where is the new orleans saints stadium located

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, often referred to simply as the Superdome, is a domed sports and exhibition venue located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It primarily serves as the home venue for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL), and is also the home stadium for the Sugar Bowl and New Orleans Bowl in college football. Plans were drawn up in 1967 by the New Orleans modernist architectural firm of Curtis and Davis and the building opened as the Louisiana Superdome in 1975. Its steel frame covers a 13-acre (5.3 ha) expanse and the 273-foot (83 m) dome is made of a lamellar multi-ringed frame and has a diameter of 680 feet (210 m), making it the largest fixed domed structure in the world.[7] It is adjacent to the Smoothie King Center.

Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Because of the building's size and location in one of the major tourist destinations of the United States, the Superdome routinely hosts major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, College Football Championship Game, and the Final Four in college basketball. The stadium was also the long-time home of the Tulane Green Wave football team of Tulane University until 2013 and was the home venue of the New Orleans Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1975 until 1979.

The Superdome gained international attention of a different type in 2005 when it housed thousands of people seeking shelter from Hurricane Katrina. The building suffered extensive damage as a result of the storm, and was closed for many months afterward. It was eventually decided the building would be fully refurbished and reopened in time for the Saints' 2006 home opener on September 25.

On October 3, 2011, it was announced that German automaker Mercedes-Benz purchased naming rights to the stadium. The new name took effect on October 23, 2011.[8] At that time, it was the third stadium that has naming rights from Mercedes-Benz (and first in the United States), after the Mercedes-Benz Arena, the stadium of Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, in Stuttgart, Germany, and the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium (home of the Falcons, who, like the Saints, play in the NFC South), which opened in 2017, became the fifth stadium (and second in the NFL) to bear the name of the German automaker.

The Superdome is located on 70 acres (28 ha) of land, including the former Girod Street Cemetery. The dome has an interior space of 125,000,000 cubic feet (3,500,000 m3), a height of 253 feet (77.1 m), a dome diameter of 680 feet (207.3 m), and a total floor area of 269,000 square feet (24,991 m2).

The Superdome has a listed football seating capacity of 76,468 (expanded) or 73,208 (not expanded) and a maximum basketball seating capacity of 73,432. However, published attendance figures from events such as the Sugar Bowl football game have exceeded 79,000. The basketball capacity does not reflect the NCAA's new policy on arranging the basketball court on the 50-yard line on the football field, per 2009 NCAA policy.[9] In 2011, 3,500 seats were added, increasing the Superdome's capacity to 76,468. The Superdome's capacity was 75,167 for WWE WrestleMania XXX.[10] The actual capacity is 73,208 people.

The chronology of the capacity for football is as follows:

The Superdome's primary tenant is the NFL's New Orleans Saints. The team regularly draws capacity crowds.[28]

The NFL has hosted seven Super Bowls at the Superdome, most recently Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.

The 1976 Pro Bowl was held at the Superdome on Monday, January 26, 1976. It was the NFL's 26th annual all-star game.[29]

Tulane University played their home games at the stadium from 1975 to 2013 (except 2005) before moving to on-campus Yulman Stadium.[30]

The BCS National Championship Game was played at the Superdome four times. The College Football Playoff semifinal game is played every three years in the stadium. Two other bowl games are also played there annually: the Sugar Bowl and New Orleans Bowl. The Superdome also hosts the Bayou Classic, a major regular-season game between two of the state's historically black colleges and universities, Grambling State and Southern.

In 2013, the Arena Football League New Orleans VooDoo played their last six home games of the season at the stadium. From 1991 to 1992 the New Orleans Night of the AFL played at the stadium.

The annual Louisiana Prep Classic state championship football games organized by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association have been held at the Superdome since 1981, except in 2005 following the extreme damage of Hurricane Katrina. The first state championship game in the stadium matched New Orleans Catholic League powers St. Augustine and Jesuit on December 15, 1978. The Purple Knights won their second Class AAAA title in four seasons by ousting the Blue Jays 13-7 in front of over 42,000 fans.

Home field advantage
Since the Superdome's reopening in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the increased success of the New Orleans Saints, the Superdome has developed a reputation for having a very strong home field advantage. While all domed stadiums possess this quality to some degree, the Superdome is known to get extremely loud during games, especially during offensive drives by the visiting team.

During a pregame interview before the Minnesota Vikings' opening game of the 2010 NFL season against the Saints, Brett Favre, reflecting on the Vikings' loss to the Saints in the 2009â€“10 NFC Championship Game, said of the Superdome: "That was, by far, the most hostile environment I've ever been in. You couldn't hear anything." It was during that loss that some of the Vikings players elected to wear earplugs, including Favre. It was the first game of the season that they had chosen to do so.[31]

When the plaza level seats remained moveable, the capacity for baseball was 63,525 and the field size was as followed: 325 feet to both left field and right field, 365 feet to both left-center field and right-center field, 421 feet to center field, and 60 feet to the backstop. Due to the reconfiguration of the lower bowl that began in 2011, the stadium can no longer host baseball games.

The first baseball game in the Superdome was an exhibition between the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros on April 6, 1976.[32]

Superdome officials pursued negotiations with Oakland Athletics officials during the 1978–79 baseball off-season about moving the Athletics to the Superdome. The Athletics were unable to break their lease at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum and remained in Oakland.[33] Superdome officials met with the Pittsburgh Pirates in April 1981 about moving the club to New Orleans when the Pirates were unhappy with their lease at Three Rivers Stadium.[34]

Minor League Baseball
The American Association New Orleans Pelicans played at the Superdome during the 1977 season. The Pelicans' season attendance was 217,957 at the dome.[35]

Major League Baseball Exhibitions
The Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros played an exhibition game on April 6, 1976.[32] The New York Yankees played exhibition games at the Superdome in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. The Yankees hosted the Baltimore Orioles on March 15 and 16, 1980. 45,152 spectators watched the Yankees beat the Orioles 9–3 on March 15, 1980. The following day, 43,339 fans saw Floyd Rayford lead the Orioles to a 7–1 win over the Yankees.[36] In 1981, the Yankees played the New York Mets, Philadelphia Philles and Pittsburgh Pirates in the dome. In 1982, the Yankees played the Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers and late in 1982, the Yankees considered opening the 1983 regular season at the Superdome if Yankee Stadium would not be ready yet after renovations.[37] The 1983 New York Yankees also played the Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays in the Superdome that year.[38] The Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals closed the 1984 spring training season with two games at the dome on March 31, 1984 and April 1, 1984.[39] In what was a preview of the 1989 World Series, the Oakland A's played the San Francisco Giants in two games on March 28–29, 1989.[40] In 1991, the Los Angeles Dodgers played the Oakland A's in two games on March 22–23, 1991. The A's also played the New York Mets in two contests on March 26–27, 1993. In 1994, the Boston Red Sox played the New York Yankees in two games on April 1–2, 1994. The last professional baseball games played in the Superdome occurred on April 3–4, 1999, when the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins played a two-game series dubbed the "New Orleans Major League Baseball Classic."[40]

Busch Challenge/Winn-Dixie Showdown
The Busch Challenge/Winn-Dixie Showdown was a college baseball tournament held in the Superdome from 1987 to 1999. LSU, Tulane and University of New Orleans played an in-state team and out-of-state teams from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas in the annual tournament. The in-state team was Louisiana-Lafayette. The out-of-state teams were Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Cal State Fullerton, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Houston, Lamar, Miami (FL), Mississippi State, NC State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oral Roberts, South Alabama, Southern California, Southern Mississippi, Texas A&M, UCLA.[41]

The NCAA has hosted the Men's Final Four at the Superdome five times in 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, and 2012. The stadium hosted regional semifinals and finals in 1981 and 1990, as well as first- and second-round games in 1999 and 2001.

The NBA's New Orleans Jazz used the Superdome as their home court, from 1975 to 1979. In 1977, the Jazz set a then-record in attendance for an NBA game, with 35,077 watching the Jazz led by Pete "Pistol Pete" Maravich against the Philadelphia 76ers,[42] led by fellow future Hall of Famer Julius Erving.

Tulane used the Superdome as its primary home court from its opening in 1975 through 1982. It played occasional games there in the 1990s against high-profile opponents before the opening of the New Orleans Arena in 1999.

On October 14, 1975, the Dome hosted Muhammad Ali Appreciation Day. The Muhammad Temple of Islam 46 in New Orleans organized the activities, with Ali's appearance as the day's highlight. Speakers included Dr. Na'im Akbar, Wallace D. Muhammad and Louis Farrakhan.[43]

The Superdome hosted the September 15, 1978 fight some called the Ali rematch where Muhammad Ali won the world Heavyweight title for the third time by beating Leon Spinks in front of a crowd of 65,000. It was Ali's last professional win.

Leonard–Durán II, also known as the No Más Fight, took place on November 25, 1980 at the Louisiana Superdome. In the match, Sugar Ray Leonard defeated Roberto Durán to regain the WBC Welterweight Championship. The match gained its famous appellation in the end of the eighth round when Durán turned away from Leonard, towards the referee and quit by saying "No más" (Spanish for "No more").

