Hersheypark Arena (originally Hershey Sports Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

located in

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey. The community is lo ...

, managed by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company. The arena has a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

, for hockey, of 7,286 people and in excess of 8,000, including standing room.

History

When built in 1936 as the Hershey Sports Arena, the building was the largest monolithic structure in the United States in which not a single seat suffered from an obstructed view. For 64 years it was the home of the

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the c ...

hockey team from 1938 to 2002. The second sport at the arena was basketball. It hosted the PIAA basketball and wrestling championships, and it also served as the home of the

Hershey Impact The Hershey Impact was an indoor soccer club based in Hershey, Pennsylvania that competed in the National Professional Soccer League. The team played its home games at the Hersheypark Arena for all of its 3 seasons. Staff and ownership * Presi ...

, a National Professional Soccer League team from 1988 to 1991. It has also hosted the

Ice Capades The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Winter Olympic Games, Olympic and United States Figure Skating Championships, US National Champion figure skating, figur ...

, Disney on Ice, professional boxing, tennis competitions, and the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

's (WWF)

In Your House 5 In Your House 5 (retroactively titled In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings) was the fifth In Your House professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The event took place on December 17, 19 ...

pay-per-view in 1995. Previously it hosted WWF's '' Saturday Night's Main Event III'' on October 31, 1985 (aired November 2) with the main event being a tag-team match featuring

WWF Champion The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown ...

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

teaming with

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by exce ...

facing the team of

Big John Studd John William Minton (February 19, 1948 – March 20, 1995) was an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd. Studd is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wr ...

and

King Kong Bundy Christopher Alan Pallies (November 7, 1955 – March 5, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, actor and stand-up comedian, better known by his wrestling gimmick and ring name, King Kong Bundy. Under this gimmick, he portrayed a pugnacious, ...

. On October 13, 1953, the arena also hosted an extravagant birthday celebration for President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

whose farm and "weekend White House" was located in nearby Gettysburg.

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

performed and recorded their show, on December 1, 1995, which was later released as a live album, entitled ''

Live Phish 12.01.95 Live Phish 12.01.95 is a live album by the American rock band Phish. The album was originally released in MP3, FLAC and CD formats on March 20, 2007, and features the band's performance from December 1, 1995 at the Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, ...

''.

Last Bears game at Hersheypark Arena May 4, 2002

On September 22, 2012, the arena played host to its only wedding. It was held at center ice.

Basketball

On March 2, 1962, Philadelphia Warriors center

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a Center (basketball), center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 yea ...

recorded a record-setting 100 points in an

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

game against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

, a record that still stands today.

Roof fire

On July 5, 2012, a fire damaged the arena, which was in the midst of refurbishment. At about 3:00 PM local time, the fire was upgraded to five alarms. The fire burned for about two hours before being extinguished. The roof was damaged, but reported to not be in danger of collapse. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Current use

Hersheypark Arena is the home rink for the

Lebanon Valley College Lebanon Valley College (LVC, Lebanon Valley, or The Valley) is a private college in Annville, Pennsylvania. History Lebanon Valley was founded on February 23, 1866, with classes beginning May 7 of that year and its first class graduating in 1870 ...

ice hockey team. LVC competes in

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...

as of 2016, and previously competed in the ACHA. In addition, the arena hosts the Hershey Junior Bears, a youth team sponsored by the Bears organization. On most weekends during the fall and winter months, the rink is open to the public for ice skating. Annually, it hosts part of the

Music in the Parks {{Unreferenced, date=August 2020 Music in the Parks is a day-long or two-day festival for student choral, orchestral, and band ensembles, held annually across the United States. Music groups perform before adjudicators who rate the ensemble in the ...

competition.

Notes and references

External links

Hersheypark Arena official website

Hershey Bears Hockey Club official website

Lebanon Valley College Flying Dutchmen Ice Hockey

Shippensburg University Raiders Ice Hockey

"1936-2002: HersheyPark Arena's Sixty-Six Years as Home to Hershey Bears Hockey"

{{Authority control 1936 establishments in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Hershey Bears Hersheypark Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company Indoor arenas in Pennsylvania Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Indoor soccer venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1936 Sports venues in Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Wrestling venues in Pennsylvania