Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Mid-Hudson Civic Center is a venue located in Poughkeepsie, New York, consisting of Mair Hall (a concert and convention hall) and the McCann Ice Arena (an ice skating venue). It was built in the 1970s as part of the general attempt at rehabilitation of the central district of the City of Poughkeepsie. It is located at 14 Civic Center Plaza, on a segment of what was formerly known as Market Street near the former Main Mall. The Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel, at 40 Civic Center Plaza, is adjacent on the same block and was originally designed to be constructed concurrently with the civic center and financed by Hilton, but the hotel construction was abandoned after the foundation was laid. Four years after the completion of the Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Radisson Hotels bought the hotel property and after a re-design of the original hotel plans, construction of the hotel resumed.
Mid-Hudson Civic Center, a private, not-for-profit community organization dedicated to providing cultural, recreational and educational opportunities to the Hudson Valley is a dual venue comprising Mair Hall and McCann Ice Arena. Mair Hall is a 15,475-square-foot (1,437.7 m2) space with the capacity to host 3,050 seated spectators and large expos and trade shows.
The McCann Ice Arena serves youth organizations, leagues and individuals for both recreational and competitive figure skating and ice hockey and offers open ice slots, group and private lessons, public skating sessions and private parties. McCann Ice Arena had briefly been the home of the Hudson Valley Bears and the Poughkeepsie Panthers, two semi- professional hockey teams in the 1980s.
Mair Hall opened in the summer of 1976 with a sold out performance by the Bay City Rollers who at the time was enjoying worldwide fame and had the #1 song on US Billboard charts called "Saturday Night."
Between July 1984 and August 1986 the Mid Hudson Civic Center was where the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) taped their internationally televised WWF Championship Wrestling. Notable wrestlers who wrestled in the building during this time include then WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, André the Giant, Bret Hart, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, King Kong Bundy, Big John Studd, Ken Patera, Tito Santana, Don Muraco, The Iron Sheik, "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff and Rowdy Roddy Piper (who also hosted his "Piper's Pit" segment on the show). Television commentators for the show at the Civic Center were WWF owner Vince McMahon (who at the time was only known outside of wrestling circles as an announcer and not the company owner) and "Professional wrestlings only living legend" Bruno Sammartino, with Jesse "The Body" Ventura occasionally joining the duo or filling in for Sammartino (Ventura also wrestled on the show occasionally as Randy Savage's tag-team partner, usually taunting the semi-retired Sammartino and challenging him to get in the ring).
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