The doors were opened on the Red Baron Arena & Expo this week, as the public got their first real look at a much-talked about regional complex.

The construction of a new sports and event center in Marshall is something area residents have had their eyes on over the past year. But getting a chance to see inside the finished Red Baron Arena and Expo building was a whole new experience.

“I’ve heard more than one person say, ‘I didn’t expect this,'” said Roger Madison, of the Southwest Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission. Madison was one of the people there to greet members of the public at an open house for the Arena and Expo held Tuesday.

“The reactions have been really positive,” he said.

Comments from tour groups going through the facility definitely seemed to back up that statement.

“It’s a 10,” one visitor said.

Hundreds of people showed up for the open house on Tuesday afternoon. Groups toured the ice arena and main expo space and took a look at features like locker rooms, heated seating areas and meeting areas like the club room, which overlooks the main expo/arena space. City staff said the club room can be used as either a conference room or, with a row of stadium seating and a retractable window, as a vantage point to watch sporting events.

The Arena and Expo has one year-round ice rink, which is 200 feet long and 85 feet wide, said Marshall Parks Superintendent Preston Stensrud, as he led a tour group through the building. The main expo area can also be converted to a second hockey arena, with the same rink dimensions, Stensrud said. An in-floor cooling system helps maintain the ice. The main expo/arena also features video and sound systems and a giant Daktronics video board.

There are still some finishing pieces to be put in place at the facility. Marshall Community Services Director Harry Weilage said the city of Marshall is going through the bidding process for a concessions provider for the Arena and Expo. And over the next year, work will continue on landscaping and construction of a softball complex next to the arena, and construction of an outdoor sculpture by Minnesota artist Randy Walker.

Construction of the 78,200 square-foot facility started in 2015. The project was made possible by a municipal sales tax and food, beverage and lodging tax passed by Marshall voters in 2013, as well as about $4 million in state bonding money.

While a grand opening is being planned for September, the Arena and Expo has already started hosting athletic and other events. One of the facility’s two ice rinks opened Monday for youth hockey.

“We have pretty good numbers,” said Cassi Schreckenghaust, who was helping lead a session of three-on-three youth hockey on Monday. There were 19 kids on the ice that afternoon, with similar-sized groups scheduled for other days that week. In addition, Schreckenghaust said, the arena will be busy with both hockey training programs and open skating periods.

Tuesday morning, 300 people attended an appearance by University of Minnesota athletic coaches, Marshall city staff said. The event was part of the university’s “Gopher Road Trip” tour.

The facility also drew compliments from the Gophers coaches, Weilage said.

“That’s a satisfying thing to hear, for a kid who grew up in southwest Minnesota,” Weilage said.

Seeing the Arena and Expo become a reality was especially exciting for the people who have worked to help make it happen.

“You start with that dream that’s out there,” Madison said. After that, it took combined efforts from area residents, local organizations, businesses, the city of Marshall, state legislators and more.

“This is something we’ve been talking about for eight or 10 years, and all of a sudden it’s here,” Stensrud said. “It’s a pretty great feeling.”

Visitors to the Arena and Expo last week said they were impressed by the new building.

“This is really something,” said Carol Calvin, as she sat in the stands above the ice arena on Monday. Calvin and young Masen Grosklags were watching Masen’s brother Rheed play hockey. Calvin said it was her first time visiting the Red Baron.

Marshall area hockey players said the new facility was a big change, but a good one.

“It’s so different,” compared to the rink at the Lockwood Motors Arena, said Jenson Meyer, as he looked around the building with friends on Monday. “It looks like a real, professional arena.”

It will also be good to have ice available for practice year-round, Meyer said.

However, the facility isn’t just there for sports.

“We can’t forget the economic side of this,” Madison said. The Arena and Expo is large enough to host conventions, concerts and community events – events that, along with athletic tournaments, could bring people to southwest Minnesota.

After touring the Arena and Expo facility Tuesday, Julie Rath said she could see its value.

“It’s a great asset for the region,” Rath said.