The Monument officials plan for first event in Summit Arena as completion nears

RAPID CITY, S.D. — There’s going to be a new face for the entertainment industry in Rapid City.

The Summit Arena, which will be a main hub for entertainment in the city, is scheduled to be completed in late September.

Construction crews are about to finish laying concrete and preparing to enclose the structure, pushing workers to complete other milestones like seating and keeping them out of the South Dakota weather.

“That’s really the key of everything is getting the roof on the building, getting everything enclosed so that we’re not impacted by the weather,” said Andrew Corson, the Senior Project Manager with Mortenson Construction.

A tour provided on Thursday by The Monument officials and Mortenson Construction gave a sneak peak into what the new arena will hold.

As events begin to be laid out for the new arena, The Monument officials say that the summer will be a key time for the planning of events, whether new or rescheduled.

“We’ve got to work with all those organizations and groups and not only and then bring in some new stuff, bring in some fun new stuff, so ya, there’s a lot going on and I think through the summer, we’ll be quite busy with all that,” said Craig Baltzer, the Executive Director of The Monument.

Events in the Summit Arena are a bit up in the air with artists choosing to go play at their cancelled venues.

Something that opens up many possibilities for a wide array of artists who will look to play in summit arena for its first big show.

“It’s been a little fluid as to who’s gunna land the first gig and we see that as maybe a series of opening shows that really just cover the whole genre spectrum,” said Priscilla Dominguez, the Director of Corporate Sales & Marketing for The Monument.

Another step closer to seeing the long awaited finished product.