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Northwest Arkansas Sports and Entertainment Arena


Julles

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I also forgot to mention the Springfield Lasers which is a World Team Tennis Leauge Team! This is incrediable seeing how there are only 12 teams in the US! They have also been 2nd in the "WORLD" in team standings and the likes of Lindsey Davenport have been a part of the team. The 2004 winner of the French Open Anastasia Myskina has been on the team for 3 years. The teams plays in the 2,500 seat outdoor stadium court, which has also been used for large concerts.

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Wouldn't surprise me if Mcheiss is right.

MasonsDad...my wife and I grew up in Springfield and it's a wonderful city...I'll tell anyone who listens that it was/is an "All-American city", and I couldn't have asked for a nicer place in which to have been raised.

However, how many Fortune 5, Fortune 100 or even Fortune 500 companies does Springfield have?*

*And frankly, as nice as Springfield is I've always been puzzled by this. From what I can gather, it's almost as if the city has collectively said to companies: "OK, you want to move to our beautiful city, fine. But you won't get any tax breaks...we don't need to grant 'em. And if you want to move someplace else that's fine as well...best to you." And I'm NOT meaning that as a slap to the Queen City of the Ozarks.

I'm sure this is how it was when you lived here but now the city has two large area's of the city that is called Free Enterprise Zone where any company that locates in these area's get a HUGE tax break. The city did this to lure the big companies in which it is working quite well.

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This isn't about my city is better than your city. I'm not the one who claimed that Northwest Arkansas would surpass Springfield when it comes to concerts and large-scale entertainment events.

Let's just keep it real. I said NWA has a long way to prove itself if it's going to compete with Springfield, because Springfield is in a whole different class when it comes to concerts, sporting events, motorsports, circuses and every other form of entertainment. How is NWA going to compete when in just the last 3-4 years I've witnessed the closing of Poor Richards Gifts and Confectionery, Pleasure Island Family Fun Park, Thunder Valley Speedway and a host of small businesses and restaurants. Now our brand new indoor football team has shut down. Nothing new in NWA save a new mall which is already way past due and a host of Wal-Mart vendors, condos and mini-mansions. I'm not even going to get into the many, many, many attractions that Springfield offers that NWA can only dream of.

Springfield also has a much more diverse economy and doesn't rely on only a couple major corporations and employers. Well-known companies with large operations in Springfield include the following: Hammons Hotels (headquarters), Great Southern Bancorp (headquarters), Kraft Foods, 3M, Bass Pro Shops (headquarters), O'Reilly Auto Parts (headquarters), JP Morgan Chase, SLS International (headquarters), Mueller Company (headquarters), Guaranty Federal Bancshares (headquarters), T-Mobile, Northrop Grumman, and MCI Worldcom. Other large employers in Springfield include Cox Medical Center, Springfield-Branson National Airport and Southwest Missouri State University.

Just trying to keep it real.

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This isn't about my city is better than your city. I'm not the one who claimed that Northwest Arkansas would surpass Springfield when it comes to concerts and large-scale entertainment events.

Let's just keep it real. I said NWA has a long way to prove itself if it's going to compete with Springfield, because Springfield is in a whole different class when it comes to concerts, sporting events, motorsports, circuses and every other form of entertainment. How is NWA going to compete when in just the last 3-4 years I've witnessed the closing of Poor Richards Gifts and Confectionery, Pleasure Island Family Fun Park, Thunder Valley Speedway and a host of small businesses and restaurants. Now our brand new indoor football team has shut down. Nothing new in NWA save a new mall which is already way past due and a host of Wal-Mart vendors, condos and mini-mansions. I'm not even going to get into the many, many, many attractions that Springfield offers that NWA can only dream of.

Springfield also has a much more diverse economy and doesn't rely on only a couple major corporations and employers. Well-known companies with large operations in Springfield include the following: Hammons Hotels (headquarters), Great Southern Bancorp (headquarters), Kraft Foods, 3M, Bass Pro Shops (headquarters), O'Reilly Auto Parts (headquarters), JP Morgan Chase, SLS International (headquarters), Mueller Company (headquarters), Guaranty Federal Bancshares (headquarters), T-Mobile, Northrop Grumman, and MCI Worldcom. Other large employers in Springfield include Cox Medical Center, Springfield-Branson National Airport and Southwest Missouri State University.

