CN Centre celebrates 30 years

It was a Sunday fun day at the CN Centre as the City celebrated the arena’s 30th anniversary.

Plenty of residents got onto the ice at the arena for a free public skate, that went along with food, drinks, and cake.

It also capped off a week full of concerts at the venue, including Bryan Adams, Brent Butt, and Trooper.

“It’s been quite a week around here, it’s been just tremendous since last Tuesday, with the start of Bryan Adams and in fact prior to that with the Cougars’ home opener and that weekend and Hockeyfest,” said CN Centre Manager Glen Mikkelsen.

“It’s been quite a ten days around Exhibition Park and CN Centre.”

Mikkelsen says the arena always punches above its weight because people come out to support the venue.

“They believe in the building, they believe in getting together and sharing time here,” he said.

“That show we saw with Bryan Adams, in a few weeks he’s going to be putting on that same show in Madison Square Garden in New York, so the ability for our team here, our staff, the sideshow staff with the riggers and the hands that help put it together.”

Mikkelsen noted the Bryan Adams show isn’t going to some other cities in Canada with comparable sizes, and the CN Centre has good relationships with promoters.

Andy Beesley, the City’s Director of Civic Facilities and Events, said his favourite memory of the arena came when Elton John graced the arena.

“People sometimes don’t understand we didn’t really get concerts up in Prince George over the last history, I remember when a big night was Nazareth downtown in one of the buildings down there, the fact that we’re getting these major shows now is really something,” he said.

“But the moment that stands out for me is, I wasn’t standing with Glen at the time, but we were watching Elton John, which we just couldn’t believe Elton John was in our building, and just how far we’ve come with getting groups to come up here, and I got quite emotional watching it during the song Tiny Dancer and just looking out over the crowd and feeling so proud of the team and just what we’ve accomplished here, talking to Glen after I found out he was standing somewhere else and he was having the exact same thing happen to him.”

For Mikkelsen, he said there’s been many, but some of his best experiences come from standing near the mixer board and watching people have a good time.

“That happens a lot, but those are the moments that I most appreciate, because up to then it’s been all the work getting the show to come here to Prince George, organizing it, getting the building ready and putting it together that day,” he said.

“When you’re standing there and you’re just looking around, seeing people dancing, singing, cheering at Cougars games, whatever it is, that’s the highlight, and that’s why people keep coming back and keep supporting this venue.”

For the next 30 years, Mikkelsen said he predicts people will continue to support the venue.

“It’s just going to be more experiences, there’s going to be more people taking this on after I leave here and it will just continue on because it is the centre for sports and entertainment in northern British Columbia.”