There were many firsts for the Metrocenter mall in Phoenix.

It was the first mall in the country to feature five department store anchors, the first place in Arizona for indoor ice skating and the largest mall west of the Mississippi River at the time of its opening, according to a release from Councilwoman Ann O’Brien, whose district includes the mall.

And, of course, parts of the 1989 movie “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” were filmed there.

But it was more than just a mall and movie setting, O’Brien said.

“It was a place for families to gather for the holidays, friends to share movies with, a hot spot for my generation to cruise around the mall in our cars and the first place in Phoenix where we could ice skate,” O’Brien said.

Metrocenter, off Interstate 17 and Dunlap Avenue, now sits empty, the property ready for the next phase.

On Sunday, May 21, the community will celebrate the mall’s history with a free outdoor event of music, food, kids’ activities, a car show, photo booths, memory walls and a 1980’s costume contest.

“I’m sure a lot of us have our own Metrocenter mall memories,” O’Brien said.

“For me, it could be one of my many shifts working at Parklane Hosiery, or how every time I heard the sirens of a fire truck, I would scatter so my dad never found out I was out cruising with the boys from my class.”

Event Details (organizers ask those planning to attend to register online):

• What: Metrocenter: A Fond Farewell Event
• When: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; May 21st, 2023
• Where: Metrocenter Mall
• How: Register for free event here; Reserve movie ticket here

Note: Registering for the free event does not reserve a seat in the movie. If interested in seeing the movie, a separate ticket is needed.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.