Just trying to keep it real.

MasonsDad1, as I said, Springfield's my hometown, whereas I live in NWA now, so I'm going to keep it cool. They're both great metro areas that I believe have some fascinating times ahead of them (you know how we've talked about NWA getting a 1+ million population? - I've seen a Springfield News-Leader article which said that city's projected to have a metro area somewhere in size between the Tulsa MSA and the Cincinnati one...whew), and what's cool is that NWA, with all it's got going for it (some of which Springfield may never have, some of which NWA will likely never have) is catching up.

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MasonsDad1, as I said, Springfield's my hometown, whereas I live in NWA now, so I'm going to keep it cool. They're both great metro areas that I believe have some fascinating times ahead of them (you know how we've talked about NWA getting a 1+ million population? - I've seen a Springfield News-Leader article which said that city's projected to have a metro area somewhere in size between the Tulsa MSA and the Cincinnati one...whew), and what's cool is that NWA, with all it's got going for it (some of which Springfield may never have, some of which NWA will likely never have) is catching up.

Please show me how NWA is catching up with Springfield? The only thing NWA has over Springfield is it's placement on a list of best places to do business and even Springfield is in the top 25% of that same list. Aside from that all NWA has going for it can already be found in Springfield. And I mean literally everything and there a many, many, things to be found in Springfield that cannot be found in NWA and may never be found in NWA based on history, facts and evidence.

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Mason's Dad...everyone has the right to their own opinion, but you take it too far. If you like Springfield so much and think it's so much better, then maybe you might want to consider moving there.

I'm doing a lot of research into making that little thing happen. Fortunately my job doesn't pay much so it would be easy for me to leave. I'm finishing some certification courses right now so I can get a better job in Springfield. My target to move is by the end of next year. I'm in no rush.

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I wonder how many arenas of this size are built privately without any county, state, or municipal funds. I'm not sure I remember it being done anywhere, especially without a major sports franchise involved. For it to happen in a smaller metro is even more unusual. That $35-45 million pricetag will not build an arena as nice as they would lead us to believe. Alltel in LR cost $80 million in 1999 and Bud Walton $25 million in 1993. Unfortunately since then costs of construction materials, especially steel, have increased substantially, steel several-fold. Smaller arenas in terms of seating don't necessarily cost that much less (i.e. a 9000 seat arena would not cost half of the price of a 18,000 seat one that was similar - it would be more in the range of 2/3-3/4 or so). I think the price would be higher or it would be "stripped".

I also have to wonder about location, it seems that someplace closer to I-540 might be better for accessibility and Lowell would be more central to the metro as a whole. I'm not sure those roads can carry that traffic well and there's no existing parking for it but all of that could be built. I would expect a lot more "off-airport" parking lots to pop up that would cater to the arena as well.

Liquor sales have to be THE issue. For this to be built, Benton Co will have to cave and allow alcohol sales for revenue production purposes. Any private investors that built an arena in a dry county with two wet ones nearby is foolish as that could as much as double their revenue.

That event number isn't too preposterous. Alltel was used 2/3 of the year at one point and had to get rid of the ECHL hockey club because they were using too many dates they could've brought in concerts. Concerts, especially of the middle-tier variety, would be the main revenue producers along with "events" like ice skatings tours, circuses, minor league hockey and/or football, etc. The other obvious issue is Tulsa and Springfield are the nearby competition and neither really has an exceptional arena that would outcompete this for concerts, I think the Mabee Center and Convention Center in Tulsa are both around 9000 capacity as well.

There are going to be some bumps on the road with this development but it sure will be interesting to see what will happen.