On December 3, 1982, the Superdome hosted the Carnival of Champions. In the first of two co-main events, Wilfredo Gómez would defend his WBC world Jr Featherweight championship against WBC's world Bantamweight champion Lupe Pintor. In the second, Wilfred Benítez defended his WBC world Jr Middleweight championship against the former WBA Welterweight champion of the world Thomas Hearns.[44]

The USSR National Gymnastics Team performed for the first time in Louisiana in 1976. The Superdome event featured Olga Korbut, Nelli Kim, Nicolai Andrianov and Alexander Dityatin.

At the 1995 U.S. Gymnastics National Championships,[45] Dominique Moceanu became the youngest Women's All-Around National Champion in U.S. history at 13 years old, a record that still stands.[46] John Roethlisberger also won his fourth and final U.S. Men's All-Around National Championship.

In 2017, The All-Star Gymnastics Classic will be held at the dome.

The venue is also sometimes used for Monster Jam.

The Superdome hosted an AMA Supercross Championship round from 1977 to 1980, 1998 to 2002, 2009 and 2012. On June 4, 1977, 40,000 fans watched Jimmy Weinert win the sixth of 12 races for a $250,000 purse. 20 million pounds of dirt were piled into the center of the Superdome for the event.[47]

The Superdome was scheduled to host a rugby union match on August 1, 2015 between English Premiership team Saracens and New Zealand's Super Rugby team Crusaders.[48] The match was organized by RugbyLaw, organizers of the National Rugby Football League. The match was cancelled, however, as USA Rugby, the governing body of the sport in the United States, refused to approve the artificial turf playing surface.[49]

The first soccer match to be held in the Superdome, on September 5, 1976, pitted New Orleans local club teams, The Costa Rica Soccer Club and The Olympia Soccer Club. This match was immediately followed by the second soccer match to be held in the Superdome which pitted The New York Cosmos and the Dallas Tornado. The Brazilian star Pelé and Kyle Rote, Jr. led their respective teams. The USWNT played their Final Victory Tour game against China on December 16, 2015 in what was the final match for Abby Wambach. China won 1-0 with the attendance of 32,950, making it a record setting attendance for a soccer match in Louisiana.

The Superdome was renowned for hosting many of Mid-South Wrestling's large, "Blow Off" events that were culminations of weeks or months of feuds and rivalries. Bill Watts was the promoter of this territory and gained much notoriety from promotion of his events in the Superdome.

April 19, 1986 saw Jim Crockett Promotions (in association with Bill Watts' UWF and All Japan Pro Wrestling) host the first of three annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournaments. 24 teams competed in a single day show with an afternoon 1st rounds and finals in the evening. The tournament final saw The Road Warriors prevail over Magnum T.A. and Ron Garvin. Besides tag team tournament the Superdome attendance of 13,000 saw NWA World Champion Ric Flair retain the title via disqualification from Dusty Rhodes and Mid-South North American Champion Hacksaw Jim Duggan beat Buzz Sawyer.

World Championship Wrestling held it ninth Clash of the Champions on April 2, 1989. The event saw Ricky Steamboat defeat Ric Flair in a two out of three falls match 2â€“1 to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Clash VI was held on the same day as WrestleMania V and on free TV in an attempt to hurt the PPV rating.

The 30th annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event, WrestleMania XXX, was held at the Superdome on April 6, 2014. This was the first time WWE held its annual event in New Orleans. At the event, The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak was ended by Brock Lesnar in front of 75,167 in attendance. Daniel Bryan won two matches. The first match was won against Triple H for a spot in the Triple Threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which he went on to win later in the evening against Randy Orton and Batista. Also the WWE Divas Championship was defended for the very first time at WrestleMania with the champion AJ Lee retaining her title.[50]

On January 9, 2017, WWE and local news announced that WrestleMania 34 pay-per-view will return to the Superdome on April 8, 2018.[51]

The Superdome held its official dedication ceremonies on August 3, 1975. Jazz musicians Al Hirt and Pete Fountain played for the event.

Between August 28 and September 14, 1975, the Superdome continued to celebrate its grand opening, with appearances by Bob Hope, Chayl Jhuren, Telly Savalas, Dorothy Lamour, Karen Valentine, and Raquel Welch. The Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker band, Wet Willie, the Charlie Daniels band, the O'Jays, the Isley Brothers, the Temptations, Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds, and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus also performed.[52]

On October 3, 1975, June Carter, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter performed in the Dome. Fans included then Governor Edwin Edwards, wife Elaine, children Anna, Victoria, Steven and David, and Edwards' grandhcildren.[53]

The Superdome's 1977 New Year's Eve celebration opened with The Emotions and Deniece Williams, followed by Earth, Wind and Fire.

On May 29, 1977, the First Annual Superdome KOOL Jazz Spectacular featured Aretha Franklin, Al Green, The Spinners and The Mighty Clouds of Joy. Jimmie "J.J." Walker from the TV series "Good Times" was the guest M.C.

On December 5, 1981, a concert by The Rolling Stones attracted more than 87,500 spectators, with attendees filling in the floor area, as well as the regular seating sections.[54]

Governor Edwin Edwards held his third inaugural ball at the Superdome March 12, 1984. Headline acts included Doug Kershaw and Susan Anton.

Because of a booking mixup, the Jets performed a full set to an empty Superdome in the summer of 1987.[55]

The annual Essence Music Festival has been held in the Superdome every year since 1995 except for 2006, when it was held in Houston, Texas due to Hurricane Katrina repairs.

NSYNC performed here during their 2001 PopOdyssey Tour. The August 22nd show was filmed and released on VHS and DVD.

Beyoncé performed on July 7, 2013 during The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. The concert was a part of the Essence Music Festival and broke the attendance record.[56] She returned to the stadium the following year, on July 20, 2014, as part of her joint On the Run Tour with her husband Jay Z. She performed at the stadium for a third time on September 24, 2016, as part of her The Formation World Tour.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church held its 54th General Conference session at the Superdome in June and July 1985.

Pope John Paul II addressed 80,000 children at the stadium in 1987.[42]

The Republican National Convention was held there in 1988, nominating then-Vice President George H. W. Bush for President and U.S. Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as Vice President.[42]

In June 1996, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney's 34th animated feature, had a gala world premiere at this stadium, with over 65,000 people attending the event.

In August 2001, the Bassmaster Classic XXXI final weigh-in was held in the stadium.

Sports visionary David Dixon (who decades later founded the United States Football League) conceived of the Superdome while attempting to convince the NFL to award a franchise to New Orleans. After hosting several exhibition games at Tulane Stadium during typical New Orleans summer thunderstorms, Dixon was told by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle that the NFL would never expand into New Orleans without a domed stadium. Dixon then won the support of the governor of Louisiana, John McKeithen. When they toured the Astrodome in Houston, Texas in 1966, McKeithen was quoted as saying, "I want one of these, only bigger", in reference to the Astrodome itself. Bonds were passed for construction of the Superdome on November 8, 1966, seven days after commissioner Pete Rozelle awarded New Orleans the 25th professional football franchise. The stadium was conceptualized to be a multifunctional stadium for football, baseball and basketball [with moveable field level stands that would be arranged specifically for each sport and areas with dirt (for the bases and pitchers mound) covered with metal plates on the stadium floor (they were covered by the artificial turf during football games)] and there are also Meeting Rooms that could be rented for many different purposes. Dixon imagined the possibilities of staging simultaneous high school football games side-by-side and suggested that the synthetic surface be white.[57] Blount International of Montgomery, Alabama was chosen to build the stadium.[58]

As the dome was being constructed, various individuals developed eccentric models of the structure: one was of sugar, another consisted of pennies. The so-called "penny model" traveled to the Philadelphia Bicentennial '76 exhibition. New Orleanian Norman J. Kleintz built the model with 2,697 pennies and donated it to the Superdome Board of Commissioners in April, 1974.[59]

It was hoped the stadium would be ready in time for the 1972 NFL season, and the final cost of the facility would come in at $46 million. Instead, due to political delays, construction did not start until August 11, 1971, and was not finished until August 1975, seven months after Super Bowl IX was scheduled to be played in the stadium. Since the stadium was not finished in time for the Super Bowl, the game had to be moved to Tulane Stadium, and was played in cold and rainy conditions. Factoring in inflation, construction delays, and the increase in transportation costs caused by the 1973 oil crisis, the final price tag of the stadium skyrocketed to $165 million. Along with the state police, Elward Thomas Brady, Jr., a state representative from Terrebonne Parish and a New Orleans native, conducted an investigation into possible financial irregularities, but the Superdome went forward despite the obstacles.[60]

First Saints game
The New Orleans Saints opened the 1975 NFL season at the Superdome, losing 21â€“0 to the Cincinnati Bengals in the first regular-season game in the facility. Tulane Stadium, the original home of the Saints, was condemned for destruction on the day the Superdome opened.

First Super Bowl
The first Super Bowl played in the stadium was Super Bowl XII in January 1978, the first in prime time.

Original turf
The original artificial turf playing surface in the Superdome was produced by Monsanto specifically for the Superdome and was named "Mardi Grass."[2]

New turf installation
The Superdome converted its artificial grass surface to synthetic turf midway through the 2003 football season on November 16.

