Eveleth Celebrating 100th Anniversary Of Hippodrome On Saturday

EVELETH, Minn. – The 100th anniversary of the Hippodrome opening in Eveleth will be celebrated this weekend.

For the past century, it’s been the venue where quite a few famous hockey stars have graced the ice, and it’s now somewhat of a mecca for Iron Range hockey history.

It was also home to many basketball games, fundraisers, and even concerts that attracted a few big names, like Tony Bennett.

While thousands of people have memories of events at the Hippodrome, it was truly a special place for hockey fans.

“Crowds of 1,500 to 2,000 were very common, it was usually a packed house if it was Eveleth-Virginia, that was always packed. You came up for the JV game in the third period and the place was packed, just JV skaters, it’s just going wild in here,” Mike Newman, a retired city of Eveleth employee, said.

Community members are also working to preserve this venue as a future historical site, hoping to prevent it from ever being torn down.

The Eveleth Community Foundation will host a celebration with food, drinks, and Hippodrome memorabilia to recognize the century-old center over at the Eveleth Auditorium from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday.