GILLETTE, Wyo. — An open house of monumental proportions is taking place in Gillette this week.
Construction of the new $42 million Wyoming Center at Cam-plex is complete, and an official dedication is set for Thursday.
The grand opening will include a performance by the Chinese Dragon Acrobats, tours and a Kenny Rogers concert.
The 123,000-square-foot events center took almost two years to build.
“To build this building in two years in the Gillette market is a real feat,” Cam-plex Director Dan Barks said.
The center started as a dream in 2002. It became a hotly debated subject in the subsequent years as Campbell County residents decided to tax themselves $22 million for the facility while the other $20 million was paid for with help from the city of Gillette and the county.
The events center will have a seating capacity of 9,000. It features a track that is more than three-quarters of a mile long.
The Wyoming Center can be configured to have three separate halls thanks to large, movable, 30-foot tall panels. Many of the panels are soundproof to keep noise interference to a minimum.
One hall will include an ice arena, featuring a full-size hockey rink with both permanent seating and mezzanine seating.
It is designed to be able to accommodate many different ice-related events, such as figure skating, hockey games and ice shows.
“Now that Gillette has a full sheet of ice and a state-of-the-art facility, I think we can get people to come here from anywhere in the region,” said Earl Rankin, ice arena manager for Campbell County Parks and Recreation Department.
The center also contains a kitchen that can serve up to 3,000 meals ranging from fine dining to hot dogs. Concession stands are spread through the facility from the mezzanine to the lobbies.
