The intense competition of Arenacross is making its way to Rupp Arena this weekend, February 4^th and 5^th. The AMA Arenacross Series is an extreme rough ride of high endurance motocross racing that is fun for the whole family!

Come check out Round 9 of this 16-rider race, as this series travels around the country. AMA Arenacross has been making stops at many of the most well-known and celebrated arenas in the United States, including our wonderful Rupp Arena. Each race takes place on a man-made dirt combat zone, using over 150 truckloads of dirt to shape and mold the previous home of UK Men’s Basketball into an unrecognizable Arenacross dirt valley.

Watch the spectacle of Arenacross, as motorist fly through air and battle it out over technical obstacles with competitions so close, there is no room for error. These events are truly some of the most unique challenges you’ll ever witness because anything can happen during these events, and it’s up to the drivers to make harrowing, split second decisions when it counts.

Defending champ Tyler Bowers leads a pack of vastly talented riders, ready to suit up and take their place on top of the winner’s podium, trophy in hand with the AMA Arenacross Series title.

The action isn’t over after Saturday’s battle royal, either. Join us again on Sunday for Amateur Day, where future stars will take on the track and compete with other riders of all skill levels. This is an event that is sure to feed your need for speed.

And let’s not forget about the kiddies, folks! The AMA Arenacross Series is fun for all members of the family, young and old alike! Hang out with us at the track party and post-race autograph session for fans of all ages and get to meet the biggest and brightest of the Arenacross tour. You don’t want to miss out on this incredible weekend!

Remember, adult admission is $20 and for kids, just $5! Tickets are still available at the Rupp Arena box office, Ticketmaster.com, and by phone at (859) 233-3535.

The very popular Reds Caravan will visit Lexington on Sunday January 30th at The Shops at Lexington Center from 11:00 am-1:30 pm. The event is free to the public and fans will have the opportunity to interact with current and former players, broadcasters and members of the Reds front office staff.

Scheduled to appear in Lexington are outfielder Jay Bruce, 2010 first round draft pick Yasmani Grandal, former Red “Mr. Perfect” Tom Browning, broadcaster Jim Kelch, President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Walt Jocketty, Chief Operating Officer Phil Castellini, and mascot Mr. Redlegs.

Hall of Famer and Special Advisor to Baseball Operations Joe Morgan and Reds President and CEO Bob Castellini will also join the group for the Lexington stop as a special bonus for Reds fans in the Lexington area.

The group will field questions from fans and sign autographs. Due to time constraints, autograph sessions may not be able to satisfy all fans in attendance.

Reds sales representatives will answer ticketing questions and officially announce the 2011 game date for “Lexington Community Day with the Cincinnati Reds”.

Representatives from the Reds Hall of Fame, the Reds Community Fund and Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network will also be in attendance to help fans and answer questions.

For more information about the Reds Caravan and updates visit www.reds.com/caravan.

As you may have seen yesterday on our Facebook or Twitter, we announced that Carrie Underwood is coming to Rupp Arena on June 13, 2010. She’ll be joined by special guests Craig Morgan and Sons of Sylvia for her first big headlining tour, “Play On Tour.” Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 12 at 10:00am. There will also be a pre-sale this week. In order to get your pre-sale password and info, be sure to sign up for Rupp Arena’s First In Line.

The first annual Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show took place a couple weeks ago, and we have already scheduled next year’s show for October 23rd & 24th, 2010! This year we had approximately 5,000 people come through the doors and sample anything from beer cheese to ice cream. We hope everyone enjoyed the show, and wanted to give you another chance to get a signed copy of Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook.

The planning process has already begun for next year’s show and we are trying to decide who the next Celebrity Chef should be, and want to get your input. In order to be in the drawing to win the signed cookbook, all you have to do is comment on this post with the chef you would like to see at next year’s show. Be sure to use the email address we should contact you at, should you win. On October 28th at noon, we will randomly select a winner out of all those who commented, and mail them a signed copy of Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill Cookbook. Thanks again for a great show this year, good luck in the giveaway, and we hope to see you at The Incredible Food Show again next October!

Dierks Bently is coming to Rupp Arena on November 14th, and will be joined by Gloriana. More details will be available soon and can be found on the event page on the Rupp Arena website. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10:00am.

* We are no longer accepting RSVPs. We look forward to seeing those of you that did RSVP there. Anyone who missed out this time around, keep your eyes peeled, as this will hopefully be the first of many blog parties to come. *

Hello reader! Are you going to the Kings of Leon concert? Well then we have an extra special treat for you! Cosmic and the Rupp Arena Blog will be hosting the very first blog party before the Kings of Leon concert. All it takes to get into the party is a ticket to the concert and your name on the RSVP list. Simple, straight forward, and best of all… FREE! The only thing you pay for is a ticket to the concert, which you likely already have. Here is what you can expect at the party:

• Separate Entrance to the Concert*: There will be a separate entrance for everyone attending the party. Even though you won’t get in early, it will help you avoid the lines and get in as soon as possible. *Reserved seating ONLY!
• Rock Band with Kings of Leon Songs: We will have two Rock Band stations set up with Kings of Leon songs, so you and your friends can step into the shoes of the band and play their music.
• Facebook Photobooth: Similar to what we have done with shows in the past, we will have a photobooth set up with a photographer ready to take your picture. All of the photos will be uploaded to our Facebook after the concert for you to comment and tag yourself in.
• Cash Bar with Snacks: Every good party needs beverages and munchies. We will have free water and chips available, and a cash bar if you want to pay for soft drinks or alcohol.
• Free Swag and Giveaways: Everyone that comes to the party will receive a goody bag which includes a FREE tshirt! We will also be giving away or holding impromptu contests for posters and other merchandise.

Come and join us for a fun and free party courtesy of Cosmic and the Rupp Arena Blog. This party is only being advertised here, on Facebook, on Twitter, and at Cosmic in Fayette Mall. It’s our way of saying thanks to our readers, fans, and followers. The party is before the concert on Oct 10th, and will run from 5:30pm until 7:30pm (30 minutes before the start of the concert). There are a limited number of spots available, so be sure to RSVP as soon as you can. If we don’t reach the limit, we will stop accepting RSVPs at 3:00pm on Tuesday, October 6th. We hope to see you there!

Do you have a Twitter account? C’mon, I know you are one of the 750,000 people following Coach Calipari. We just recently created a twibbon for you to show your support of Rupp Arena. For those who don’t know, a twibbon is an icon, logo, color or a variety of other things that can be added to your profile picture on Twitter to show your support for something. In our case, it’s the Rupp Arena logo, on top of a blue fade from the bottom. Show your support by clicking on “support this” below and add your name to the list of our supporters!

As we mentioned earlier, the Sugarland Concert at Rupp Arena (from October 25th 2008) is going to be shown on primetime TV tonight on ABC at 8:00pm EST. In addition to that, the DVD/CD combo comes out tomorrow at Walmart of the whole concert. If you went to the show, be sure to check it out and see if you can spot yourself. If you were able to attend, then here is your chance to catch an awesome concert filmed here at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY!

This morning at 10:00am, we officially announced that Smackdown & ECW Live TV will be coming to Rupp Arena on October 13th. This will be a double-header event, both being taped to be aired on TV later. Currently, the lineup includes Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Kane, CM Punk, Christian, The Great Khali, Tommy Dreamer, Melina, and Michelle McCool. There will be more people announced later, and those announced are subject to change, but it looks like a solid group of people for a long night of wrestling.