Family Focus
For the Intelligencer
Matt McSparin, left, and Terry Rujawitz of Edison's Entertainment Complex.
Edison's looks to fill entertainment void By JULIA BIGGS Of The Edge
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any Edwardsville area residents were saddened when Skate Corral, the mini-golf course and Cottonwood Bowl were torn down in 2002 to make way for Lowes. Just three years later, Montclaire Bowling Lanes was razed to make way for Harvard Square. Since that time, if residents in the area wanted to bowl, they needed to go to the few lanes located at SIUE or to neighboring Collinsville, Alton or Fairview Heights. But Edison’s Entertainment Complex, located at 2477 Route 157 in Edwardsville, is hoping to fill that void and much more. Local residents and managing partners Matt McSparin and Terry Rujawitz have been overseeing the construction of the Edison’s since December of 2011. The project has been abuzz recently with contractors, both local and nationally based, in anticipation of mid-June opening day. One of several features of Edison’s will be a high-end, boutique bowling experience with large projection screens, for viewing sporting events or other programming, located above the bowling lanes. The installation of the lanes is being performed by U.S. Bowling, an international company based in Chino, Calif. The company has been at Edison’s since April 14 installing the lanes which is a very precise art that includes leveling the lanes to 1/40,000 of an inch and includes shimming with something as thin as notebook paper. As of last week, the pinsetters had been installed and the actual laying of the lane surfaces was well under way. The lanes are all synthetic as opposed to the old school wood lanes. Chris Maloney, the foreman on the job for U.S. Bowling, has been installing lanes for almost 12 years and is from Onalaska, Wash., (midway between Portland and Seattle.) Maloney estimates the cumulative years of experience from the crew working on this job is somewhere around 125. Ricky and Greg Kinder are on his crew and hail from Huntington, W.V. Ricky has been installing lanes since the early 1970s. One of his more memorable experiences includes a story of installing lanes in the palace of a prince from the Middle East
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On the Edge of the Weekend
back in the '70s. “The floors were all granite so we had a difficult time drilling into them,” he said in an Edison’s news release. Others on the crew are from Tampa, Fla., Enid, Okla., and Detroit, Mich. Also on the Edison’s site currently is Blacklight 3D Productions (BL3D) who has themed and created all the props and painting for the laser tag arena. BL3D will spend two to three weeks in constructing all the walls, props, obstacles, sound system, hazers, blacklights and more into what is being called “Gaia’s Quest” Laser Tag. Gaia’s Quest was nearly complete last week. Jeff May of Blacklight 3D Productions has a studio in the old Lemp Brewery in downtown St. Louis where many of the painted panels for the arena have been created. Jeff has a national reputation as one of the top 3D blacklight painters in the entertainment industry. Laser tag will also feature the vests and guns from industry leader Zone Nexxus whose product, McSparin said, is in more laser tags around the world than any other system. Zone Nexxus features the Rift Laser Tag system that will be used at Edison’s. Rift provides a variety of game formats and Edison’s arena will have a capacity of 20 players at a time. As of late last week, the arcade games had all been installed and had already been “tested” by a few of the partner’s children. Edison’s Entertainment chose the St. Louis operation of Shaffer Distributing for arcade games and equipment and has picked the latest and most popular games in the industry for the arcade area. Don’t be misled to believe that this new establishment is a kids-only complex. It’s an entertainment complex that should appeal to kids and adults alike. There are arcade games for every age group. A wireless card reading technology will be used to allow guests to operate the games by using a plastic card to simply swipe and play. The ticketless technology not only will be ecofriendly but will make it easier for players to keep track of the points they earn. Points earned will be stored on the cards – eliminating the burden of carrying around tickets. This will ultimately also avoid waiting at ticket counting machines or weighing tickets when redeeming points for prizes. Special party rooms are located throughout the complex that offer unique opportunities to celebrate birthdays, special events or host corporate meetings. McSparin said that several
June 14, 2012
parties had already been scheduled and that those interested in learning more about parties could email them through their Web site at www.edisonsfun.com for more information. In addition to the entertainment possibilities, Edison’s will also offer several food alternatives. Lane service will be available as well as a concession area for items like beverages, nachos, Chicago style hot dogs and pretzel sticks. A bar and lounge area located in the area just outside Edison’s restaurant will offer craft beers, a variety of specialty drinks and other alcoholic beverages. In addition, Edison’s restaurant provides a sit-down, dining experience. Menu options include a mixture of entrees, creative sandwiches and burgers, pizza, specialty salads and an extensive list of appetizers. McSparin said that “all items will be created from fresh and include homemade sauces, soups, chips and other items that are uniquely from Edison’s kitchen.” Serving as their own general contractors, Rujawitz and McSparin have worked hard to include local contractors in the project as well. Pyramid Electric, A&G Plumbing, Long Concrete, Hayes Excavating, Jackson Masonry, George Alarm, Dissen Drywall and Painting, Elk Heating and Cooling, Mechanics Planning Mill (MPM) and St. Jacob Glass are just a few of the local contractors that have contributed to the project. “We have been pleased with the extra efforts that all of our subcontractors have put into this project and excited to be tracking on schedule for a June opening,” Rujawitz said. “We are on the home stretch with the project and thrilled to be close to opening.” “Our kudos to all the hard work provided by all involved in this exciting project. We look forward to providing quality entertainment in a fun and comfortable atmosphere for all ages,” McSparin said. Edison’s Entertainment is working toward an estimated mid-June opening. Become a friend on Facebook or visit Edison’s Web site for announcements of the official opening day. Edison’s is also still accepting applications and will be hiring for all types of positions including kitchen help, servers, entertainment staff and front desk help. Apply by downloading an application on its Web site or visit its hiring center in University Pointe, 1015B Century Dr., right next to Minuteman Press.