Rose Quarter Blog

The Greatest Show On Earth is in town this weekend, and in honor of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey, we’re giving away a $10 gift certificate that is good for food & beverage while you’re here (hopefully at the Circus)!

Just answer this question to be entered to win:

If you were in a Circus act, what would it be?

Me personally, I’d love to be a trapeze artist – it looks like so much fun to swing above the arena floor!

We’ll choose a winner later today (Friday, Sept. 3)!

With their marathon winter-spring concert tour crossing North America, Irish Music phenomenon Celtic Woman has extended their current itinerary into summer due to overwhelming popular demand. Fresh off their wildly successful 60-city tour that just ended in Salt Lake City on May 22, the group have added another 47-cities to their schedule including a stop at the Theater of the Clouds Wednesday, August 25.

Excitement for Celtic Woman has spread worldwide and the Rose Quarter wants to know why you like Celtic Woman. Leave a comment below explaining your favorite thing about Celtic Woman for a chance to win a pair of tickets to see them live in the Theater of the Clouds on August 25!

Dew Tour makes its return to Portland August 12-15. To help celebrate, the Rose Quarter is having a contest; we want videos and photos of local skaters and BMX riders. Send us your original photos or videos for a chance to win tickets to the Wendy’s Invitational, a Dew Tour Prize Pack, Meet and Greet, and have your images featured on the Rose Quarter social media sites.

There are two separate categories for this contest. There will be a winner for photos and a winner for videos. Submissions are due by 11:59pm Sunday, August 8 and winners will be announced Monday, August 9.

To enter, send your photos or videos to rosequarterpdx@gmail.com

Since the Rose Quarter is home to the Portland Winterhawks and hosts a couple of other skating events each year as well, ice making is a very important part of the physical operations on the campus. Before I witnessed the ice production for the recent Stars on Ice show, I had assumed that you just flooded the floor and waited for the water to freeze. As it turns out, ice making is a much more intricate and time consuming operation. From start to finish it takes around eighteen hours to prepare a surface for a hockey game and thirty-four hours for an ice skating event.

To prepare for an ice make, hockey dashers are put up and the temperature of the floor is lowered. Under the concrete at the Rose Garden there are copper pipes that run every four inches for the entire length floor.  Those pipes allow the area where the ice will be made to be lowered to a temperature of eight degrees. With that in place, the ice making can begin.

The first step in the production is to lay out a thin sheet of ice. This is done by having someone slowly walk around the arena floor in a specific pattern spraying water in the air creating a “rain” effect. The reasoning behind this method is that the droplets freeze almost immediately upon contact and it allows for density control over the ice. It is important to control the density of the ice because air pockets in the ice can lead to holes.

After an initial layer of ice is made, it is then painted white. Painting a plain white coat for figure skating events only takes an hour, but painting for a hockey game can last up to six. Hockey takes a lot longer because of the logos and lines for play that have to be painted. This process is quickened by the use of giant stencils, but it still takes a while to get everything lined up perfectly.

Once the ice is painted, the longest and most tedious part begins. For eight consecutive hours, someone again walks around spraying water into the air. When he is done, someone else takes over for another shift. In sixteen hours it is possible to lay down an inch of ice, enough for a hockey game. For other skating events, another sixteen hours are needed to create an inch and a half of ice. These events require thicker ice because of the sharpness of the blades and the impact from the landings on the jumps. After the desired thickness is reached, the ice make is complete.

Ice making has become a science in the last decade. Each venue tinkers with its own method to find better processes and then shares their innovations at conventions across the country. Details as small as the best pH level for the water and techniques on how to paint the ice are just some of the intricate steps that have been studied in recent years. As more is learned, the ice making process will only become more complex.

You have most likely attended a concert, seen the Trailblazers, or maybe even had your high school graduation here, but do you really know the Rose Quarter? My answer to that would be a definitive no. Yes, I know what events are coming and the layout of the campus but when it comes to the history and physical operations of this place, I am lost. Now that sounds awful coming from a Rose Quarter employee, but let me explain. My name is Mark and I am the new Marketing Intern. I arrived in Portland two weeks ago and will be here through the summer.

One of my goals for the summer is to get to know the Rose Quarter as well as possible and to share what I learn with you. Since I have only been here for two weeks I do not have much to write about in regards to the campus so far. What I can write about is why I chose to travel over 2000 miles for an unpaid internship.

About Me:

I am a student at the University of South Carolina, home of the Gamecocks, or as you may know it, the school Steve Spurrier coaches at. I am from North Augusta, SC (Right across the river from Augusta, GA). This internship is part of the requirements of my major, Sport and Entertainment Management.

