Starfire Event Center

Photo: Art Sidner

Waseca: Starfire Event Center

The Starfire Event Center opened in January 2013 as a natural extension of Gene and Bonnie Miller’s other businesses. They own the historic Armstrong Building in downtown Waseca, which includes a bevy of hotspots, including Club 57, Jonnie Beans, the 4-bed Miller Bed & Breakfast, and Starfire Restaurant. The Armstrong Building also houses the headquarters for ELM Homes, which has been serving people with developmental disabilities in southern Minnesota more than 30 years.

The Starfire Event Center is directly across the street from the Armstrong Building, in the former EF Johnson headquarters site.

“Part of our motivation for (creating Starfire Event Center) was to create jobs,” said 67-year co-owner Gene Miller in a telephone interview. “With it and Starfire Restaurant (across the street), we employ 50 people (with developmental disabilities) doing everything from landscaping to helping with food preparation.”

Miller believed Waseca needed a larger event center. The conference room in the Armstrong Building holds 95, but Miller was receiving requests from wedding parties seeking seating up to 200. The Starfire Restaurant was capable of catering to that number, but didn’t have the space. Now the restaurant caters for Starfire Event Center.

Said Miller, “Since opening in January, we have scheduled 32 weddings over the next 12 months, plus a number of community events. The word got out. I knew there was a need because of all the requests.”

The event center has unique historical features. For example, the dance floor was created from using the wood of a ten-lane bowling alley being demolished. Dance floor lights came from the old Waseca college gymnasium. A ten-foot mirror came from an old barbershop. The center also has two golf simulators available for local golfers in winter months.

Miller said, “The food catered can be almost anything you want, from prime rib to seafood. We have an event planner to help with options and pricing. The whole facility complete with bar goes for $800 per day.”

Starfire Event Center
Contact: Daryn Spies
Telephone: 507-461-1387
Web: www.wasecamac.com