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What can hold the wild noise of monster trucks, brides-to-be and the Zumba dance craze all in one weekend?

There's an arena for that.

On Friday and Saturday, the Big Sandy Superstore Arena hosts the Monster Nationals Monster Truck show.

On Sunday, clear out the boys toys -- at noon it's time for the WKEE Bridal Extravaganza, the Tri-State's largest bridal show with a cruise giveaway, a groom room with the NFL playoffs and a one-stop shop of wedding services.

On Monday, it's time to pump up the volume and the energy as the Latin-music fueled Zumba exercise is celebrated from 7 to 9 p.m. with Zumba creator Beto Perez, who created the exercise craze now practiced in more than 75 countries.

Here's a closer look at these three big events this weekend at the arena.

Bigfoot bounding into the arena

In 1974, Hazelwood, Mo., resident Bob Chandler built a behemoth that would change the motor sports world.

He called his car-crushing "monster truck" Bigfoot.

In celebration of 35 years of crushing cars and taking names, Chandler's team has unveiled a special 35th anniversary Bigfoot that comes roaring into the arena to do battle with Tailgator, Ironman, High Maintenance (driven by Lil' Miss Dangerous) and the Lucas Oil Stabilizer as part of the Monster Nationals Monster Truck show.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 8-9, and there's a free pit party from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. before the show where kids of all ages can get autographs from their favorite drivers and monster trucks.

Tickets are $10 child (ages 2 to 12) and $19 adult in advance or $10 child and $22 adult at the door. There are a limited number of $30 gold circle seats only available in advance.

Matt Louck, of the Indianapolis-based The Promotion Company-Family Events, which organizes the 15-city series, said they're excited to have Bigfoot to celebrate a landmark in racing history.

"We're really excited about Bigfoot," Louck said. "He is the original monster truck that started it all 35 years ago. We're thrilled to have them and this special anniversary body put together for the tour.

"When Bob did it, he built Bigfoot for fun to help promote his four-wheel shop back in the day, and it's just attracted people like magnets ever since. Thirty-five years later, there's 400-plus monster trucks racing all over the world. It seems like the technology has been able to carry it through making them bigger and better with each generation. Whether you're a little kid or 90-year-old, you're still in awe when you see them," he said.

Now sponsored by E3 Spark Plugs and Lucas Oil, the Monster Nationals show features two hours of motorsports with timed runs, head-to-head monster truck racing and tires-peeling, wild spinning whirls of freestyle. While the monster truck drivers take a rest, there's also a couple of cool side acts including the Bike Battle Zone, a motorcycle stunt team that tries to out-trick, wheelie, flip and ride each other.

Also performing will be "Porkchop," a former rodeo clown who rides a motorcycle and brings the laughs to the family show.

"He definitely makes you laugh, and there's never a dull moment," Louck said. "It's much like a circus or a thrill show. It's sort of a three-ring circus of monster trucks. Every bit of the two hours is filled with fun and entertainment."

New this year is that every ticket-holder can come early (5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Friday or Saturday) and meet the drivers.

"The best part of that is that it is part of the ticket and it's just a free additional part of the show," Louck said. "It's a good amount of time for everybody to come in and see everybody and to see how awe-inspiring these trucks are."

Brides-to-be ... start your engines

The skid marks and roar of testosterone will barely be cleared before the Tri-State's largest bridal show, the 100-KEE-FM Bridal Extravaganza sets up at noon Sunday, Jan. 10.

The arena will be packed with a one-stop shop for brides-to-be to plan a perfect wedding.

Vendors include everything from A to Z, literally. A to Z Rental join more than 50 other vendors that range from photographers and florists to limousines, cakes, hotels, deejays and video services.

Check out the latest in bridal fashion during a 3 p.m. fashion show featuring The RoseTree, Lara's Bridals and Wilma's Dress Shop.

There also will be thousands of dollars in prizes given away including a three-night cruise for two leaving from Florida or California on one of the following cruise ships: Carnival Fun Ship, Norwegian or Royal Caribbean International compliments of 21st Century Royal Prestige.

WKEE will also be giving away a $500 Huntington Mall shopping spree.

The Big Sandy Superstore and Texas Roadhouse will also be sponsoring a Groom Room, where grooms-to-be can watch the NFL playoff games on the big screens with a good selection of snacks.

Are you ready to Zumba?

The Tri-State is on the move with nearly 90 (and counting) certified Zumba instructors teaching more than 144 classes each week, getting people up and moving to this exercise sensation.

Celebrity fitness trainer and Colombian native Beto Perez, who came up with the idea after having to improvise an exercise class using non-traditional aerobics music in 1999, has watched his music-and-dance-fueled workout to spread to more than 5 million people in 75 countries.

This weekend he is here teaching a couple master classes and to celebrate the Tri-State's new appetite for exercise. At the Veterans Memorial Field House, Beto Perez and some of his top instructors, Gina Grant and Jani Roberts, will be teaching workshops for certified instructors on Zumbatomic (for teaching kids) on Saturday, Jan. 9, and on Zumba toning on Sunday, Jan. 10.

The visit culminates with "An Evening with Zumba Creator Beto Perez" from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

Tickets are $35. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Free health screenings will be provided by St. Mary's Medical Center, which is sponsoring the event. Tickets are available at the arena box office and all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 800-745-3000. Door prizes will be awarded prior to the master class. Light refreshments and water available.

Area Zumba instructor Toni Karle, who teaches five classes a week at St. Mary's, helped organize the visit, and said Perez is coming as a celebration of how Zumba has taken off in the region.

"He's coming to congratulate us in getting ourselves moving and to keep the spirits up and to get even more people involved," Karle said. "I do want people to understand that his appearance at the arena is not just a performance. You are in your workout clothes, and you're going to sweat along with the creator, and it will be incredible."

Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

Shane Smith takes to the air as he crushes a row of cars with his monster truck, Ironman, during the Monster Nationals at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in this file photo. Ironman and all his friends return for a celebration of 35 years of crushing cars and taking names. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 8-9, at the arena.

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Mark Webb/The Herald-Dispatch

The 2010 Bridal Extravaganza will display the latest wedding trends Sunday, Jan. 10, at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

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