The Thunderdome closes after 6 years under new ownership

The Thunderdome in Newton is closing its doors after six years of providing the community with a large venue space for weddings, brunches, corporate events and sporting activities like axe throwing and cornhole. Owners Clinton and Yvette Webster announced the closure in a June 25 post on the business’s Facebook.

“After six years of constant renovations and rebranding to create something long-lasting in this community, we have made the decision to close the doors and sell the facility to the next future owners of this community cornerstone,” the owners said. “We have events for the next few months that we will fulfill, as promised.”

Events at the facility can still be booked through early October.

Originally, the building served as the home of local roller skating rink Skate Castle. In July 2018, the Websters took over and made numerous renovations to the facility, naming it Baqara Coliseum. Eventually, the facility was rebranded as The Thunderdome and became a place to enjoy activities and drinks.

It also hosted a flower shop and a BBQ restaurant for a short while. In its post, the owners of The Thunderdome thanked businesses for hosting holiday events and corporate outings at the facility, as well as the wedding couples that have trusted them to host the most important day of our lives.

“We would like thank our trivia teams that have supported us every Thursday night,” the Websters said in the Facebook post. “Most of all, we would like to thank all of the individuals that have shown up time and time again over the years to support us in our small business journey.”

They especially thanked those who had become good friends during their time operating the business.

“We have done everything in our power to transform this facility into something that can last another 70 years and continue to be a space that makes memories for years to come,” they said.

Those who are interested in purchasing the facility are to call Matt Guns with WB Realty at 515-468-3470.