Effect of Hurricane Katrina

The Superdome was used as a "shelter of last resort" for those in New Orleans unable to evacuate from Hurricane Katrina when it struck in late August 2005. During the storm, a large section of the outer covering was peeled off by high winds. The photos of the damage, in which the concrete underneath was exposed, quickly became an iconic image of Hurricane Katrina. A few days later the dome was closed until September 25, 2006.

Reopening after Katrina

The Superdome cost $185 million to repair and refurbish. To repair the Superdome, FEMA put up $115 million,[61] the state spent $13 million, the Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District refinanced a bond package to secure $41 million and the NFL contributed $15 million.

After being damaged from the flooding disaster, a new Sportexe MomentumTurf surface was installed for the 2006 season.

On Super Bowl XL Sunday (February 5, 2006), the NFL announced that the Saints would play their home opener on September 24, 2006 in the Superdome against the Atlanta Falcons. The game was later moved to Monday night, September 25.

The reopening of the dome was celebrated with festivities including a free outdoor concert by the Goo Goo Dolls before fans were allowed in, a pre-game performance by the rock bands U2 and Green Day performing a cover of The Skids' "The Saints Are Coming", and a coin toss conducted by former President George H. W. Bush. In front of ESPN's largest-ever audience at that time, the Saints won the game 23â€“3 with 70,003 in attendance and went on to a successful season reaching their first ever NFC Championship Game.

The first bowl game played in the Superdome after Katrina was the New Orleans Bowl won by the Troy Trojans 41â€“17 over the Rice Owls.

In early 2006, the Superdome began a $320 million renovation that consisted of three remodeling phases. First, the stadium was repaired and refurbished from damage suffered during Hurricane Katrina. In 2008, new windows were installed to bring natural light into the building. Later that year, the roof-facing of the Superdome was also remodeled, restoring the roof with a solid white hue. Between 2009 and 2010, the entire outer layer of the stadium, more than 400,000 square feet (37,000Â m2) of aluminum siding, was replaced with new aluminum panels and insulation, returning the building to its original champagne bronze colored exterior. An innovative barrier system for drainage was also added, allowing the dome to resemble its original facade.

In addition, escalators were added to the outside of the club rooms. Each suite includes modernized rooms with raised ceilings, leather sofas, and flat-screen TVs, as well as glass brushed aluminum and wood-grain furnishings. A new $600,000 point-of-sale system was also installed, allowing fans to purchase concessions with credit cards throughout the stadium for the first time.

New turf installation
During the summer of 2010 the Superdome installed 111,831 square feet (10,389.4Â m2) of the UBU Speed S5-M synthetic turf system, an Act Global brand. In 2017 Act Global installed a new turf in time for the NFL Season. The Superdome has, as of 2017, the largest continuous synthetic turf system in the NFL.

Renovations
Beginning in 2011, demolition and new construction began to the lower bowl of the stadium, reconfiguring it to increase seating by 3,500, widening the plaza concourse, building two bunker club lounges and adding additional concession stands. Crews tore down the temporary stairs that lead from Champions Square to the Dome, and replaced them with permanent steps. Installation of express elevators that take coaches and media from the ground level of the stadium to the press box were also completed. New 7,500-square-foot (700Â m2) bunker lounges on each side of the stadium were built. The lounges are equipped with flat-screen TVs, granite counter tops and full-service bars. These state-of-the-art lounges can serve 4,500 fans, whose old plaza seats were upgraded to premium tickets, giving those fans leather chairs with cup-holders. The plaza level was extended, closing in space between the concourse and plaza seating, adding new restrooms and concession areas. The renovations also ended the stadium's ability to convert to a baseball configuration.[62] The renovations were completed in late June 2011 in time for the Essence Music Festival.

Naming rights
The Superdome had not taken on corporate naming rights until Mercedes-Benz acquired the rights in 2011. Though the stadium is owned by the state of Louisiana, the New Orleans Saints' lease gives the team the authority to sell the rights.[63] Saints owner Tom Benson also owns Mercedes-Benz dealerships in New Orleans and San Antonio.[8] Despite Mercedes-Benz acquiring the naming rights for the Atlanta Falcons' new stadium in 2015, the naming rights contract for the Superdome will remain in place until 2021.[64]

Statue
On July 27, 2012, a statue was unveiled at a plaza next to the Superdome. The work, titled Rebirth, depicts one of the most famous plays in Saints historyâ€”Steve Gleason's block of a Michael Koenen punt that the Saints recovered for a touchdown early in the first quarter of the team's first post-Katrina game in the Superdome.[65]

Super Bowl XLVII power failure
The Superdome hosted the Super Bowl XLVII football game on February 3, 2013. A partial power failure halted game play for about 34 minutes in the third quarter between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. It caused CBS, who was broadcasting the game, to lose some of its cameras as well as voiceovers by the commentators. At no point did the game go off the air, though the game had no audio for about two minutes. While the lights were coming back on, CBS reporters deployed around the stadium reported on the outage as a breaking news situation until power was restored enough for play to continue.

On February 8, 2013 it was reported that a relay device intended to prevent an electrical overload had caused the failure.[66] The device was located in an electrical vault owned and operated by Entergy, the electrical utility for the New Orleans area. That vault is approximately one quarter mile away from the Superdome. A subsequent report from an independent auditor confirmed the relay device as the cause.[67] The Superdome's own power system was never compromised.

The Superdome was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.[68]

End zone scoreboards and new lighting
During the 2016 off-season, the smaller videoboards formerly located along the end zone walls above the upper seating bowl were replaced with two large Panasonic high definition LED displays that stretch 330 feet (100 m) wide and 35 feet (11 m) tall that are more visible throughout the bowl.[69] Other upgrades included a complete upgrade to the Superdome's interior floodlighting system to an efficient LED system with programmable coloring, light show effects, and instant on-off; in normal mode the stadium will have a more vibrant and naturally pleasing system resembling natural daylight.[70][71]


when was the bunker built at the greenbrier

In the late 1950s, the U.S. government approached The Greenbrier for assistance in creating a secret emergency relocation center to house Congress in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. The classified, underground facility, named "Project Greek Island",[11][16] was built at the same time as the West Virginia Wing, an above-ground addition to the hotel, from 1959 to 1962.[9][10]

The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier is a luxury resort located in the Allegheny Mountains near White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, in the United States.

Since 1778, visitors have traveled to this part of the state to "take the waters" of the area. Today, The Greenbrier is situated on 11,000 acres (4,500Â ha) of land with 710 guest rooms, 20 restaurants and lounges, more than 55 indoor and outdoor activities and sports, and 36 retail shops.[3]

The current Greenbrier was built in 1913 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and was owned for much of its history by that company and its successors, including the CSX Corporation. Following years of heavy losses, CSX placed the hotel into bankruptcy in 2009. Justice Family Group, LLC, a company owned by local entrepreneur Jim Justice, subsequently bought the property and guaranteed all debts, resulting in dismissal of the bankruptcy. Justice promised to return the hotel to its former status as a five-star resort and to introduce "tasteful" gambling for guests to increase profit. The Greenbrier Hotel Corp. today operates as a subsidiary of Justice's company.[4][5]

The last U.S. president to stay at The Greenbrier during a presidency was Dwight D. Eisenhower. A total of 26 presidents have stayed at the hotel.

The Greenbrier is also the site of a massive underground bunker that was meant to serve as an emergency shelter for the United States Congress during the Cold War.[6][7][8][9][10] The bunker was code named "Project Greek Island," and Fritz Bugas was the former onsite superintendent.[11][12][13]

A spring of sulphur water is at the center of the resort property. It is surrounded by the white-columned spring house, topped by a green dome that has been the symbol of The Greenbrier for generations. Beginning in 1778, Mrs. Anderson, a local pioneer, adopted the local Native American tradition of "taking the waters" to relieve her chronic rheumatism. Based on this resource, for the first 125 years, the resort was known by the name White Sulphur Springs. It was a destination for people during the summers who wanted to escape coastal heat and diseases.

The property was acquired by the Calwells, a prominent Baltimore family. They developed the large property as a resort, selling cottages, many of which still stand today, to prominent Southern individuals. Notable guests of the early 19th century included Martin Van Buren and Henry Clay.

In 1858, they built a huge hotel building on the property. The Grand Central Hotel came to be known by the moniker "The White" and, later, "The Old White". During the Civil War, the property changed hands between forces of the Confederate States Army and the Union Army, who almost burned the resort to the ground.

Following the Civil War, the resort reopened. It became a place for many Southerners and Northerners alike to vacation. It was the setting for some notable post-war reconciliations. The "White Sulphur Manifesto",[14] the only political paper published by Confederate General Robert E. Lee after the Civil War, advocated the merging of the two societies. The resort became a center of regional post-war society, especially after the arrival of the railroad. Beginning in 1869, it provided direct service to the resort's gates.

