Exploring Hara Arena in Trotwood, Ohio | A Family Legacy Left Behind

A community icon closes its doors for good. We will miss Hara Arena!

We explored Hara Arena in Trotwood Ohio, just outside Dayton. Hara Arena is 165,000 SQFT and has over 20 acres of parking. Also on the property is an abandoned golf course. The facilities include a bar pub, ballroom, conference center, ice rink, and 4 exhibition halls. This place is huge! The arena started with a dance hall, the Wallarena Ballarena, in 1956 by Harold and Ralph Wampler.

The arena has hosted many events, teams, and entertainers including The Longhorn Rodeo, Sesame Street Live, Silver Sticks Hockey Tournament, The Dayton Hamvention, Lanfest, Monster Truck Winter Nationals, the Midwest Ceramics Show, The Miami Valley Home Improvement Show, The National Holiday Gift Show, the Dayton Gems, the Dayton Bombers, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, and the Who, and many many more.

Hara Arena closed in 2016 and it was sad to see this amazing 7,000 seat venue shut down but it was a great urban exploration.

We have met many great people through sharing our exploration video. Especially those at the AARL. The Hamvention was hosted at Hara for many years and it meant a lot to those that made the trek every year. Thanks for the article AARL!

Check out the AARL’s article HERE