Detroit Pistons Preseason Action In Grand Rapids ON SALE NOW!

The Detroit Pistons announced today that individual tickets for their preseason game at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, The Meijer Basketball Classic, are officially on sale!

Tickets, priced as low as $15, are available by visiting the box office at Van Andel Arena, any Ticketmaster outlet, ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000. For groups of 10 or more, call (616) 742-6185, e-mail groupsales@smggr.com or order online at vanandelarena.com/groupsales.

The Meijer Basketball Classic, featuring the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks will be played on Wednesday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. Newcomers Greg Monroe and Tracy McGrady join Ben Gordon, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace and the rest of the core veterans to battle Mavericks stars Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd.

The preseason game marks the eighth consecutive time the Pistons have played in Grand Rapids since the 2001 preseason when the club hosted the Washington Wizards.

For more information, go to vanandelarena.com.

Sesame Street LIVE: Elmo's Healthy Heroes Coming to Van Andel Arena!

When Super Grover loses his "superness", Sesame Street needs a hero!

Never fear, Elmo and his team of Healthy Heroes are here.

Teaching lessons of healthy habits through song and dance, Elmo, Abby Cadabby and your favorite Sesame Street friends will explore exercise, nutrition, sleep/energy and hygiene - all in a quest to put the "super" back in Super Grover.

It's Healthy Heroes to the rescue!

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 10 AM. Tickets may be purchased at the Van Andel Arena® and De Vos Place® box offices, Ticketmaster ticket centers, including D & W stores and select Family Fare locations, charge by phone; 1.800.745.3000 or on line at http://www.ticketmaster.com/

VAA Concourse Expansion Shaping Up: Week 5

This week, you begin to see the full "skeleton" of the upcoming concourse! Construction is well underway and on schedule.

These pics really give you a sense of how far out the concourse will reach and thus, how much more space we'll all have—3500 sq. feet, to be exact! Take a look...

Pistons Preseason Action in Grand Rapids: Tickets On Sale Sept. 10th

Rip Hamilton. Ben Gordon. Charlie Villanueva. Rodney Stuckey.

Who's your favorite Piston?

Well, catch your favorite player and the rest of the Detroit Pistons, including newly-signed Tracy McGrady, right here in Grand Rapids' Van Andel Arena. The Pistons bring NBA preseason action against Dirk Nowitzki and the Western Conference powerhouse, Dallas Mavericks, on Wednesday, October 13 at 7PM.

Tickets start as low as $15! Tickets go on sale Friday, September 10th at 10AM and will be available at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place box offices, Ticketmaster ticket centers, charge by phone at 1.800.745.3000 and Ticketmaster.com. For group tickets, call 616.742.6185, email groupsales@smggr.com or online at vanandelarena.com/groupsales.

Week 4 of the Van Andel Arena Concourse Expansion

If you're following the Van Andel Arena construction--beyond Grand Rapids' endless amount of other projects--you know that week four of our concourse expansion project were all about the steel!
Progress is really moving along! In this set, you begin to see the new concourse will expand outside the current frame. Steel beams reach out of the building! Check it out:

Nominate West Michigan Children Making a Difference for THE BARNUM AWARD!

In honor of one of the founders of The Greatest Show On Earth®, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® announces the call for West Michigan Area nominations for The Barnum Award.

The award honors the spirit of P.T. Barnum and his inspirational contributions to society by identifying and celebrating children age six to 14 who give back to their own communities in creative, fun, and innovative ways. Nominations now being accepted for West Michigan area children can be submitted online at http://www.thebarnumaward.com/ through Sept. 3.

Three local award recipients will be chosen by a panel of distinguished local luminaries, and will receive award medals and grants to fund future local service projects. The Gold Barnum Award Recipient will receive a $1,000 grant, the Silver Barnum Award Recipient will receive a $750 grant, and the Bronze Barnum Award Recipient will receive a $500 grant to fund future community service endeavors.

Nominees will be judged on the impact of their accomplishments, creativity and innovation, and their inspiration to others relating to their cause. Nominators are required to be over the age of 21, and must fill out a short questionnaire about the child they feel is making a difference in the community.

The West Michigan recipients will be recognized at an award ceremony prior to the start of the opening night performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents ZING, ZANG, ZOOM® on Friday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena®, where the show will perform through Sunday, Sept. 19.

The Barnum Award is a national program presented by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey in conjunction with a two-year celebration of the 200th anniversary of P.T. Barnum’s birth. Nationally, more than $150,000 in grants will be awarded.

