Old Town's big break

VICTORVILLE • Old Town may get its first big break in years when the Victorville Events Center opens next weekend, the venue’s promoters and city officials hope.

Promoters Travis Wade and Scott Sikoff see a future of concerts, comedy acts and dramatic performances in front of hundreds of patrons at the former Sears store. Victorville leaders see the 12,000-square-foot building on Seventh Street as a potential catalyst for other businesses that could one day change the face of Old Town from not to hot.

“It has the best atmosphere, the best parking and the best vibe in Old Town,” said Sikoff, who leased the building from Merona Entertainment of Downey. We’d like to see Old Town become like Old Town Pomona or downtown Redlands. The whole nighttime scene with restaurants and entertainment and things to do.”

To help make it so, Sikoff and Wade have committed for the long haul. Sikoff signed a 15-year lease, giving the new venue plenty of time to help establish the area. He has confidence in Old Town, he said, and he hopes other merchants will eventually have faith in it too.

Michael Szarzynski, a senior planner for the city, said the events center was “fast-tracked” through the city’s permitting process because organizers were using an existing building.

And although support for the events center has been positive, the city included strict rules about trash, loitering, security and hours of operation into the conditional-use permit, Szarzynski said. No alcohol will be served at the center, he said.

The Victorville Events Center is hardly Wade’s first effort. The promoter runs The Scene in Hesperia and once operated a smaller entertainment venue in Victorville.

The center’s first show features the psychobilly band Nekromantix and starts at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11. Wade said he’d like to eventually bring a variety of musical acts and comedians to the center.

To read more about the Victorville Events Center, see the full story in Sunday's Daily Press. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755, 1-800-553-2006 or click here.