2020 Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville Venue Timeline

Click here to view the 2020 Year In Review Photo Recap.

2020 Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville Venue Timeline

Full game to be streamed on ESPN+.

Asheville, NC – The Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville is proud to announce a college men’s basketball regular season game between the University of North Carolina Asheville Bulldogs (0-2, Big South Conference) and the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers (1-2, Southern Conference) on Tuesday, December 8 at 7:02pm at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena. Due to current county and state COVID-19 regulations, fans will not be allowed to attend the event. The game will be the first sporting event to be held at the venue following the 2020 Camping World Maui Invitational on November 30 – December 2. For more information, please visit here.

Tipoff time is at 7:02pm ET and will be available to stream via the ESPN+ app or online at https://plus.espn.com/ for subscribers.

“Over the past year, our venue has been able to serve the community through temporary housing solutions in partnership with Homeward Bound WNC, food drives to feed local musicians in conjunction with Asheville Music Professionals, direct staffing COVID-19 support to Buncombe County DHHS and served as an official Buncombe County early voting location. We are always happy to serve our city, but we are also very excited to host sporting events again in our arena,” said Chris Corl, general manager of the Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville. “In anticipation of high-impact, no fan sporting events, our staff has worked tirelessly to completely transform our venue into a safe and secure venue for the participating teams, coaches, and staff. And we hope to include music lovers and fans into that crowd in the near future.”

UNC Asheville enters the 2020-21 campaign after improving their win total by 11 games last season, posting a record of 15-16 overall, winning eight conference games and advancing to the Big South Quarterfinals. The 11-win improvement, which was third in all of NCAA Division I, did not go unnoticed, as the Bulldogs were selected to finish second behind Winthrop in the Big South Preseason Poll. Learn more at UNCAbulldogs.com/sports/mens-basketball.

Last season, the Bucs went 30-4 overall (16-2 in conference play) en route to sweeping both the regular season and tournament championships. The 30 wins set a program record, while ETSU became just the fourth team in the 100-year history of the SoCon to reach the 30-win mark. The Bucs finished the season ranked No. 26 in the Coaches Poll and No. 27 in the AP Poll, while being just one of four programs to register 30 wins last year – joining No. 2 Gonzaga (31), No. 6 San Diego State (30) and Liberty. Learn more at ETSUbucs.com/mbasketball.

A limited number of media journalists will be allowed to socially distance this event in person. For more information, please contact Matthieu Rodriguez at mrodriguez2@ashevillenc.gov or 828.777.5864.

ABOUT HARRAH’S CHEROKEE CENTER – ASHEVILLE

Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville (HCCA), the ExploreAsheville.com Arena, and the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, have hosted a diverse variety of events that reflect the creativity, uniqueness, and artistry that Asheville, N.C., and Western North Carolina is known for primarily. In recent years, the facility has hosted world-class sporting events such as NBA Preseason Games, two Fed Cup by BNP Paribas ties, 2020 Camping World Maui Invitational, and the annual Men’s and Women’s Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships Presented by General Shale. For more information, please visit HarrahsCherokeeCenterAsheville.com.

Bojangles of Western North Carolina is partnering with the U.S. Cellular Center Asheville for a “Southern Fried Night Out” on Tuesday, October 22nd. Guests visiting the drive-thru at (3) participating Bojangles locations in Western North Carolina will have a chance to win free tickets to see Clint Black (October 24th) or Bill Engvall (October 26th) at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and a $25 Bojangles gift card. 

WHAT: Southern Fried Night Out Ticket Giveaway

WHEN: Tuesday, October 22nd

WHERE: (3) Participating Bojangles of WNC Locations (Listed below)

TO ENTER: Visit any of the participating locations on the given date. No purchase necessary.

LOCATIONS: 

  • 99 Merrimon Avenue / Asheville, NC * 28801
  • 974 Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC * 28806
  • 1338 Tunnel Rd, Asheville, NC * 28805

To Enter: Visit one of the three participating locations listed below on Tuesday, October 22nd during normal business hours. The 75th and the 150th vehicle to enter the drive-thru lanes on that day will win a pair of tickets to either Clint Black or Bill Engvall.

Happy Labor Day weekend! Here’s the scoop on all of our exclusive Labor Day sales for upcoming concerts.


*Promotions end Monday, September 2nd at 10am ET unless stated otherwise

September 26th – The Head And The Heart
Password: DAYOFF
25% off select tickets – Buy Tickets

October 9th – Dream Theater
Password: DAYOFF
25% off select tickets – Buy Tickets

October 24th – Clint Black
*Begins 8/29 at 2pm ET
Password: DAYOFF
25% off select tickets – Buy Tickets

October 26th – Bill Engvall
*Begins 8/29 at 2pm ET
Password: DAYOFF
25% off select tickets – Buy Tickets

November 7th – Louis the Child
No Password Needed
Buy 3 Get 1 Free (Me Plus 3) – Buy Tickets

October 24th – TOBYMAC
*August 30th – September 6th
Password: Insider20
20% off remaining tickets – Buy Tickets

 

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/twa-survey

Asheville, NC – The City of Asheville is launching a community survey to inform the future design of Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. During the next few months, U.S. Cellular Center staff will engage the public as well as faculty stakeholders to determine how to best update the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium to meet community and patron needs.