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One thing I think everyone knows is that private enterprise can do things that government can not. The AllTel Arena was built for $69 million and enough private dollars was raised to pay for the construction. Bud Walton cost $30 million to build and Bud Walton gave 25 million to put his name on the building. From what i hear this facility has been in design for almost a year. From what I heard it will be similar to the Gwinnett Civic Center but a little smaller. I have been in the Gwinnett Center and it is very nice. Carpeted concourses, skyboxes, VIP areas great ingress and egress in the building. The same designer for the NWA project did the Bud Walton Arena and the Alltel Arena. My friend told me that the project costs are between $40-$45 million true cost. If the City of Bentonville wanted to build this themselves it will cost them $60-$65 million. The reason is that private developers can shop for the best deal on FF&E, construction and finance options. The government has to have biddders and everyone knows when it is a governement deal the prices goes, like a $900 dollar hammer we can buy at ACE for $7 bucks.

As for Springfield MO, being competetion to this faciltity give me a break. If it was not for John Q. Springfield would be a resting stop on I-40. Second promoters of concerts and shows go where the money is. The avg. HHI in NWA is almost double that of Springfield. It does not matter if the build a 20,000 seat 200,000 million dollar arena, it will be empty. Promoters want to paly in smaller venues where tey can max out the ticket prices and have the buildings full. Artists HATE to play to half full arenas and stadiums. 70% of all touring acts today play in buildings smaller 11,000 seats. The other reason is cost. A "big" building cost big money. Alltel Arena charges $25,000 minimum just for rent. That number is higher for concerts. The promoters also have to pay for all the expenses for the event i.e; security, ushers, parking attendants, ticket takers, EMT's/medical, etc. That number could be as high as $25,000-$30,000. On top of that, the promoter has to pay the talent a fee. This fee can be anywhere for $50,000 to 1 million per show. The Rolling Stones just had a N.A. tour and they should out arenas with ticket prices starting at $350 per, Elton John started at $65 per. All shows were sell outs. Now Tulsa is a different animal. They are building a 180 million arena in downtown called the Bank of Oklahoma Center. It will be used more like the Ford Center in OKC. If competetion occurs between NWA and Tulsa it will come down to how can make a better deal for the promoter. Public financed arenas hands are tied in alot of cases. Private enterprise can do what they want.

As for hockey in the Alltel Arena, the ECHL team was not pushed out because it was taking to many dates. Buildings want and need long term tenants. Teams in hockey will use 32-37 dates per season. That is what buildings want. The team folded because it was owned by a "corporation" and was not able to turn a profit and it folded. It had nothing to do with releasing dates for more concerts. If that was the case the NBDL team would have been pushed out also.

The problem with moving this center closer to I-540 is the cost of land. It will cost at least $10 sg. ft times 43,560 times 50. It just becomes to costly. You also have to think about traffic. Where near I-540 are you going to go, even at $10 per sq. ft.? Lowell, they can not handle this project. It is to big for the water and sewer limits they currently have. So Lowell is out, Rogers is left, where do you go? Off of Pleasant Grove, no way. There was nowhere to go. This location from what I see is the best for today and the future growth of tomorrow. The county is growing west where the land is alot cheaper. I also do not believe that the announcement has anything to do with getting people to make Benton County wet.

The Arkansas Stars are still in "business" if you want to cal it that. I do not see this arena group doing any deals with any "off-shoot" fringe leagues. I think they are going to bring in a CHL hockey team that has teams in Tulsa, OKC, Memphis, Shreveport, Ft. Worth and Whicita. I heard they are looking at the NBDL which is the AAA of basketball. That league is owned and run by the NBA. So I think it is not going to happen with the Stars moving into the new arena when the they have already said publicly that they will own all teams. I think that is a smart.

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Very interesting info big ez. I guess I need to see what I can find out on the Gwinnett Center if this is supposed to be something comparible. You certainly do bring up some good points. While being located closer to I-540 might have been more convenient the cost of land certainly is more expensive there. That's something I hadn't thought of. I also agree with you on some of the teams. I wouldn't think that they would ncessarily go after some of the really small leagues and such if they're going to the trouble of building this. It will be interesting to have some teams that might compete with other local city teams like Little Rock, Springfield and Tulsa.

