The Return of the Dome

The parking lot was desolate, even for early March, and there's still obvious work to be done inside. But when the black curtains parted dramatically and those 80,000-plus Honolulu blue seats were revealed beneath the soaring, luminous dome, anything seemed possible- even the resurrection of the Pontiac Silverdome as a viable event venue.

On Mar. 11, spokesman Tom Constand announced that the Silverdome will reopen Apr. 17 with a monster truck event, to be followed by, optimistically, six to eight "quality" sports and entertainment events (the 2010 Green Soccer Bowl is confirmed for May 20-21).

The Main Event restaurant-with awesome views of the Dome and where the press conference was held-is also scheduled to reopen in April, and will have space available for private events.

Work crews have already been inside the facility for the past nine weeks, bringing the Dome into the Internet age, upgrading suites, painting, cleaning and repairing. There are four meeting rooms in the Dome, but group sales person Joy Bosidis is so new she didn't have specs yet. Stay tuned.

www.silverdometickets.com.