
The Star Center was packed for the New Mexico Scorpions’ home opener nearly 16 years ago.
Remember the late Rodney Dangerfield … the guy who “got no respect”?
Sometimes that’s how I feel about the Rio Rancho Events Center, formerly known as the Santa Ana Star Center.
I was there the day they broke ground. I wrote a message — “Game on!” — on the final beam that was installed. I was at the New Mexico Scorpions’ debut there in October 2006 and I still go there quite regularly.
It’s a gorgeous facility, and I think I know almost every nook and cranny, and that includes wandering onto the roof and taking cool hockey photos from the catwalk.
But what I find unfortunate is that Duke City residents refrain from coming out here – you’d think they were going to Saturn.
The City of Rio Rancho could use their participation at events, not only for entertainment purposes, but for revenue and tax receipts – and people coming here sometimes buy lunch/dinner, shop and refuel their cars. ($$$)
Recently, between bouts of the Bare Knuckles Fighting Championships, which turned out to be better entertainment than I originally thought, I started making a list of the myriad events I’ve attended to in that arena, and here’s all that came to mind, or at least in my reporter’s notebook, in no particular order:
- High school volleyball championships
- High school basketball
- High school wrestling championships
- High school hockey championships
- College basketball
- Professional basketball
- Harlem Globetrotters basketball
- WWE
- Boxing
- Roller Derby
- Bull riding
- Monster trucks
- Home shows
- Indoor soccer
- Indoor football
- Comedy (Larry the Cable Guy, Jeff Dunham and Rodney Carrington)
- Concerts (Moddy Blues, James Taylor)
- Law enforcement funerals
- Chamber luncheons
- Sports Advisory Council banquets
- “Official” announcements, such as that about the New Mexico Runners coming there
- Pork & Brew
- High school graduations
- Donald Trump
Of course, a lot more has taken place out there, and by “out there,” I don’t mean anything condescending. I don’t expect to get invited to the annual Jehovah’s Witnesses conventions there, probably because I’m more of a half-witness.
The arena, like Dangerfield once did, deserves respect.
I’ll be hoping to see you out there soon … and tell your Albuquerque friends they’ve been missing a lot. There’s a gun show there this weekend, and Jon Pardi, Casting Crowns, Blues Clues and the Toughest Monster Truck Tour are on its itinerary the next few months.