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Very interesting info big ez. I guess I need to see what I can find out on the Gwinnett Center if this is supposed to be something comparible. You certainly do bring up some good points. While being located closer to I-540 might have been more convenient the cost of land certainly is more expensive there. That's something I hadn't thought of. I also agree with you on some of the teams. I wouldn't think that they would ncessarily go after some of the really small leagues and such if they're going to the trouble of building this. It will be interesting to have some teams that might compete with other local city teams like Little Rock, Springfield and Tulsa.

Well I really think that this facility will do wonders. I read today in Ballpark Digest that Perry Webb CEO of the Springdale Chamber said and I quote" The arena project for Springdale is on the back burner and on July 12 it will become a top priority". Is this guy on crack? He is proposing to spend 50 million(up from 10 million) on a baseball stadium with a team that has no lease. What is the deal with the baseball team if thier is even one? Now he states in the public that he wants the citizens of Springdale to fund a arena to compete with a private venture? I bet the ASEP will not like to hear this and I have a feeling that these 13 guys have alot of cash and if Perry Webb is not careful he could find of those members of the group if not the entire group campaigning agianst the baseball park, and Springdale will end up with nothing. Stayed tuned I think things in NWA are about to get a lot more interesting.

EZ

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Well I really think that this facility will do wonders. I read today in Ballpark Digest that Perry Webb CEO of the Springdale Chamber said and I quote" The arena project for Springdale is on the back burner and on July 12 it will become a top priority". Is this guy on crack? He is proposing to spend 50 million(up from 10 million) on a baseball stadium with a team that has no lease. What is the deal with the baseball team if thier is even one? Now he states in the public that he wants the citizens of Springdale to fund a arena to compete with a private venture? I bet the ASEP will not like to hear this and I have a feeling that these 13 guys have alot of cash and if Perry Webb is not careful he could find of those members of the group if not the entire group campaigning agianst the baseball park, and Springdale will end up with nothing. Stayed tuned I think things in NWA are about to get a lot more interesting.

EZ

Some of this was covered in the topic discussing the baseball stadium. I'm getting the impression they feel that there is a team lined up. But the team doesn't want all of this to become public yet for fear of losing their current fan base in Wichita until the stadium is built in Springdale. I can see the point. Although maybe some would argue that it's just a ploy and there really isn't a team set up yet.

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Let's hope this arena is at least half as good as everyone thinks. Other nearby metros, that I won't bother mentioning due to all the jealousy that ensues, have had these kinds of facilities for years and have, obviously, been doing very well by them. This will be a first for NWA in every way, shape, and form so how well it does is a big ?. It will take years, possibly decades, for NWA to show those other metros it can compete. I wouldn't get my hopes up too much about major performers and top performing sports teams to just jump into NWA with it being so new to these types of attractions.

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The problem with moving this center closer to I-540 is the cost of land. It will cost at least $10 sg. ft times 43,560 times 50. It just becomes to costly. You also have to think about traffic. Where near I-540 are you going to go, even at $10 per sq. ft.? Lowell, they can not handle this project. It is to big for the water and sewer limits they currently have. So Lowell is out, Rogers is left, where do you go? Off of Pleasant Grove, no way. There was nowhere to go. This location from what I see is the best for today and the future growth of tomorrow. The county is growing west where the land is alot cheaper. I also do not believe that the announcement has anything to do with getting people to make Benton County wet.

The Arkansas Stars are still in "business" if you want to cal it that. I do not see this arena group doing any deals with any "off-shoot" fringe leagues. I think they are going to bring in a CHL hockey team that has teams in Tulsa, OKC, Memphis, Shreveport, Ft. Worth and Whicita. I heard they are looking at the NBDL which is the AAA of basketball. That league is owned and run by the NBA. So I think it is not going to happen with the Stars moving into the new arena when the they have already said publicly that they will own all teams. I think that is a smart.

I do think that the Arena could have done well in the Downtown Bentonville area, specifically near the Future Crystal Bridges Art Museum. I'm not sure if the Walton's have purchased all the land out there, but it would be a great location for centralization and another reason to go to Downtown Bentonville.

I would be suprised if the NBDL will bring a team into NWA. They have a team in Tulsa, which could cause conflicts. The Central Hockey League is a great Hockey League, one of the best Minor Hockey Leagues, with teams all over the general area. This I could really see coming to the area.