In 1910, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway purchased the resort property, building additional amenities, including the current bath wing, which opened in 1911. The C&O's improvements culminated with the construction of a colossal six-story, 250-room hotel building, which forms the central wing of today's hotel. Designed by British-born American architect Frederick Julius Sterner, it opened on September 25, 1913. At this time, what had for decades been a summer establishment was converted to a year-round resort, and the name was officially changed to The Greenbrier, after the neighboring county. The neighboring town had incorporated in 1909 and adopted the name White Sulphur Springs, which the resort had previously used. The railroad also introduced the game of golf, which became a defining feature of the resort. The first small course was opened in 1910, and a full 18-hole course, designed by Charles B. Macdonald, opened at The Greenbrier in 1913. That original course is today known as "The Old White TPC". The historic Old White Hotel structure was demolished in 1922 because it failed to meet then-current fire codes. In 1931, completion of the north wing, crossing the original 1913 wing like a "T", nearly doubled the size of the hotel.

Just after the United States entered World War II, the resort was called on December 17, 1941, to serve as a relocation center for Axis diplomats who were in the United States and had been interned as enemies of the United States. The first detainees were Germans; later, they were joined by Japanese diplomats previously interned at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. The hotel served as a diplomatic detention center until July 8, 1942.[15]

The hotel briefly reopened for the 1942 season, but was soon commandeered by the U.S. Army for use as a hospital. The Army paid $3.3 million for the property, which had been valued at $5.4 million, and took over control of the property on September 1, 1942. They converted the resort to a 2000-bed hospital, known as Ashford General Hospital, named for Bailey Ashford, a noted Army doctor. The hospital opened on October 16, 1943. The hospital treated nearly 25,000 patients before closing on June 30, 1946. The property was sold back to the C&O railroad for just under the $3.3 million they had been paid in 1942.

C&O hired internationally renowned interior designer Dorothy Draper to completely redecorate and restore The Greenbrier. Draper oversaw every element of the design of the property in her trademark style: combining bold colors, classical influences and modern touches, and the work took two years. The Greenbrier's reopening, celebrated from April 15 to April 18, 1948, was an international social event of the season. It attracted such luminaries as the Duke of Windsor and his wife, Wallis Simpson (who had spent her honeymoon with her first husband at The Greenbrier in 1916), Bing Crosby, and members of the Joseph Kennedy family. Since the late 20th century, the resort has hosted several presidents and vice-presidents, in addition to foreign dignitaries such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.

Although the bunker was kept stocked with supplies for 30 years, it was never used as an emergency location, even during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The existence of the bunker was not acknowledged by the government; Ted Gup of The Washington Post reported it in a 1992 story.[6][7][8] Immediately after publication of the Post story, the government decommissioned the bunker. The facility has since been renovated. It is also used as a data storage facility for the private sector. It is featured as an attraction in which visitors can tour the now declassified facilities, known as The Bunker.

On March 20, 2009, the resort filed for bankruptcy, listing debt of up to $500 million and assets of $100 million. It had suffered from competition from a wide variety of resorts, and declining traffic since the postwar period as patrons shifted to destinations they could reach by automobile. The resort lost $166 million in 2008. Pending court and regulatory approval, the resort was to be sold to the Marriott hotel chain (which has operated it), contingent upon significant concessions from the unions and approval of $50 million in financing from CSX.

On May 7, 2009, the Justice family of West Virginia publicly claimed that it had purchased the resort for $20 million. The Justice family, headed by patriarch Jim Justice, the current Governor of West Virginia, has extensive farm and milling operations in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. It farms 50,000 acres (200 km2) through its Justice Family Farms group, headquartered in Beckley, West Virginia. In early 2009, it sold its Bluestone Coal Corporation network of West Virginia coal mines to Mechel.[17]

The Marriott Corporation asserted that it had a valid contract to purchase the hotel, and expected to see that contract honored. However, Justice ultimately settled with Marriott. The bankruptcy judge dismissed the case on May 19, 2009, clearing the way for Justice's purchase of the property.[18][19][20]

The resort was closed briefly after the 2016 West Virginia flood; however, flood victims who needed a place to stay were offered rooms in the hotel.[21] The hotel reopened on July 12, 2016, with several amenities, including an off-road Jeep trail, several walking trails, and the falconry operation, which had been closed for the year.

In November 2008, county voters narrowly approved a local option referendum that would permit casino-style gambling at the hotel. The rules, regulations, and tax rates were signed into law on May 8, 2009. The Justice family promised that gambling facilities at the resort would be "tasteful" if established.[22] The temporary casino, named "The Tavern Casino", opened on October 1, 2009. The permanent casino, The Casino Club at The Greenbrier opened on July 2, 2010 with a celebrity gala.

Under the state's regulations, only "guests" of the Greenbrier may visit the casino. The hotel and state regulators have differed over the definition of "guest", as the casino allows persons taking a tour or dining at the resort to visit, without being registered to stay overnight in the hotel.[citation needed] In 2013, the casino added simulcast horse racing and associated betting to its offerings.

Twenty-six presidents have been hosted at The Greenbrier.[23] The Presidents' Cottage Museum is a two-story building with exhibits about these visits and the history of The Greenbrier. The building is open seasonally.

The resort has a significant place in golf history. The original nine holes were designed by Alexander H. Findlay. For the last years of his life, golf legend Sam Snead held the position of the resort's pro emeritus. In the 21st century, that title has been held by Tom Watson; the golf pro emeritus is currently Lee Trevino.[24]

The Greenbrier was the site of the Ryder Cup in 1979, the first to be contested under the format of United States against Europe, which has been continued to the present. It hosted the Solheim Cup in 1994, the women's equivalent to the Ryder Cup. The Greenbrier is the first of three locations to host both the men's and women's United States versus Europe team competitions, the Ryder and Solheim cups; it was joined in 1998 by Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, with Scotland's Gleneagles Hotel PGA Centenary Course, the host of the 2014 Ryder Cup, joining when it hosts the 2019 Solheim Cup.

The Greenbrier American Express Championship on the Senior PGA Tour (now the PGA Tour Champions) was held from 1985 through 1987.[25][26]

The PGA Tour came to the hotel in 2010 with the Greenbrier Classic. After two years of being held on the last weekend of July, the tournament obtained the more favorable date of the first weekend in July, starting in 2012. On March 28, 2011, The Old White Course became a TPC course.[27] The 2016 event was canceled due to severe flooding in June.

All four of the golf courses on the property, the Old White TPC, the Greenbrier Course, the Meadows Course, and the Snead Course were damaged in the 2016 flood. On July 12, 2016, a modified course, made up mostly of the Greenbrier Course but also parts of the Meadows Course, was laid out and opened for play that year. The remaining courses were closed for the year.

The Greenbrier Clinic, adjacent to the hotel, has operated as an executive health facility since 1948. In 1971 it began operating independently from the hotel (although still leasing its facility from The Greenbrier).[28]

In 2011, Justice announced an ambitious plan to construct the Greenbrier Medical Institute, a large-scale medical facility with a projected cost of at least $250 million, planned to be built in five stages. It was to include a sports medicine facility to be headed by orthopedic surgeon James Andrews.[29] Construction of the first stage began in May 2012.[30]

The project was intended to establish relationships with professional sports teams, as the resort wanted to attract a National Football League team that would hold its annual training camp at The Greenbrier. In March 2014, the New Orleans Saints and the hotel reached agreement on a three-year deal. The hotel committed to build three football fields and other facilities for the Saints, at an estimated cost of $20â€“25 million, adjacent to the medical facilities. The project was to be partially subsidized by tax breaks recently approved by the state legislature, with an estimated value of $25 million over 10 years.

The relationship between the hotel and the Saints reportedly developed after a visit by Saints head coach Sean Payton to the 2013 Greenbrier Classic golf tournament to play in its pro-am competition and then to serve as caddie for his friend, PGA Tour player Ryan Palmer.[31] After three seasons (during which the Saints praised the Greenbrier's facilities but finished with a 7-9 record every year), the Saints did not renew their contract with the hotel. The Houston Texans took over the facilities for their 2017 training camp.[32]

The Spring League, a minor league football organization, held six of the seven games in their inaugural season at The Greenbrier.[33]

The sprawling resort complex, surrounded by mountains on the resort's 11,000-acre property

North entrance in 2008

The back patio in 2006

The historic Springhouse

Robert E. Lee, seated second from left, with his former Confederate generals at White Sulphur Springs, August 1869.

At White Sulphur Springs, 1870

"The Old White" in 1916

The Greenbrier in the late 1930s, showing the central 1913 wing, the back side of the 1931 north wing, and the 1911 bath wing on the right


when did billy elliot the musical come out

The musical premiered at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End in 2005 and was nominated for nine Laurence Olivier Awards, winning four, including Best New Musical. The production ran through April 2016.[2] Its success led to productions in Australia, on Broadway and elsewhere. In New York, it won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including, in each case, Best Musical. It has also won numerous awards in Australia including a record-tying seven Helpmann Awards.

Billy Elliot the Musical

2005 West End
2007 Sydney
2008 Broadway
2010 North America Tour
2010 Seoul
2010 North America Tour
2014 Oslo*
2014 The Hague
2015 Copenhagen*
2015 Reykjavík*
2015 Tallinn*
2015 Chorzów*
2015 Helsinki*
2015 Italy Tour*
2015 Athens*
2016 Malmö*
2016 UK Tour
2016 Tel Aviv*
2016 Budapest*
2016 Auckland*
2017 Mexico City*
2017 Tokyo
2017 Vaasa*
2017 Madrid*
2017 Seoul
2018 Sandnes*

Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a British motherless boy who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the 1984–85 UK miners' strike in County Durham, in North Eastern England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.[1]

A live recording of the musical was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24 November 2014 in the United Kingdom.

