Holidays deliver presents to bowlers, movie lovers
LOREN BENOIT/Press Brandon Gay, 18, of Coeur d’Alene, bowls with a group of friends at Sunset Bowling Center on Friday. With schools on holiday break, Sunset Bowling saw more than 120 people one night last week.
Ryan Morford, 16, bowls with a group of friends Friday evening at Sunset Bowling Center. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Customers purchase movie tickets Friday afternoon at Regal Cinema in Riverstone. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
POST FALLS — If you’ve stood in lines lately to see a movie or attempt a strike at local bowling alleys, you’re not alone. Recreation has been hot business at the close of 2018.
Bowling alleys have been packed at River City Lanes over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, said operator Eli Covington on Monday.
“We’re noticeably busier than in years past with families and large groups. We believe people are traveling more, and gathering in town more than usual. We believe that’s due to growth in the area. With consumer confidence being high, people are looking for things to do.”
Covington said that starting just after Christmas, lanes have been full during prime time hours. Prior to the holiday, River City Lanes was quite busy with company holiday parties. In fact, all of 2018 has been better than the previous year, he added.
“We’re 20 percent busier,” he said.
Sunset Bowling Center in Coeur d’Alene has also been hopping. Last week, the lanes handled more than 120 people on one night alone, said manager Vernon Oertel.
Video Theater in Post Falls has also been busier than usual, said clerk Deb Hollis.
“It feels like it’s been a little more busy than last year,” she said on Monday. Business has been up despite the store closing on Christmas Day and cutting back its hours for New Year’s, she said. The store, which has a sister store in Coeur d’Alene, rents five older movies for five days for $5, she said, and has movies on sale for half off. The video rental store is usually busy around holidays, weekends, and summer, she said. The clientele consists of customers from all over the age spectrum.
Konner Zimmerman, projectionist at Hayden Discount Cinema, said all shows were very busy on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In addition, things have gotten busier as New Year’s Eve approached, he said. Fellow employee Sara Coughanour said that when school began in the fall business got slow except on the weekends, but recently “it’s been really busy.”
Zimmerman said the theater usually sees about 400-600 total patrons during its first three sets of film showings per day, but has been averaging between 600-700 per day during the holiday break.
The local discount cinema, which charges only $3 per ticket, stayed open on Christmas and will be open on New Year’s Day, Zimmerman said.
Covington, who has worked at River City Lanes for nearly a decade, said he appreciates how the community supports the local establishment.
“We love being a gathering place for the community, and I love how you see different groups of people that connect with each other,” he said. “Bowling is interactive and social in a way that going to the movies and skiing sometimes isn’t.”