The survey, which will be open from June 19-30, is available at this link. Hard copies of the survey will also be available in the City of Asheville Recreation centers.

Once complete, the survey results will be given to the design team, led by Earl Swennson Associates Architects, for their consideration as they draft programming and conceptual designs for Thomas Wolfe Auditorium updates.

“This is a great opportunity for us to hear what our community wants to see from potential renovations,” said USCC General Manager Chris Corl. “It’s important that we give our residents a voice in this project.”

Renovation of Thomas Wolfe Auditorium will a long-term project. Staff estimate it will take two to four years to secure financing, followed by two years of construction/renovation of the site.

To complete the project, there will require a significant community based collaboration in funding.  Potential partners in project funding.

  • Capital project funds City of Asheville
  • Harrah’s Cherokee naming rights revenue
  • Additional sponsorships
  • Private sector donations
  • Other governmental agencies

“We are inviting the public to become a part of the conversation regarding the renovations of Thomas Wolfe Auditorium into a state-of-the-art venue, that hosts the Asheville Symphony, national touring acts, and major stage  productions,” said Corl.

About the Asheville Civic Center

First opened in 1975, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium has a seating capacity of 2,431. The auditorium is the home of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra and has hosted such acts as BB King, Willie Nelson, Jerry Seinfeld, even Elvis Presley, and many other nationally renowned musicians, dance and opera companies and stage plays.

In July 2018, the City of Asheville Finance Committee approved a process to explore licensing agreements with respect to the naming of the Civic Center.  The current naming rights are licensed to U.S. Cellular Inc. as the U.S. Cellular Center. City staff’s goal was “to contract a licensing agreement with a notable company or individual that is culturally and socially compatible with the local community.”

Asheville City Council voted 6 to 1 May 28 to accept an offer for a 5- to 10-year naming rights agreement with Harrah’s Cherokee for the Civic Center. The new agreement will replace the existing contract with U.S. Cellular that expires Dec. 31, 2019. The vote concludes a year-long effort to explore licensing agreements with respect to the naming of the Civic Center property.  This vote signals a significant interest in exploring moving forward with renovation to the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.

Harrah’s Cherokee, a wholly owned instrumentality of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, offers a total term potential of $5.75 million over up to 10 years. It includes annual naming license fee for both the Civic Center, the Civic Center Parking Garage, and $750,000 in funds specifically dedicated to fan experience improvements such as public Wi-Fi and digital video display infrastructure installation. The offer also includes full reimbursement of up to $250,000 for signage and branding transition to replace existing signage and branding to display the new facility name.

Find a copy of this press release on Asheville City Source.

Asheville, NC – Asheville City Council voted on May 28 to accept an offer for a 5- to 10-year naming rights agreement with Harrah’s Cherokee for the Asheville Civic Center in downtown Asheville. The new agreement will replace the existing contract with U.S. Cellular that expires December 31, 2019. The vote concludes a year-long effort to explore licensing agreements with respect to the naming of the Civic Center property.

“The City of Asheville is looking forward to growing our relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians through the naming rights for the Civic Center,” said Mayor Esther Manheimer. “We appreciate the investment they are making in downtown Asheville.”

“We would also like to thank U.S. Cellular for their sponsorship during the last nine years,” the Mayor added.

“We are very excited to embark on this new adventure with Harrah’s Cherokee. As part of the new agreement, there are several new fan experience initiatives that we will be able to bring into fruition,” said Chris Corl, General Manager of the U.S. Cellular Center Asheville. “The Harrah’s Cherokee brand has a strong, supportive position in Western North Carolina, and we are excited to be a part of that relationship.”

Once the new contract goes into effect, the Civic Center will be renamed the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville.

The venue is home to the ExploreAsheville.com Arena and Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and has served as the host site for Fed Cup international tennis events, Southern Conference Basketball Championships, and Warren Haynes Presents Christmas Jam in recent years.

The naming process

In July 2018, the City of Asheville Finance Committee approved a process to explore licensing agreements with respect to the naming of the Civic Center.  The current naming rights are licensed to U.S. Cellular Inc. as the U.S. Cellular Center. City staff’s goal was “to contract a licensing agreement with a notable company or individual that is culturally and socially compatible with the local community.”

Following a formal process, City staff presented two offers to the Civic Center Commission. The proposals included an extension with U.S. Cellular Inc. and a proposed new agreement with Harrah’s Cherokee Resort, an enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Harrah’s Cherokee, an enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, offer

This proposal offers a total term potential of $5.75 million over up to 10 years. It includes annual naming license fee for both the Civic Center, the Civic Center Parking Garage, and $750,000 in funds specifically dedicated to fan experience improvements such as public Wi-Fi and digital video board improvements. Additionally, the offer includes full reimbursement of up to $250,000 for signage and branding transition to replace existing signage and branding to display the new facility name.  

U.S. Cellular Center facts

  • 233,298: 2018 attendance.
  • 212,609: Five-year average annual attendance.
  • 255: Average number of days annually the facility is in use.
  • 25: Number of events broadcast live or via web stream at the facility in fiscal year 2018.

For more information about the U.S. Cellular Center, visit uscellularcenterasheville.com.

Here is a link to the staff report presented to Council prior to the vote.

Find a copy of this press release on Asheville City Source.