Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre Township Announce Milestone Anniversary Celebrations for the Community
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Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
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Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre Township Announce Milestone
Anniversary Celebrations for the Community
(WILKES-BARRE TWP., Pa.) — Officials from Wilkes-Barre Township and the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza have announced community-oriented celebrations in honor of their respective milestone anniversaries.
Incorporated in 1774, Wilkes-Barre Township is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. The township’s largest live entertainment venue, the ASM Global-managed Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, will also celebrate a milestone anniversary, marking 25 years since opening the doors for their first event. Representatives from both entities announced events aimed at bringing families to the arena for community-oriented celebrations later this year.
WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP HOSTS 250TH CELEBRATION
Wilkes-Barre Township Mayor Carl Kuren has announced that a committee has been formed to oversee a special 250th-anniversary celebration this summer. A parade leading township residents and dignitaries to the Mohegan Sun Arena will begin the festivities on Saturday, Aug. 24, followed by a full schedule of celebratory events, including a monument dedication.
“It is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce 2024 as the year the Township of Wilkes-Barre turns 250-years-old,” Kuren said.
Boasting food, games, live music and fireworks, the semiquincenntennial celebration will take place outdoors, spread throughout the parking areas of the arena. Entry will be free of charge for residents and visitors who wish to attend the community celebration.
“We’re very excited to partner with the Mohegan Sun Arena, the best place to throw a party right here in our own backyard,” Kuren said. “The arena turns 25 this year, so we look forward to jointly hosting our event as a means of bringing our community together to acknowledge our milestone anniversaries.”
ARENA ANNOUNCES 25TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
In celebration of a quarter-century of providing live entertainment in northeastern Pennsylvania, officials from the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority and ASM Global, managing entities of the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, have announced a community celebration concert at the venue on September 21.
Dubbed “Sailing Through Time,” the 25th-anniversary community celebration will feature the nautical-suited and captain’s-hat-clad band Yachtley Crew. The yacht rock band formed in southern California and quickly grew in popularity after being signed by the late Jimmy Buffett. Today, the band boasts events across the nation with thousands of fans eager to hear their setlist of soft rock and top-40 hits from the late 1970s to the early 1980s.
State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinki has been involved with the arena since its initial inception, serving as a parking attendant long before taking the oath of office or being inducted into the Luzerne County Music Hall of Fame. His band, Eddie Day and TNT, will also be performing at both events.
Pashinski will be one among many local legislators to be featured in anniversary videos played throughout the event. Current and past board members, including several original board members, will also be featured in videos produced by DiscoverNEPA for the event.
Donna Cupinski, board chairwoman for the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority, has dedicated the past 16 years striving to make the Mohegan Sun Arena the premier live entertainment venue within northeastern Pennsylvania. Though she is the longest-serving chair in the venue’s 25-year history, Cupinski credits the board members serving before and alongside her for the venue’s initial realization and its continued success.
“The arena as it exists today would not have been possible without the champions that have served before us,” said Cupinski. “It took an immense amount of hard work and dedication from so many to move us from the initial ‘Arena YES’ campaign to our storied reputation as a pillar of live entertainment within northeastern Pennsylvania.”
Cupinski notes the most important measure of the arena’s success lies in the perception of its guests.
“Since our very first anniversary committee meeting, it was clear we wanted to do something special for the community as our way of saying thank you for 25 great years,” Cupinski added. “We hope this will be a night that all of our guests could enjoy.”
General Manager Stephen Poremba has been with the arena for more than 20 years, beginning his career within the box office while attending Misericordia University. Poremba hopes that the planned celebration concert will serve as a community gathering, bringing a variety of guests and supporters together for an affordable night of entertainment.
"We are immensely grateful for the incredible support we've received from our allies, partners and guests over the past 25 years," said Poremba. "This event is not only a celebration of our milestone anniversary but also an offering of appreciation for the supportive guests and partners that have helped to get us this far.”
Tickets for the event start at $25, including fees. Organizers credit the generosity of event sponsors, including M&T Bank and Rosenn, Jenkins, and Greenwald, for helping to keep the cost of attendance low for residents and visitors who wish to attend.
“M&T Bank is proud to serve as one of the principal sponsors of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township,” said M&T Bank Regional President Phil Johnson. “The arena is one of the crown jewels of our region and its success is evident by the attendance of over 15 million fans attending nearly 1,000 shows since the venue has opened.”
Johnson has shared this partnership is one of many efforts being made by M&T Bank to aid in making the region a better place to live, work and play.
“M&T Bank continues our commitment to building an even stronger quality of life in the communities we serve through collaborations with regional institutions such as the Mohegan Sun Arena and the exciting 25th Anniversary celebration” Johnson concluded.
“Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald, L.L.P. is also honored to be one of the principal sponsors of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township,” said Managing Partner of Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald, Paul T. Rushton. “We are proud to have served a role in the development of the arena and have witnessed its growth over the past twenty-five years into a thriving, community-based venue featuring a wide range of events. Given its impact on our community, it is hard to imagine this area without the arena.”
“Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald is dedicated to continuing to sustain and strengthen the communities served by it and eagerly anticipates celebrating the 25th anniversary of such an integral part of our region,” Rushton concluded.
ARENA ANNOUNCES NEW NAME
To coincide with its silver anniversary, officials also shared the first look at a special new anniversary logo. In a similar fashion to the arena’s naming partner, Mohegan Pennsylvania, representatives have announced that it is set to be renamed Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza to better differentiate the northeastern Pennsylvania venue.
“The change to Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza better aligns with the recent brand refresh of Mohegan Pennsylvania and its parent company, which is now known simply as Mohegan,” said Tony Carlucci, president and general manager of Mohegan Pennsylvania.
Mohegan Pennsylvania has been the naming rights partner of the arena since 2009. The shift in naming will bring a rebranding of arena assets, including exterior and interior signage set to be installed this summer.
Tickets for the Mohegan Arena’s “Sailing Through Time” anniversary concert are available now on Ticketmaster.com and in-person through the venue’s NBT Bank Box Office. No tickets are necessary for attending Wilkes-Barre Township’s anniversary celebration at the arena.
Additional anniversary celebration announcements are set to be released throughout the year.
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About Yachtley Crew
The nautical-suited and captain’s-hat-clad Yachtley Crew (otherwise known as “The Titans Of Soft Rock) is comprised of lead vocalist Phillip Daniel (Philly Ocean), drummer Rob Jones (Sailor Hawkins), bassist Chaz Ruiz (Baba Buoy), guitarist Thomas Gardner Jr. (Tommy Buoy), backing vocalist Curt Clendenin (Stoney Shores), saxophone/flutist Paul Pate (Pauly Shores) and keyboardist Matt Grossman (Matthew McDonald).
Growing exponentially over the past years, Yachtley Crew has toured in cities throughout the U.S. and Europe and is currently on the road with their 2024 Full Steam Ahead tour that began in March. The group will continue their third year of residency at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas and recently released their first EP Seas The Day on Mailboat Records. The band has a growing social media presence on Facebook and Instagram.