It was planned that the musical would have its premiere at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. This was abandoned due to the financial problems of the Tyne Theatre's operator and the production's growing budget.[3]

The musical premiered in the West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre, opening in previews on 31 March 2005 and officially on 11 May 2005. It closed on 9 April 2016, due to the theatre's refurbishment programme, after 4,600 performances.[2][4] The show reportedly cost Â£5.5 million to produce (the original film version cost $5 million).[5] The producers were Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions Plc and David Furnish. It was directed by Stephen Daldry and choreographed by Peter Darling, as was the original film. Liam Mower, James Lomas and George Maguire were the original actors who alternated in the title role, and the supporting cast included Haydn Gwynne as Mrs. Wilkinson and Tim Healy as Billy's father. The sets were designed by Ian MacNeil, the costumes by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting was by Rick Fisher, and sound by Paul Arditti.

The musical received favourable reviews: the Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer called it "the greatest British musical I have ever seen", and The Daily Mail thought it "a theatrical masterpiece".[6] It won four Laurence Olivier Awards: Best New Musical, Best Actor (awarded jointly to James Lomas, George Maguire and Liam Mower, the boys who played Billy), Best Sound design and Best Choreographer. It also won the Evening Standard Award as well as the Critics Circle Award and the Theatregoers Choice Award, all for Best Musical.[7]

The original cast album was released on 10 January 2006. On 12 May 2006, the three original Billys appeared together in a performance of the musical to celebrate its first anniversary. The three rotated the role during the performance and were joined at the end by Elton John.[citation needed] In 2013, the show won another Olivier Award, the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award (voted for by theatre goers), after many years of being finalists for the award.[8] After Margaret Thatcher died in 2013, according to director Stephen Daldry, the audience were given the choice to decide whether the song "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher" would be included in the performance that day, since the lyrics include the sentence: "We all celebrate today 'cause it's one day closer to your death". As only 3 audience members voted against it, the performance went ahead as normal.[9][10] On 3 July 2015, 12 year old Nat Sweeney from Birmingham became the forty-first actor to play the role of Billy, making him the 100th to play the role worldwide.[11]

In June 2014, it was announced that the musical would be screened and broadcast live to cinemas around the UK and the world.[12] On 28 September, the matinee of the musical was broadcast as it was being filmed at the Victoria Palace Theatre to cinemas around the UK and other countries with further encore screenings of that same performance on other dates. Billy was played by Elliott Hanna. Liam Mower, one of the three actors who originated the title role, returned to play the role of Older Billy.[13] In addition, 25 past and present actors to have played the title role on the West End performed a specially-choreographed dance number at the finale. The live broadcast topped the UK and Ireland box office the weekend it was broadcast, a first for an event cinema release, beating The Equalizer with £1.9m.[14] This performance was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 24 November 2014 in the United Kingdom. This cast includes Elliott Hanna in the title role with Ruthie Henshall as Mrs. Wilkinson, Deka Walmsley as Billy’s dad, Chris Grahamson as Tony and Ann Emery as Grandma.[15] Further cast included Claudia Bradley as Dead Mam, Howard Crossley as George, David Muscatt as Mr Braithwaite, Alan Mehdizadeh as Big Davey, Liam Mower as Older Billy and David Stoller as Posh Dad.

Billy Youth Theatre[16] was a countrywide scheme as part of which participating schools and youth groups were given the opportunity to stage their own production of the musical. Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall, together with Martin Koch (Musical Supervision and Orchestrations), adapted their original script and orchestrations to produce a shortened version of the show exclusively for groups staging local productions as part of Billy Youth Theatre.

The musical opened at Sydney's Capitol Theatre on 13 November 2007, directed by Daldry in association with Julian Webber, and choreographed by Darling.[17] Rhys Kosakowski, Lochlan Denholm, Rarmian Newton, and Nick Twiney alternated in the title role. The production earned good notices, and in January 2008 it won Best Musical at the 2008 Sydney Theatre Awards.[18] The show also won seven Helpmann Awards, including the awards for Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Actress (Genevieve Lemon as Mrs. Wilkinson) and Best Actor, awarded jointly to the four boys who played Billy Elliot.[19] The production concluded in Sydney on 9 November 2008 with all eight Sydney Billys in the finale.

The Sydney production transferred to Melbourne's Her Majesty's Theatre, opening on 13 December 2008.[20] The Melbourne production closed on 14 June 2009 after a successful run.[21]

The Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on 1 October 2008 in previews, and officially on 13 November 2008.[22] The London production's creative team directed and designed the Broadway production.[7] The title role was rotated among three young actors,

The production received rave reviews:[24] Time called it a "triumph"; critic Liz Smith termed it "breathtakingly brilliant" and "absolutely, unequivocally awesome"; the Daily News said it was "so exhilarating that at times you feel like leaping";[25] the New York Post said it was "almost like being in love" and termed it "amusing, perfect and passionate" and "the best show you will ever see"; and the Los Angeles Times called it a "global theatrical phenomenon".[26] It has also been very financially successful, with $20 million taken in advance ticket sales.[24] The production received fifteen Tony Award nominations, tying with The Producers for the most nominations ever received by a Broadway show,[27] and winning ten. The original three boys in the lead role jointly won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. The production sold strongly and recouped its original investment of $18 million in 14 months.[28] The Broadway production closed on 8 January 2012 following 40 previews and 1,312 regular performances.[29]

Although considered to be the First US National Tour, the show did not tour as a usual touring production would, with longer engagements in Chicago and Toronto.

The musical opened in Chicago on 18 March 2010 in previews, officially on 11 April, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre for an extended run. This is the start of the North American multi-city tour.[30] According to producer Eric Fellner, however, the musical "will be here until such time as Chicago says 'go away'.... We can only do one production at once," and other North American cities will have to wait until the Chicago production runs its course.[31] Emily Skinner plays Mrs. Wilkinson, and the cast featured Tommy Batchelor, Giuseppe Bausilio, Cesar Corrales and J.P. Viernes alternating as Billy, with Armand Schultz as Billy’s Dad, Cynthia Darlow as grandma, Patrick Mulvey as Tony and Jim Ortlieb as George "'Billy Elliot' Dances Into Chicago March 18" Archived 13 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine.. Playbill.com, 18 March 2010</ref> The production closed early on 28 November 2010 and transferred to Toronto. The show ran for 37 weeks and 288 performances.[32]

The production had been slated to run through July 2010 but was extended to the middle of January 2011, by popular demand. By September, however, ticket sales were growing bleak. According to the Chicago Tribune, "Weekday attendance had been especially poor in recent weeks, despite heavily discounted tickets. Audience members at the Oriental Theatre in the Loop had reported an almost-empty balcony at some shows, and weekday attendance had been as low as 900 or so people. December sales are typically strong, so the decision to close then indicated that things were not expected to pick up." The show closed "early" in November 2010.[33]

The Canadian premiere of the show opened on 1 February 2011 at the Canon Theatre in Toronto. Kate Hennig played Mrs. Wilkinson, Cesar Corrales, J.P.Viernes, Marcus Pei and Myles Erlick as Billy, Armand Schultz as Billyâ€™s dad, Cynthia Darlow as grandma, Patrick Mulvey as Tony and Jim Ortlieb as George. It was originally scheduled for 28 January 2011.[34][35][36]

The show received mostly glowing reviews. The most critical review was one published in the National Post: "The signal achievement of Billy Elliot The Musical is to be even phonier than the movie it's based on."[37] The show was extended, due to packed audiences for an additional three months.

A second tour opened at the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina on 30 October 2010. Although this is the first production of the musical to tour the United States in a "touring" manner, this is still considered to be the Second National Tour.[38]

The title role was shared by Giuseppe Bausilio, Michael Dameski, Kylend Hetherington, Lex Ishimoto, and Daniel Russell. The cast also included Faith Prince as Mrs. Wilkinson, Rich Hebert as Billy's father, Patti Perkins as Grandma, Jeff Kready as Tony, and Joel Blum as George[39]

The Second National Tour went on hiatus in August 2011. It re-opened in November of the same year under a new production company, and with previous cast members from the second national tour as well as the Toronto cast. Notable cast replacement included Ben Cook as Billy. The tour went on hiatus after playing its final performance in North America at Hartford, Connecticut on 23 June 2013, before proceeding to SÃ£o Paulo, Brazil.

