Event Center grand opening Nov. 16

Office of Communications & Marketing |Northeastern State University
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. --The much anticipated grand opening for Northeastern State Universitys state-of-the-art multipurpose event center is among us, and on Nov. 16 the doors will open and welcome NSU faculty, staff, students, alumni and the Tahlequah, Okla. community as a whole. For the induction of something of this magnitude, there is sure to never be a dull moment and a celebration the likes of which this town has never seen.

The morning of the big day, NSUs very own RiverHawk Ambassadors will provide tours of the center between 9:30-11:30 a.m. During the tours the Legacy Landing, formerly known as the Hall of Honor and touchscreen displays, among several other cutting-edge apparatus may be seen. Those in attendance will be amazed by all that the event center has to offer.

After the mornings tours have commenced there of course will be Tahlequahs traditional game day events, including the much loved Tailgating at the Doc Wadley Stadium north parking lot. The RiverHawk football games kickoff is at 1 p.m., as we take on our rival team from the University of Central Oklahoma. The dedication ceremony of the event center will take place at halftime.

The official grand opening for the NSU Event Center is scheduled at 5:45 p.m., with the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony and recognition of NSU constituents. This ceremony will begin in the arena and be followed by an NCAAD-II NSU basketball doubleheader. The womens basketball team will face Drury University at 6 p.m., and immediately following will be the mens basketball team taking on Harding University. Before, during and after both games there will be video tours and games showcasing the big event. Further recognition of those who made the event center a possibility will occur with presentations of commemorative basketballs, T-shirts and towels to dignitaries, donors, NSU students, former basketball student-athletes, coaches and cheerleaders.

The event center truly is a multipurpose facility with retractable seating that can be used for a plethora of events including, but certainly not limited to: university sports, concerts, conventions, trade shows and a multitude of other events which can only further enhance the universitys mission and opportunities for the community.

The 86,000-square foot multipurpose event center with flexible seating for 4,000 visitors consists of 69 rooms, including the offices for NSU athletics administration and alumni association, the team store for apparel and fan supplies, multiple concession areas, NCAA regulation basketball and volleyball court, a new community center for the City of Tahlequah and support infrastructure for everything from high school and collegiate tournaments to home and garden shows.

The construction on the $17.1 million facility began in the summer of 2012 and has employed hundreds of workers from around the region, stimulating the local economy. Now with the construction complete, the NSU Event Center allows for additional parking, seating in a safe and functional setting for important indoor community and collegiate events, such as commencement.