The City of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, will host a ceremony on Friday, April 8, to name the lobby of the Rocky Mount Event Center for former Rock Mount City Manager Charles W. Penny. Penny is currently serving as the Statesboro City Manager.
Penny served as city manager in Rocky Mount from 2011 to 2017. He pushed hard for creation of the Rocky Mount Event Center and oversaw construction of the state-of-the-art 165,000 square foot facility, which opened in 2018 in downtown Rocky Mount.
"The City of Statesboro has been very privileged to have Charles Penny as our City Manager for almost three years now," said Statesboro Mayor Jonathan McCollar. "The knowledge, expertise and skill he brings to our City after over 30 years of working for municipal governments in North Carolina has been invaluable to Statesboro. It's no surprise to me that one of his former cities would name a facility in his honor for the excellent and visionary work he has completed on their behalf."
The Event Center can seat up to 4,000 people and it has room for eight basketball courts and 16 volleyball courts, as well as four locker rooms and five team meeting rooms.
Although the pandemic marked a setback for facilities like the Rocky Mount Event Center, it has come roaring back in 2022 and is now viewed as a regional leader in travel sports tourism. So far this year, the facility has hosted 10 major sporting events. Thousands of people from across the nation have attended these volleyball, basketball and cheerleading tournaments, generating more than $3 million in local economic impact.
Besides serving as a site for meetings and conventions, the Rocky Mount Event Center provides plenty of activities for our community’s residents. It features a large arcade and an array of climbing walls, as well as space for everything from birthday parties to weddings. The facility also hosts large concerts throughout the year.
“We are honored that Charles W. Penny and his wife, Edith, are returning to Rocky Mount,” said Kirk Brown, the city’s director of communication, marketing and public relations. “It is fitting that the Rocky Mount Event Center lobby is being named for Mr. Penny as a lasting reminder of his legacy in making this facility a reality.”
