Fargodome
Encyclopedia
The Fargodome is an indoor stadium
, located in Fargo, North Dakota
. It opened in 1992 and holds over 19,000 people for football games and over 25,000, for full arena concerts.
It contains two scoreboards on each endzone, four large video screens (one in each corner), two large electronic message centers below the scoreboards, as well as four stats boards (two centered on each sideline) all of which were installed by Daktronics
in 2002.
It is the home of the North Dakota State University
Bison football
team.
The stadium also plays host to many large concerts, sporting events and trade shows.
The Fargodome has also been known to hold events such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
, NHRA's Monster Jam, Rib Fest, WWE
, WCW
, the Asics Cadet and Junior National Wrestling Championships and many local, regional and national events.
The Fargodome's Gate City Bank Theatre is home to theatre
, both locally-produced and touring.
The building was originally planned to be modeled on the Tacoma Dome
and have an inflatable roof
. However as the design evolved it was decided to have a fixed hard roof although the dome name stuck.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
, located in Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
. It opened in 1992 and holds over 19,000 people for football games and over 25,000, for full arena concerts.
It contains two scoreboards on each endzone, four large video screens (one in each corner), two large electronic message centers below the scoreboards, as well as four stats boards (two centered on each sideline) all of which were installed by Daktronics
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video board, scoreboards, digital billboards and related products. The company is best known for its electronic LED displays...
in 2002.
It is the home of the North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
Bison football
North Dakota State Bison football
The North Dakota State Bison football program represents North Dakota State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level and competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. From 2004 to 2007, the Bison were members of the Great West Football...
team.
The Fargodome has also been known to hold events such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses...
, NHRA's Monster Jam, Rib Fest, WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
, WCW
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, the Asics Cadet and Junior National Wrestling Championships and many local, regional and national events.
The Fargodome's Gate City Bank Theatre is home to theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, both locally-produced and touring.
The building was originally planned to be modeled on the Tacoma Dome
Tacoma Dome
The Tacoma Dome is an indoor arena located in Tacoma, Washington, USA, approximately 30 miles south of Seattle.-History:...
and have an inflatable roof
Air-supported structure
An air-supported structure is any building that derives its structural integrity from the use of internal pressurized air to inflate a pliable material envelope, so that air is the main support of the structure, and where access is via airlocks.The concept was popularized on a large scale by...
. However as the design evolved it was decided to have a fixed hard roof although the dome name stuck.
History
- November 1987: Fargo Parks Superintendent Bob Johnson and City Council President Ranen Nicholson proposed a plan for convention and athletic facilities in Fargo.
- January 1988: Proposed plan was modified to include a single stadium to be built on North Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
land, that would be financed in part by a half-cent sales tax. - December 1988: Voters approved half-cent sales tax
- April 1989: Architects hired and construction process begins
- December 1992: Fargodome opens
- January 1994: Hosts Snow BowlCactus BowlThe Cactus Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played each January in Kingsville, Texas which showcases the best NFL draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility in NCAA Division II...
NCAA Division II football allstar game between 1994 and 2000 - December 2002: Fargodome celebrates its 10th anniversary
- December 2006: Initial talks underway to attach a 6,000-9,000 seat stadium to the Fargodome, for use as a basketball arena for the North Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
teams, as well as smaller performances. - March 2009: The Fargodome is used for the filling and storage of sandbags during the flood2009 Red River floodThe 2009 Red River flood along the Red River of the North in North Dakota and Minnesota in the United States and Manitoba in Canada brought record flood levels to the Fargo-Moorhead area. The flood was a result of saturated and frozen ground, Spring snowmelt exacerbated by additional rain and snow...
.