While the Second National Tour received much praise from audiences and critics, BroadwayWorld.com gave the show a rare mixed review, calling Stephen Daldry's direction "muddy and over-complicated," Elton John's music "dull," and Ian MacNeil's set "hideous, over-designed, and unnecessarily complex."[40]

After the tour's hiatus, it transferred to Brazil for a limited engagement and opened on 2 August 2013 at the Credicard Hall in SÃ£o Paulo. It was the first time the tour played in a Latin American country and was the first musical to take its international tour to Brazil since Cats in 2006.[41] The tour played its final performance on 18 August with Ty Forhan, Drew Minard and Mitchell Tobin as the last to share the title role.[42]

The first non-English language production of the musical opened in Seoul on 10 August 2010 in previews and officially on 14 August at the LG Arts Center. It originally starred Jin-Ho Jung, Ji-Myeong Lee, Sunu Lim, and Se-Yong Kim in the title role of Billy with Junhyung Kim later joining the cast in January 2011.[43][44] Supporting cast included Young-joo Chung as Mrs. Wilkinson, Won-hee Cho as Billy's father, and Jae-hyung Lim as Tony. This production closed on 27 February 2011.[45]

The first regional production of the show opened on 16 June 2014 at The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri for a week-long run.[46] Included among the cast were Tade Biesinger as Billy, Emily Skinner as Mrs. Wilkinson, Daniel Oreskes as Dad, and Patti Perkins as Grandma, all reprising their roles from the original Broadway production.[47] On 25 October 2013, the Ogunquit Playhouse announced that it would stage their own production which ran from 25 June – 26 July 2014.Included among the cast were Anastasia Barzee as Mrs. Wilkinson, Sam Faulkner and Noah Parets as Billy, Armand Schultz as Billy’s dad, Dale Soules as grandma, Anthony Festa as Tony and Joel Blum as George. [48] Other regional productions have also been announced.

In December 2013 the Norwegian production company SceneKvelder announced that it would stage their own production of the show at the Folketeatret in Oslo. This production opened on 18 September 2014 for a limited run and was the first international non-replica production to open.[49][50] Kevin Haugan played the title role with Hilde LyrÃ¥n as Mrs. Wilkinson, Nils Ole Oftebro as Billy's dad and Benjamin Helstad as Tony.

On 30 November 2014 Billy Elliot premiered in the Netherlands at the AFAS Circustheater in The Hague (Scheveningen) after previews starting on 6 November. Billy will be alternately played by Tydo Korver, Stijn van der Plas, Svenno van Kleij, Carlos Puts, Jillis Roshanali and Roan Pronk. Among the cast are Dutch musical actress Pia Douwes as Mrs. Wilkinson, Bas Heerkens as Billy's father, and Reinier Demeijer as Tony. This production is produced by the original English producers (Universal Stage Productions, Working Title Films, Old Vic Productions) and by Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties/Stage Entertainment.

On 22 January 2015 Billy Elliot premiered in Denmark at Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen. Billy will be alternately played by Oscar Dietz, Carl-Emil Lohmann and Nicolas Stefan Anker Markovic. Among the cast are actress Julie Steincke as Mrs. Wilkinson, Kristian Boland as Billy's father, and Sebastian Harris as Tony.

In March 2015 Billy Elliot premiered in Estonia, Tallinn, at the Nordea Concert Hall. Among the cast are an actress Kaire Vilgats as Mrs. Wilkinson and Mait Malmsten as Billy's father.

On 5 May 2015 Billy Elliot premiered in Italy at Il Sistina in Rome. Billy will be alternately played by Alessandro Frola and Simone Romualdi. Among the cast are actress Sabrina Marciano as Mrs. Wilkinson, Christian Roberto as Michael, Luca Biagini as Billy's father, Cristina Noci as Grandma, Donato Altomare as Tony, Elisabetta Tulli as Mum, Jacopo Pelliccia as George and Maurizio Semeraro as Mr.Braithwaite.

Billy Elliot premiered in Malmö, Sweden on 13 February 2016 at Malmö opera. Billy will be alternately played by Grim Lohman, Oliver Lohk and Jacob Hermansson and Michael by David Fridholm, Carl Sjögren and Uno Elger. Among the cast are Åsa Fång as Mrs Wilkinson, Lars Väringer as dad, Rasmus Mononen as Tony, Paul James Rooney and Robert Thomsen playing the role of Older Billy. The production will move to Stockholm in 2017 and opens there on the 1 March.

In May 2016, the Grandstreet Theatre in Helena, Mont., became the first American, non-professional theatre company to stage this musical.[51]

On 1 June 2016 Billy Elliot was premiered in Israel at City Hall theater in Cinema City Gelilot Complex. Billy is alternately played by Arnon Herring and Shon Granot-Zilbershtein. The main cast includes Daphna Dekel as Mrs. Wilkinson, Avi Kushnir as Billy's father, Oshri Cohen as Tony and Dina Doron as Billy's grandmother. The role of Michael is alternately played by Sahar Lev-Shomer, Timoti Sannikov and Amit Brenner. The role of Debbie is alternately played by Naya Federman, Sasha Bezrukov and Maya Mintz. The director and choreographer is Eldar Groisman. The Hebrew version was translated by Eli Bijaoui.

The first Hungarian language production of the musical—a non-replica staging—debuted on 29 July 2016 at the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest, directed by Tamás Szirtes and choreographed by Ákos Tihanyi. The production was originally intended for the Erkel Theatre which has more seats but was relocated after the ticket sales started. Hungarian translation is by István Puller and Ferenc Bárány.[52] It was the first musical ever to be performed at the Opera House.[53]

In County Durham, the 1984-85 coal miners' strike is just beginning ("The Stars Look Down"). Motherless eleven-year-old Billy is required to stay behind after his boxing class to give keys to Mrs. Wilkinson, who runs a ballet class. He is the only boy, but becomes attracted to the grace of the dance ("Shine"). The secret is at first easily kept, as the only person home at the time is his grandmother. She reveals her abusive relationship with her dead husband and that she too loved to dance, which made everything all right ("Grandma's Song").

While his father Jackie, brother Tony and neighbours are on strike and clash with riot police, Billy continues to take dance lessons, keeping it a secret from his family ("Solidarity"). During the number, the violent reality of the strike is interspersed with the peaceful practise of ballet.

Eventually, Jackie discovers Billy in the ballet class and forbids him from attending the lessons. Mrs. Wilkinson, who recognizes Billy's talent, privately suggests that he should audition for the Royal Ballet School in London. To prepare for the audition, she offers free private lessons. Billy is not sure what he wants to do so he visits his best friend Michael for advice. He finds Michael wearing a dress. He persuades Billy to have fun with him by dressing up in woman's clothing and disdaining the restrictive inhibitions of their working class community ("Expressing Yourself").

Billy arrives for his first private ballet lesson bringing with him things to inspire a special dance for the audition ("Dear Billy (Mum's Letter)"). He begins learning from and bonding with Mrs. Wilkinson while he develops an impressive routine for his audition ("Born to Boogie"). Mrs. Wilkinson's daughter Debbie tries to discourage Billy because she has a crush on him. Meanwhile, Jackie and Tony are engaged in daily battles with riot police that often turn bloody. They struggle to support the family with very little in strike and union pay, a difficult task that goes on for nearly a year.

When the day of the Royal Ballet School audition comes, the police are coming through the village and Tony has been injured by the police. Because Billy had not come to the miner's hall to get picked up by Mrs. Wilkinson for the audition, she goes to the Elliot home. There, Billy's family and some members of the community have gathered. She is forced to reveal that she has been teaching Billy ballet in preparation for this very day. This news upsets Jackie and Tony, who gets in an argument with Mrs. Wilkinson. Tony tries to force Billy to dance on the table in front of everyone. The police approach and, as everyone escapes, Billy calls out to his father saying that his mother would have let him dance, to which Jackie says, "Your Mam's dead!". Billy goes into a rage ("Angry Dance"), and for nearly a year, stays away from anything related to ballet.

Six months later at the miner's annual Christmas show, the children put on a show disparaging Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who is seen as the antagonist by the coal miners ("Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher"). Billy's father gets drunk and sings an old folk song that elicits memories of his deceased wife and the usually stoic man leaves in tears ("Deep Into the Ground"). Left alone with Billy in the Community Centre, Michael reveals he has feelings for him, but Billy explains that the fact that he likes ballet does not mean that he is gay. Michael gives him a kiss on the cheek. Michael tries to get Billy to show him some dancing, but Billy is sad and just tells him to leave.

Michael departs, but leaves a music player running. Billy feels like dancing for the first time since the day of the aborted audition and dances while dreaming of being a grown-up dancer ("Swan Lake"). Unknown to Billy, his father arrives and watches him dance. Overcome with emotion, Jackie goes to Mrs. Wilkinson’s house to discuss Billy’s prospects as a dancer. She confirms Billy's talent, but is not sure whether or not he would get into the Royal Ballet School after missing the audition. Mrs. Wilkinson offers to help pay for the trip to London for the next audition, but Jackie refuses. He leaves questioning his working-class pride and the future mining has for his boys.

Jackie decides the only way to help Billy is to return to work. When Tony sees his father cross the picket line, he becomes infuriated and the two argue over what is more important: unity of the miners or helping Billy achieve his dream ("He Could Be A Star"). The argument eventually comes to blows and Billy is hit accidentally. One of the miners chastises them for fighting and says that the important thing is looking after the child. One by one, the miners give money to help pay for the trip to the audition, but Billy still does not have enough for the bus fare to London. A strike-breaker arrives and offers him hundreds of pounds. An enraged Tony attempts to shun his donation, but no one else speaks up in his support. Now drained of hope, Tony dismally ponders whether there's a point for anything anymore, and runs off.

