March Madness USA

Posted under March Madness History

The March Madness Experience™ is an interactive basketball playground for children of all ages housed in the 68,000 square foot Exhibit Hall of the Peoria Civic Center. It includes a variety of basketball skill events, historical displays and educational venues. There is a media area where radio and television stations covering March Madness® originate their shows. Fans without tickets to the games can watch them in the Exhibit Hall on big screen televisions. Fans in need of hotel/motel rooms in the greater Peoria area can make reservations at the Information Booth just outside the entrance to the Exhibit Hall. Throughout the time it is open to the public, numerous special activities are conducted on the three full-sized Center Courts at the March Madness Experience™, including the hugely popular Peoria Journal Star Jump Ball Jamboree. More than 2,000 volunteers, not only from the Greater Peoria Area but from throughout Illinois, are needed to keep the March Madness Experience™ operating during both weekends of 2007. It will be open Thursday through Saturday each weekend on the following time schedule:

Class A (March 8-10)
Thursday: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Class AA (March 15-17)
Thursday: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Any person interested in becoming a volunteer should contact the Volunteer Hotline at 309-676-0303.The state tournament games will be played in the Carver Arena. On the Class AA weekend, the Scholastic Bowl State Final Tournament will be conducted Saturday (March 17) in the meeting rooms of the Civic Center. The March Madness Experience™ is in the Exhibit Hall. All of these venues are under one Peoria Civic Center roof.