There are a couple of reasons why I chose to come to Portland, but the main reason was to work for Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). AEG is a worldwide facilities operator and concert promoter. This spring they announced that they would be starting a management training program for recent graduates. I attended the meeting at my school when they came to explain the details of the program and I immediately knew that I had to do anything I could to get be accepted when I graduate in two years. The “sizzler” video at the meeting literally gave me goosebumps, I was that excited. Later that day I mailed a cover sheet and résumé to every AEG venue in the country.

Of the venues that I mailed letters to, Portland was at the top of my list. Portland fit the bill for everything I was looking for. It’s far away from South Carolina, it is a bigger city, and it gave me the opportunity to see a part of the country that I had never seen before. After being accepted for the internship I moved out here without knowing anything about the city or anyone in it. I have learned a bit thus far and I like what I have seen but there is much more that I want to know. As the summer progresses and I post more articles about the Rose Quarter, I would love for you to tell me about Portland or the state of Oregon in general. Anything regarding history, music, sports or just places to have some fun I am interested in. This is a wonderful city and I feel like I am missing out on a lot of things. I will keep you posted on what I learn about the Rose Quarter. I hope that you will introduce me to the city.

This weekend we have two highly anticipated Rose Quarter events:

First on Saturday, May 29, The Eagles are coming to the Rose Garden. The show starts at 8:00p and will be sure to take you back in time with the well known band who have excited fans since the ’70′s. There are still plenty of seats available.

Secondly the Rose Garden will welcome Smucker’s Stars On Ice on Sunday, May 30. Come see the top figure skaters in the world as they continue their tour in the Rose City. The show will start at 4:00p and there are still tickets available.

Tickets can be purchased the Rose Quarter Box Office (M-F 10a-5p), all participating Safeway/ TicketsWest outlets, by calling 877.789.ROSE (7673), or at ComcastTIX.com. Prices do not include service charges.

See you there!

The Eagles concert scheduled for tonight has been postponed due to an illness. Rescheduled date TBD. Tickets for 5/17 concert will be honored at the rescheduled date.

STRIKEFORCE Challengers takes the mat on Friday at 8:00pm (pre-lims at 6pm) with weigh-ins on Thursday. Time TBD. Come out and see Portland native Matt Linland take on Kevin Casey! Tickets are priced at $65, $35 & $25.

Tim McGraw with special guests Lady Antebellum and Love And Theft come to the Rose Garden on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are priced at $65.75 & $49.75.

Tickets can be purchased the Rose Quarter Box Office (M-F 10a-5p), all participating Safeway/ TicketsWest outlets, by calling 877.789.ROSE (7673), or at ComcastTIX.com. Prices do not include service charges.

It will be an exciting week at the Rose Quarter. We hope to see you here!

This week’s Rose Quarter events come to you on the weekend:

- On Friday the Portland Trail Blazers fight for playoff position when they take on the Dallas Mavericks at 7p. The game is at the Rose Garden and will be instrumental in deciding who the Blazers will play in the first round.

- On Saturday the Rose Quarter will host the Nike Hoop Summit once again. An event where the top 19 years and younger players of the USA and the World play each other in front of fans, scouts, and college representatives. Past players have included: John Wall, Kevin Durant, Nicholas Batum, Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowtzki, Tony Parker and many more. Don’t miss out on seeing the stars of tomorrow at the Rose Garden for as low as $10. This year Portland’s own Terrence Jones (Jefferson High School) will play in the game.

This week the Rose Quarter has a series of events happening on campus. First off tonight we have the Winterhawks playoff game versus Spokane, the Winterhawks have the series lead 3-2.

Tomorrow at the Rose Garden John Mayer is coming to town with guest Michael Franti. This has been a long anticipated show so come get your last minute tickets.

On Wednesday the Trail Blazers have another opportunity to improve their playoff position when the take on the New York Knicks at home. The game will take place at the Rose Garden so don’t miss out as the regular season comes to a close.

Friday Michael Buble will be at the Rose Garden, and Saturday MUSE will be playing at the Memorial Coliseum with special guest the Silversun Pickups.

This week at the Rose Quarter we have three events:

1) The 10th through 13th is the 6A OSAA State Basketball Championships for Boys and Girls in the Rose Garden Arena. Game times vary and tickets are still available for the event that ends on Saturday.

2) The Renovation and Remodeling Show is this Friday through Sunday at the Memorial Coliseum. Times also vary for this event and tickets are available at the door.

3) Lastly, the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Toronto Raptors at home at the Rose Garden. The game starts at 6p and will broadcast on NBA TV. Tickets are still available.

Check back Monday for the events we have going for the Week of March 15!