Billy and his father arrive at the Royal Ballet School for the audition. While Jackie waits outside, an upper-crust Londoner highlights the contrast between the Elliots and the families of the other applicants. Jackie meets a dancer with a thick Northern accent. The dancer confesses that his father does not support his ballet career. He sharply advises Jackie to "get behind" his boy. Billy nervously finishes the audition with a sinking feeling that he did not do well. As he packs his gear, he lets that emotion overwhelm him and he punches another dancer who was trying to comfort him. The audition committee reminds Billy of the strict standards of the school. They have received an enthusiastic letter from Mrs. Wilkinson explaining Billy's background and situation, and they ask him to describe what it feels like when he dances. Billy responds with a heartfelt declaration of his passion ("Electricity").

Back in Durham, the Elliots resume life, but times are tough and the miners are running a soup kitchen to ensure everyone is fed. Eventually, Billy receives a letter from the school and, overwhelmed and fearful, knowing that it heralds the end of the life he has known, informs his family that he wasn't accepted. Tony retrieves the letter from the waste bin and discovers that his brother was accepted. At the same time, the miners' union has caved in; they lost the strike. Billy visits Mrs. Wilkinson at the dance class to thank her for everything she did to help him. Debbie is sad that Billy will be leaving.

Billy packs his things for the trip to the school and says goodbye to the soon to be unemployed miners who are returning unhappily to work ("Once We Were Kings"). Billy says goodbye to his dead mother, who often visits him in his imagination ("Dear Billy (Billy's Reply)"). Billy breaks the fourth wall and begins to walk down the center aisle before Michael stops him to say goodbye. Billy drops his suitcase and runs onto the stage to give Michael a kiss on the cheek. Billy then walks back off stage, retrieves his suitcase and walks out to his future alone.

The entire cast comes out on stage and calls Billy back to celebrate the bright future ahead of him ("Finale").

The original London cast recording was released on CD in 2005. This 75 minute CD features all the musical numbers listed above, excluding the instrumental Swan Lake track. A two disc 'Special Edition' version was later released, however the second CD only totals 9 minutes and contains versions of "The Letter", "Electricity" and "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher" performed by Elton John.

The principal original cast of the West End, Broadway, Australian and UK tour productions:

Notable West End replacements

Notable Broadway replacements

Notable Australian replacements

The West End production was nominated for nine 2006 Laurence Olivier Awards and won four, including Best New Musical. At age thirteen, Liam Mower was the youngest actor to win the award, and the actors playing Billy were the first to win the award in a shared capacity. Lomas, Maguire, and Mower also jointly received the Theatre Goers' Choice Award 2005 for The Most Promising Newcomer. The production also won The Evening Standard Award 2005, among others.[70] The Sydney production was nominated for eleven 2008 Helpmann Awards and won seven, including Best Musical. The Sydney production was nominated for three 2007 Sydney Theatre Awards and won all three including Best Production of a Musical.[71] The Melbourne production was nominated for twelve 2008 Green Room Awards and won six, including Best Production Music Theatre.[72] The Broadway production received 15 Tony Award nominations in 2009, tied with The Producers for the most nominations ever received by a single show, although this was surpassed in 2016 by Hamilton with 16 nominations.[27] It won ten Tony Awards, including the Best Musical. The lead actor award was shared by the three boys who opened in the title role, marking the first time in Tony history the award has been shared by three actors.[73] The production was also nominated for ten Drama Desk Awards, winning all ten, including Outstanding Musical.[74] It garnered ten 2008-09 Outer Critics Circle Awards nominations, winning seven, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, as well as receiving an honorary Special Achievement Award for its three Billys.[75] The six juvenile principals were recognized with an honorary Young Artist Award as Outstanding Broadway Musial Ensemble.[76]


what advantages do solar cells have in space

For both uses, a key figure of merit of the solar panels is the specific power (watts generated divided by solar array mass), which indicates on a relative basis how much power one array will generate for a given launch mass relative to another. Another key metric is stowed packing efficiency (deployed watts produced divided by stowed volume), which indicates how easily the array will fit into a launch vehicle. Yet another key metric is cost (dollars per watt).[4]

Solar panels on spacecraft

Spacecraft operating in the inner Solar System usually rely on the use of photovoltaic solar panels to derive electricity from sunlight. In the outer solar system, where the sunlight is too weak to produce sufficient power, radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) are used as a power source.[1]

The first spacecraft to use solar panels was the Vanguard 1 satellite, launched by the US in 1958. This was largely because of the influence of Dr. Hans Ziegler, who can be regarded as the father of spacecraft solar power.[2]

Solar panels on spacecraft supply power for two main uses:

To increase the specific power, typical solar panels on spacecraft use close-packed solar cell rectangles that cover nearly 100% of the sun-visible area of the solar panels, rather than the solar wafer circles which, even though close-packed, cover about 90% of the sun-visible area of typical solar panels on earth. However, some solar panels on spacecraft have solar cells that cover only 30% of the sun-visible area.[3]

Solar panels need to have a lot of surface area that can be pointed towards the Sun as the spacecraft moves. More exposed surface area means more electricity can be converted from light energy from the Sun. Since spacecraft have to be small, this limits the amount of power that can be produced.[1]

All electrical circuits generate waste heat; in addition, solar arrays act as optical and thermal as well as electrical collectors. Heat must be radiated from their surfaces. High-power spacecraft may have solar arrays that compete with the active payload itself for thermal dissipation. The innermost panel of arrays may be "blank" to reduce the overlap of views to space. Such spacecraft include the higher-power communications satellites (e.g., later-generation TDRS) and Venus Express, not high-powered but closer to the Sun.

Spacecraft are built so that the solar panels can be pivoted as the spacecraft moves. Thus, they can always stay in the direct path of the light rays no matter how the spacecraft is pointed. Spacecraft are usually designed with solar panels that can always be pointed at the Sun, even as the rest of the body of the spacecraft moves around, much as a tank turret can be aimed independently of where the tank is going. A tracking mechanism is often incorporated into the solar arrays to keep the array pointed towards the sun.[1]

Sometimes, satellite operators purposefully orient the solar panels to "off point," or out of direct alignment from the Sun. This happens if the batteries are completely charged and the amount of electricity needed is lower than the amount of electricity made; off-pointing is also sometimes used on the International Space Station for orbital drag reduction.

Space contains varying levels of ionizing radiation, that which includes flares and other solar events. Some satellites orbit within the protective zone of the magnetosphere, while others do not.

Gallium arsenide-based solar cells are typically favored over crystalline silicon in industry because they have a higher efficiency and degrade more slowly than silicon in the radiation present in space. The most efficient solar cells currently in production are multi-junction photovoltaic cells. These use a combination of several layers of gallium arsenide, indium gallium phosphide, and germanium to capture more energy from the solar spectrum. Leading edge multi-junction cells are capable of exceeding 38.8% under non-concentrated AM1.5G illumination and 46% using concentrated AM1.5G illumination.[6]

To date, solar power, other than for propulsion, has been practical for spacecraft operating no farther from the Sun than the orbit of Jupiter. For example, Juno, Magellan, Mars Global Surveyor, and Mars Observer used solar power as does the Earth-orbiting, Hubble Space Telescope. The Rosetta space probe, launched 2 March 2004, used its 64 square metres (690 sq ft) of solar panels[7] as far as the orbit of Jupiter (5.25 AU); previously the furthest use was the Stardust spacecraft at 2 AU. Solar power for propulsion was also used on the European lunar mission SMART-1 with a Hall effect thruster.

The Juno mission, launched in 2011, is the first mission to Jupiter (arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016) to use solar panels instead of the traditional RTGs that are used by previous outer solar system missions, making it the furthest spacecraft to use solar panels to date.[8][9] It has 72 square metres (780 sq ft) of panels.[10]

Another spacecraft of interest is Dawn which went into orbit around 4 Vesta in 2011. It used ion thrusters to get to Ceres.

The potential for solar powered spacecraft beyond Jupiter has been studied.[11]

The International Space Station also uses solar arrays to power everything on the station. The 262,400 solar cells cover around 27,000 square feet (2,500Â m2) of space. There are four sets of solar arrays that power the station and the fourth set of arrays were installed in March 2009. 84 to 120 kilowatts of electricity can be generated from these solar arrays.[12]

For future missions, it is desirable to reduce solar array mass, and to increase the power generated per unit area. This will reduce overall spacecraft mass, and may make the operation of solar-powered spacecraft feasible at larger distances from the sun. Solar array mass could be reduced with thin-film photovoltaic cells, flexible blanket substrates, and composite support structures. Solar array efficiency could be improved by using new photovoltaic cell materials and solar concentrators that intensify the incident sunlight. Photovoltaic concentrator solar arrays for primary spacecraft power are devices which intensify the sunlight on the photovoltaics. This design uses a flat lens, called a Fresnel lens, which takes a large area of sunlight and concentrates it onto a smaller spot. The same principle is used to start fires with a magnifying glass on a sunny day.

