.
SMG found big problems with both ice rinks. In 2003, they reported that the practice rink was leaking and uneven, which was dangerous. They suggested closing it, as repairs would cost too much. The main rink also needed new walls to keep players and fans safe.
The practice ice rink's cooling system broke in April 2003 and couldn't be fixed. So, the practice rink closed forever. This led the Great Falls Americans junior hockey team to move away. With less ice time available, Four Seasons Arena started looking for other events. It began hosting high school basketball tournaments. In 2005, SMG decided to offer ice in the main rink only for a few months a year.
In 2009, Four Seasons Arena finally got air conditioning. The next year, the county loaned money to replace and fix the arena's seating. They also cleaned up the concession areas and refurbished the "green room" for performers.
Future Plans for the Arena
In 2010, a study looked at big changes for the fairgrounds and Four Seasons Arena. It found problems like crumbling foundations and poor sound in the arena. The report suggested spending millions to replace the grandstand or build a larger arena.
Less big changes were also suggested. Four Seasons Arena could become just an exhibition hall, and the current Exhibition Hall could become a banquet hall.
Around the same time, a private group announced plans to build a new $40 million indoor sports arena south of the city. This new facility would have indoor soccer fields, basketball courts, and a wrestling area. The second part of the project would be a 150,000 square foot arena for 6,000 people, big enough for football games or rodeos. This group also planned outdoor practice fields and a small hotel.
Exciting Events at Four Seasons
Professional Sports Teams
The arena has been home to several professional sports teams. It hosted the Great Falls Americans hockey team in 1979. From 1979 to 2003, it was also the home rink for the Great Falls Americans junior league hockey team.
The Montana Golden Nuggets basketball team played at Four Seasons from 1981 to 1983. Later, the Great Falls Explorers basketball team played there from 2006 until 2008.
"Firsts" and Special Events
Over the years, Four Seasons Arena has hosted many special events.
- In January 1989, Great Falls native and Olympic boxer Todd Foster had his first professional boxing match here.
- Music legend Bob Dylan played a concert here in 2005.
- The first MayFaire concert, a yearly arts and music event, was held here in 2006. It featured country singer Trisha Yearwood.
- In 2007, for the first time, all of Great Falls' voting places were combined into one spot: the Four Seasons Arena Exhibition Hall.
- In March 2011, the arena hosted the city's first-ever mixed martial arts event.
Three times, a President or future President of the United States has spoken at the arena.
- On February 3, 2005, President George W. Bush spoke here.
- On May 30, 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama gave a speech.
- President Donald Trump spoke at the arena on July 5, 2018.
High School Basketball Tournaments
Four Seasons Arena has been a popular spot for high school basketball.
- It hosted the Montana Class AA boys' basketball tournament in 2001 and 2003.
- It also hosted the Class AA boys' and girls' combined tournaments in 2006 and 2008. It will host them again in 2013.
- The Class A boys' tournament was held here in 2010.
- The Class B boys' tournament has been held here many times, including 1989, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2010.
The arena has also hosted many Class C basketball tournaments. Class C has a special setup because of the many schools and long distances in Montana.
- Four Seasons Arena hosted the Class C state boys' basketball tournament in 1999.
- In 2005, it hosted the first-ever combined Northern Division Class C boys' tournament.
- It hosted the combined Northern Class C boys' and girls' tournaments in 2008 and 2009.
- In 2010, it was the site of the Class C girls' state basketball tournament, the first time this event was held in Great Falls.
- The arena will host the Class C girls' state tournament again in 2012.
Other Cool Sporting Events
Rodeo events are often held at Four Seasons. The Montana Pro Rodeo Finals have been here every year since 1980. The arena also hosted the first-ever World Professional Bull Riding Finals in 1999 and 2000.
The arena hosted the yearly Terry Casey Memorial Cup high school hockey tournament in 2000, 2006, and 2008.
In 2006, Four Seasons hosted the Northern Native American Classic for the first time. This is a basketball tournament for high schools in the northern U.S. with mostly Native American students. In 2008, the National Cutting Horse Association held an eight-day horse competition here. In this sport, riders guide horses to separate cattle using only their voices, not reins.
Other Yearly Events
Many other big events happen at Four Seasons Arena every year.
The Montana Agricultural Industrial Exhibit (MAGIE) is held here. This farm and ranch trade show brings people from many states and Canada. It's Montana's biggest trade show. It has been held at the arena every year since 2000, except for 2006.
Since 1999, parts of Western Art Week have been held at the arena. The Great Falls Gun and Antique Show has also been held here every year since 2002. The Electric City Kennel Club started holding its yearly dog show at Four Seasons in the same year.
In 2005, the What Women Want Expo moved to the Four Seasons. This event became so popular that only the Four Seasons Arena could fit all the exhibitors and crowds.
Arena Features
The Four Seasons Arena is built from concrete and steel. The inside walls are unfinished concrete with special sound-absorbing panels. The floor is polished concrete, and the ceiling shows exposed steel beams.
The main hall is a big rectangular space, about 141 feet by 222 feet. This gives it a total area of 33,000 square feet. The Side 2 room is smaller, about 80 feet by 222 feet, with 17,000 square feet. Both rooms have a clearance height of 28 feet. The arena has nine dressing rooms, several hospitality rooms, and an office for clients.
The Exhibition Hall is connected to the arena by a hallway. It's about 220 feet by 80 feet, with 15,000 square feet. When you add offices, restrooms, and other areas, the Four Seasons Arena has a total of 53,000 square feet. The wall between the main room and Side 2 can often be removed to create an even larger space.
Four Seasons has permanent seats on the east, west, and north sides. More temporary seats can be added to expand the seating. For concerts, chairs can be placed on the arena floor to fit more people.
Supporting the Arena
The Four Seasons Arena is supported by the Four Seasons Sports Foundation. This private, nonprofit group raises money to help pay for the costs of bringing sporting events to the arena. The arena pays about half the cost, and the foundation pays the other half. In 2011, George Geise, a long-time sports writer, became chairman of the foundation's new outreach committee. He works with local businesses and sports groups to make the arena more attractive for hosting events.