Griffins Announce 2010-2011 Schedule

The Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday released their schedule for the 2010-11 season, their 15th overall and 10th as members of the American Hockey League. The primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings will begin its 80-game slate by hosting the Abbotsford Heat on Friday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. It will mark the Griffins’ earliest home opener since 2005-06, which was also the last time they opened their season at Van Andel Arena.

Highlights of the 2010-11 schedule include:

• Twenty-six prime home dates (17 Fridays and nine Saturdays). All Friday games this season will once again feature the popular Dollar Dogs, Dollar Beers promotion;

• Grand Rapids’ first-ever New Year’s Day game, on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. against the Peoria Rivermen;

• The Griffins’ 14th annual New Year’s Eve celebration, which will feature a new 6 p.m. start time;

• Numerous other holiday home games, including the day before Halloween (Oct. 30), the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 26), and the day after Christmas (Dec. 26);

• Grand Rapids’ 10th annual Matinee Game presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union, on Nov. 10 at noon versus the Milwaukee Admirals;

• The first visits to Van Andel Arena by the Oklahoma City Barons (Oct. 29 and March 16). On March 11, the Griffins will reciprocate with their first trip to the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, marking the 50th arena, 42nd city and 20th state in which they’ve played since their 1996 inception (including Grand Rapids and Van Andel Arena);

• A run of 12 of 15 games at Van Andel Arena from Dec. 4 to Jan. 5, balanced by a season-ending stretch (March 8-April 10) in which 11 of 17 contests will be played on the road.

Griffins full-season, mini-plan and group ticket packages for the 2010-11 season are now on sale. For more information, visit griffinshockey.com or call the Griffins office at (616) 774-4585. Single-game tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, Sept. 10.Griffins 2010-11 schedule options: PDF Outlook Graphic

ArtPrize 2010 Among Many Other Updates

Follow our DeVos Performance Hall blog as well to keep up on ArtPrize 2010 artists showcasing their art at DeVos Place this year for Art Fair 2010! The first installation is already up!

There, you will also get many other updates on numerous events and happenings at DeVos Place and DeVos Performance Hall. Don't miss out!

Wisconsin Artist Wins Griffins' Jersey Design Contest

Ryan Muraro of Waukesha, Wisc., has been selected as the winner of the Grand Rapids Griffins’ second annual jersey design contest, conducted earlier this summer through PuckDrawn.com. Muraro’s dramatic vision of a vigilant, muscular Griff was chosen from 97 entries, nearly double the number received during last summer’s inaugural contest. Pending some minor adjustments and the City of Grand Rapids’ approval of Muraro’s inclusion of its logo in the secondary logo/shoulder patches, his design will be submitted to the American Hockey League and Reebok for approval, then worn by the Griffins during their 14th annual New Year’s Eve game on Dec. 31, 2010. The jerseys will be auctioned to the public immediately after that game, with all proceeds benefiting the GVSU club roller hockey team. “Once again, I was extremely impressed with the nearly 100 entries submitted to PuckDrawn.com,” said Rich Meyers, the Griffins’ director of game operations. “Choosing a top 10, let alone the eventual winner, was an extremely difficult task, one that I feel speaks volumes for the quality of the artists’ work. “Like one of our winners (Chad B. Stilson) from last season, Ryan’s completely original design features an aggressive Griffins logo, yet he was able to keep the lines simple and capture the tradition of the game with use of the ties in the front of the jersey. And his creative integration of the city’s logo into an allusion to the famous ‘winged wheel’ put Muraro's design at the top. I'm looking forward to seeing this jersey come to life on Dec. 31, once we’ve converted Ryan from a Milwaukee Admirals fan to a Griffins fan,” Meyers added. A 23-year-old industrial designer and illustrator with a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Muraro already boasts an impressive portfolio, having previously designed suits for British speedskater Philip Brojaka as well as the Ukrainian national speedskating team. “I wanted to make an accelerated evolution of the Griffins’ current look, making sure to keep the same sort of structure,” said Muraro. “For the jersey, I looked back to the jerseys the Griffins wore back when they began in the old IHL and wanted to emulate the feathered shoulders that were such a unique look. When I first saw them play the Admirals back then, I saw those jerseys and immediately identified them with the team, just as much as the logo itself.” In recognition of his winning entry, Muraro will receive a customized jersey of his design and four tickets to the Dec. 31 game. Get This - Survey Results - GlowDay.com

Serve and Learn Opportunities at Van Andel Arena

Upcoming serve & earn opportunities are available for non-profit groups at Van Andel Arena. Contact Savor today to find out more!