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I would be suprised if the NBDL will bring a team into NWA. They have a team in Tulsa, which could cause conflicts. The Central Hockey League is a great Hockey League, one of the best Minor Hockey Leagues, with teams all over the general area. This I could really see coming to the area.

I think the appeal of hockey over other sports is there's no competition with UA there. The problem with the NBADL is it will be going head to head with one of the best-attended college basketball programs in the country in a small market. I don't see that being a terribly effective strategy.

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I think the appeal of hockey over other sports is there's no competition with UA there. The problem with the NBADL is it will be going head to head with one of the best-attended college basketball programs in the country in a small market. I don't see that being a terribly effective strategy.

Yeah there could be more problems going against games here at the U of A than games over in Tulsa. As far as attracting major performers. I think this will really help bring in at least some performers. I think this area is getting big enough to attract some.

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I think the appeal of hockey over other sports is there's no competition with UA there. The problem with the NBADL is it will be going head to head with one of the best-attended college basketball programs in the country in a small market. I don't see that being a terribly effective strategy.

See the thing is that leagues such as the CHL and the NBDL want other teams in same region. Having another sports team in NWA with teams in Tulsa is not a conflict. It is a true benefit. It creates a rivilary between the 2 markets which is great for the sport(s). No one in Tulsa is going to foresake going to a NBDL/CHL team there to come to NWA, unless they are playing a game here. To speak about the baseball park, I have seen it happen enough times just like this. Build it and they will come. Even more than just the park, Springdale has no respect for ASEP or the City of Bentonville building a building. The problem is if this Webb guy is successful in getting 2 bond issues passed then it will kill a private arena. No lender, corporate sponsor, lease holders or leagues will do anything until the deal until one of the 2 deals are dead. I think it is irresponsible on the part of the Sringdale Chamber and the mayor. I believe this is an election year so people need to be careful. I personally do not think that baseball will pass because it is a special" election and turn out is very low for those types of elections. A lot of voters are elderly and they do not vote for new taxes.

I also know for a fact that they arena people are about to purchase another 40 acres just north of the 50 acres they already own. I do not know what they are going to do but it must be something big for them to plunk down another 2 million dollars.

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See the thing is that leagues such as the CHL and the NBDL want other teams in same region. Having another sports team in NWA with teams in Tulsa is not a conflict. It is a true benefit. It creates a rivilary between the 2 markets which is great for the sport(s). No one in Tulsa is going to foresake going to a NBDL/CHL team there to come to NWA, unless they are playing a game here. To speak about the baseball park, I have seen it happen enough times just like this. Build it and they will come. Even more than just the park, Springdale has no respect for ASEP or the City of Bentonville building a building. The problem is if this Webb guy is successful in getting 2 bond issues passed then it will kill a private arena. No lender, corporate sponsor, lease holders or leagues will do anything until the deal until one of the 2 deals are dead. I think it is irresponsible on the part of the Sringdale Chamber and the mayor. I believe this is an election year so people need to be careful. I personally do not think that baseball will pass because it is a special" election and turn out is very low for those types of elections. A lot of voters are elderly and they do not vote for new taxes.

I also know for a fact that they arena people are about to purchase another 40 acres just north of the 50 acres they already own. I do not know what they are going to do but it must be something big for them to plunk down another 2 million dollars.

Hmmm...I'm not sure I get what you're saying about Springdale not respcting them. This deal in Bentonville was just made public not long ago. I've heard talk of the baseball stadium quite a while back ago. I think it's a good thing for Springdale. I think most people consider Springdale the 'black sheep' of NWA. I don't think it should soly rely on sports complexes but I think they could help give it a push in the right direction.

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Please show me how NWA is catching up with Springfield? The only thing NWA has over Springfield is it's placement on a list of best places to do business and even Springfield is in the top 25% of that same list. Aside from that all NWA has going for it can already be found in Springfield. And I mean literally everything and there a many, many, things to be found in Springfield that cannot be found in NWA and may never be found in NWA based on history, facts and evidence.

