What you need to know:
- A concession stand at the Menard Center has helped local groups raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, but its operator says it’s time to move on, leaving the future of the stand uncertain.
- The setup relies on community volunteers while its operator manages logistics, creating a widely used system that has benefited youth teams, nonprofits and other organizations.
- The current lease ends June 30. The city is considering next steps, and there is uncertainty about whether the volunteer-driven fundraising model will continue.
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WASILLA — It was a cotton candy dream that turned into a hot-dog of an idea: a volunteer-run concession stand at the Menard Center whose purpose was returning profits to the volunteers themselves.
About 7,482 hot dogs later, Scott Andrews of Concessions Solutions LLC says the experimental venture was a success — even as he prepares to cease operations this summer and the City of Wasilla faces uncertainty about what to do with the center’s main concessions area.
“We had a three-year plan, and we proved the concept,” Andrews said during an interview at the 100,000-square-foot facility, which houses a hockey rink, turf field and meeting rooms in addition to the dedicated concessions area…