Solar concentrators put one of these lenses over every solar cell. This focuses light from the large concentrator area down to the smaller cell area. This allows the quantity of expensive solar cells to be reduced by the amount of concentration. Concentrators work best when there is a single source of light and the concentrator can be pointed right at it. This is ideal in space, where the Sun is a single light source. Solar cells are the most expensive part of solar arrays, and arrays are often a very expensive part of the spacecraft. This technology may allow costs to be cut significantly due to the utilization of less material.[13]

Vanguard 1, the first solar powered satellite

The Juno space probe

A section of one of Juno's solar panels

Solar panels on the International Space Station, September 2000

Black light test of Dawn's triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cells[14]

Rosetta's lander Philae


who is the lead singer of canned heat

Alan Christie Wilson (July 4, 1943 â€“ September 3, 1970) was a co-founder, leader, and primary composer for the American blues band Canned Heat. He played harmonica, guitar, and sang with the group live and on recordings. Wilson was lead singer on Canned Heat's two biggest U.S. hit singles. His death at age 27 prefigured that of some of the other rock artists of the 1960s.

Alan Wilson (musician)

Wilson was born and grew up in the Boston suburb of Arlington, Massachusetts.[1] Some of Wilson's first efforts at performing music publicly came during his teen years with a jazz ensemble he formed with other musically oriented friends from school.[2] It was around this same time that Wilson developed a fascination with blues music after a friend played a Muddy Waters record for him. [3] After graduating from Arlington High School, he majored in music at Boston University and played the Cambridge, Massachusetts coffeehouse folk-blues circuit. Wilson developed into a dedicated student of early blues, writing a number of articles for Broadside of Boston newspaper and the folk-revival magazine Little Sandy Review, including a piece on bluesman Robert Pete Williams.[4]

Wilson was considered by many of his musical peers to be an expert on the blues musicians who came before him; many considered him as possessing an exceptional ability for connecting musically with the elder bluesmen.[5][6] His biggest influences included Skip James, Robert Johnson, Son House, Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Bukka White. James, in particular, was a highly exalted figure in Wilson's personal music journey. In high school, Wilson studied James' 1931 recordings with great ardor. Subsequently, Wilson began singing similar to James' high pitch. Wilson eventually perfected the high tenor, for which he would become known.[7]

After Son House's'rediscovery' in 1964, it was evident that House had forgotten his songs due to his long absence from music. Wilson showed him how to play again the songs House had recorded in 1930 and 1942. Wilson played House's old recordings for him and demonstrated them on guitar to revive House's memory.[8] House recorded "Father of the Delta Blues" for Columbia Records in 1965. Two of three selections on the set featured Wilson on harmonica and guitar. In a letter to Jazz Journal published in the September 1965 issue, Son House's manager Dick Waterman remarked the following about the project and Wilson: "It is a solo album, except for backing on two cuts by a 21-year-old White boy from Cambridge by the name of Al Wilson. Al plays second guitar on Empire State Express and harp on Levee Camp Moan. Al never recorded before, but he has backed John Hurt, Skip James, Sleepy John Estes, Bukka White and many others. He is good, and the record will prove it."[9]

During his time performing in Cambridge, Wilson met American guitarist John Fahey. From Fahey, he acquired the nickname "Blind Owl" owing to his extreme nearsightedness, roundish facial features and scholarly nature.[10] In one instance when he was playing at a wedding, he laid his guitar on the wedding cake because he did not see it. As Canned Heat's drummer, Fito de la Parra, wrote in his book: "Without the glasses, Alan literally could not recognize the people he played with at two feet, that's how blind the 'Blind Owl' was.".[11] With Fahey's encouragement, Wilson moved with Fahey to Los Angeles with the aim of having Wilson assist Fahey with his UCLA master's thesis on Charley Patton. It was in Los Angeles that Wilson met Bob Hite, a fellow blues enthusiast and record collector who would go on to establish Canned Heat with Wilson.[12]

With Canned Heat, Wilson performed at two prominent concerts of the 1960s era, the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969. Although Canned Heat's live performance was cut from the original theatrical release of the Woodstock film, they were featured in the 25th anniversary "Director's Cut." [13] The studio version of "Going Up The Country" was featured in the Woodstock film.

Wilson also wrote and sang the hit record "On the Road Again." In an interview with Down Beat magazine he remarked that, "... on "On The Road Again" [second LP] I appear in six different capacities – three tamboura parts, harmonica, vocal, and guitar, all recorded at different times." [14] On the double album Hooker 'N Heat (1970), John Lee Hooker is heard wondering how Wilson is capable of following Hooker's guitar playing so well. Hooker was known to be a difficult performer to accompany, partly because of his disregard of song form. Yet Wilson seemed to have no trouble at all following him on this album. Hooker concludes that "you [Wilson] musta been listenin' to my records all your life". Hooker is also known to have stated "Wilson is the greatest harmonica player ever."

On September 3, 1970, Wilson was found dead on a hillside behind bandmate Bob Hite's Topanga Canyon home; he was 27 years old. An autopsy identified his manner and cause of death as accidental acute barbiturate intoxication.[15] Wilson reportedly had attempted suicide a few months earlier, attempting to drive his car off a freeway in Los Angeles. He was briefly hospitalized for significant depression, and was released after a few weeks.[16] Although his death is sometimes reported as a suicide, this is not clearly established and he left no note.[17] Wilson's death came just two weeks before the death of Jimi Hendrix and four weeks before the death of Janis Joplin, two artists who also died at the same age. Along with his talent and intellect, Wilson had a reputation for social awkwardness and introversion which may have contributed to his depression.

Wilson was a passionate conservationist who loved reading books on botany and ecology. He often slept outdoors to be closer to nature. In 1969, he wrote and recorded a song, "Poor Moon", which expressed concern over potential pollution of the moon. He wrote an essay called 'Grim Harvest', about the coastal redwood forests of California, which was printed as the liner notes to the Future Blues album by Canned Heat. Wilson was interested in preserving the natural world, particularly the redwood trees. When he died, so too did the Music Mountain organization he had initiated dedicated to this purpose.[18] In order to support his dream, Wilson's family has purchased a "grove naming" in his memory through the Save the Redwoods League of California. The money donated to create this memorial will be used by the League to support redwood reforestation, research, education, and land acquisition of both new and old growth redwoods.[19]

Stephen Stills' song "Blues Man" from the album Manassas is dedicated to Wilson, along with Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman.


why are there letters on road signs in missouri

A supplemental route is a state secondary road in the U.S. state of Missouri, designated with letters. Supplemental routes were various roads within the state which the Missouri Department of Transportation was given in 1952 to maintain in addition to the regular routes,[1] though lettered routes had been in use from at least 1932.[2] The goal of the secondary highway system was to place state-maintained roads within 2 miles (3Â km) of more than 95% of all farm houses, schools, churches, cemeteries and stores.[3] The four types of roads designated as Routes are:

Missouri supplemental route

Supplemental routes make up 19,064 miles (30,681Â km) (59%) of the state highway system.

The more major supplemental routes of the system are ones assigned with single-letter designations (such as "K"). Minor branch routes and farm-to-market roads, which often end at county roads or are former alignments of the other highways, are typically assigned with two-letter designations consisting of two of the same letter (e.g. "KK"). Additionally, combinations of letters may be used, but always with A as the first letter (such as "AD"); the only exception of this is on Route BA in western St. Louis County. Combinations beginning with the letter R are also used for routes that connect with state parks or other recreational facilities, which is the only use of R on the system; Route AR, a non-recreational route south of Bakersfield, is the only exception to this.

The vast majority of the highways in the system are designated with 19 letters of the alphabet. The letters "G", "I", "L", "Q", and "S" are not used because of the potential confusion with other letters and numbers. The only current use of X is on Route AX in Macon County.

These routes rarely run for more than a few miles, although they may cross county lines. At a U.S. Route or Interstate highway, they change their letters; for example, in Greene County, southbound Route J crosses U.S. Route 60 and becomes Route NN, and Route M in Cole County becomes Route J after passing U.S. Route 50. But when Route MM (Greene County) crosses Route 360, it remains Route MM, only changing into Route B when crossing Interstate 44. Route J in Boone County is one of the few exceptions to this, as it continues past U.S. 40 for three miles before becoming Route O upon passing I-70. The names are also reused, but not near one another. Rarely is a letter re-used in a county; there are two Route Z's in Randolph County and two route K's in Carter County. Route D exists in the counties of Cole, Greene, Newton, St. Louis, and several others.

Supplemental routes are signed by black letters on a white background with a black border. Rarely, the shields will be marked with banners such as EAST, WEST, or END. There are no business or bypass routes for the roads; however, seven examples exist of spur routes: Spur Route N in Cedar County, Spur Route C in Gentry County, Spur Route C (to Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site) in Monroe County, Spur Route K (into East Lynn) in Cass County, Spur Route AA (to the Sappington Cemetery State Historic Site) in Saline County, Spur Route J (to Sigsbee) in Shelby County, and Spur Route Y in Montgomery County.

It is erroneously believed that due to these roads being designated by letters rather than numbers and their existing in more than one county that these roads are county roads, not state highways, with some businesses and residences located on these roads saying their address is "County Road A" for example. This may have also arisen from the signage used prior to the early 1960s, where the letter was painted black against a white background, with the words "STATE ROAD" above the letter and the county name (in all capital letters) below the letter.