Mason's Dad...as I said I grew up in Springfield, just a few blocks up from the Springfield Art Museum in lovely Phelps Grove Park. It was and always has been a very nice place to see creations of art.

Will it ever be (or will the Springfield region ever have) something like this? Ever?

And as for the question I originally asked about Fortune 500 companies in Missouri...I'm pleased to see that in Oh...Oh...Oh...O'ReillEEEEE my hometown finally HAS such a corporation, or at least nearly so, headquartered there (scroll down to "Missouri").

How long will it be before the revenue generated from the big "O'R" catches up to that of the companies from NWA (scroll down to "Arkansas").

Or how about (and I'm not sure this is to be proud of) 5 high schools in NWA with a population of 2,300 or more. I don't think Springfield has had a high school with over 2,000 kids in my lifetime.

I'll be glad to list some things SPF has that NWA never will (such as a nationally key junction for these folks, enough to have an entire division named for the Queen City from Oklahoma to St. Louis to Birmingham and points south.).

But it's a fact...there are some things NWA has going for it that Springfield doesn't and may never have. As such, it's high time that some catching up is done in things like entertainment venues to serve the populace.

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Hmmm...I'm not sure I get what you're saying about Springdale not respcting them. This deal in Bentonville was just made public not long ago. I've heard talk of the baseball stadium quite a while back ago. I think it's a good thing for Springdale. I think most people consider Springdale the 'black sheep' of NWA. I don't think it should soly rely on sports complexes but I think they could help give it a push in the right direction.

What I am saying in a earlier post is that Perry Webb of the Chamber is going to make a arena in Springdale a "top priority". Springdale can have baseball, baseball is a financial loser for everyone except who owns the team.

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What I am saying in a earlier post is that Perry Webb of the Chamber is going to make a arena in Springdale a "top priority". Springdale can have baseball, baseball is a financial loser for everyone except who owns the team.

So you don't think there will be any advantages for Springdale for having a baseball team?

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But it's a fact...there are some things NWA has going for it that Springfield doesn't and may never have. As such, it's high time that some catching up is done in things like entertainment venues to serve the populace.

I've already mentioned those things that NWA has that Springfield may never have, namely Wal-Mart and all of it's vendors (75% of NWA's job growth), a lot of wealthy people moving here to retire and a lot of luxury subdivisions and gated communities. I personally think Springfield is doing pretty darn good without those things since Springfield already has ALL of the attractions that are merely planned for NWA.

We do agree on one thing for sure and that's there's a lot of catching up to do in NWA. I hate to keep this discussion going... unfortunately I'm an obsessive compulsive and I can't help myself. :D

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As for Springfield MO, being competetion to this faciltity give me a break. If it was not for John Q. Springfield would be a resting stop on I-40. Second promoters of concerts and shows go where the money is. The avg. HHI in NWA is almost double that of Springfield. It does not matter if the build a 20,000 seat 200,000 million dollar arena, it will be empty. Promoters want to paly in smaller venues where tey can max out the ticket prices and have the buildings full. Artists HATE to play to half full arenas and stadiums. 70% of all touring acts today play in buildings smaller 11,000 seats. The other reason is cost. A "big" building cost big money.

First of all the Avg. HHI in NWA is not almost twice that of Springfield, about $5,000 more....do some research. Second you are contradicting yourself when you say that "Springfield would be nothing if is was not for John Q." Ummmmm......lets see how much more money has the "Waltons" donated to the many projects of NWA.......not to mention the only thing that John Q. has done for Springfield up until 4 years ago,

is build a tall building. I not even going to go into the whole thing about the arena's becasue we all know that Springfield is on a much, much higher scale when it comes to concerts, shows, performances......Have you ever heard of the Route 66 Music Festival? This is one of the Biggest country music festivals in north america with over 30,000 attendee's and more than 30 artists and bands including Martina Mcbride, Kenney Chesney, Tim Mcgraw.......you get the picture. Not to mention the countless other concerts thoughout the year.

Now I am done with this jibber jabber about our cities because I love both of them and am very excited to see all the new developments when I visit my friend next week in Fayetteville.

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