'Heart' comes through for Oberlin community
OBERLIN, Kansas -- The opening of a new bowling alley and presentation of a check from an ag company is the culmination of a three-phase community-wide effort to improve the quality of life for residents of all ages.
"Oberlin is a community with a lot of heart," according to Greg Lohoefener, Oberlin-Decatur Area Economic Development Corporation board member. "Even though things are tough out there for these small communities, we have a lot of pride and generosity in this community."
The goal was to build a new senior meal site and activity center, movie theater and bowling alley in downtown Oberlin. Oberlin's original bowling alley, Centennial Bowl which was built in 1961, burned down in 2005, leaving an entertainment void in the community. The original movie theater collapsed.
The new facility is on Penn Avenue, Oberlin's main drag, at the location of the old Chief Theater and the Pepsi Bottling Company.
Planning began in March of 2008. Funding for the $1.3 million project was the first hurdle, and community leaders are still attempting to raise another $20,000 to put the finishing touches on the project. According to Lohoefener, more than $800,000 came from private individuals or organizations throughout the community, a grant of $50,000 came from the Hansen Foundation, Decatur County raised $300,000, with the remaining $150,000 funded by loans to the economic development corporation.
The architect for the project was Rex Olson a Decatur Community High School graduate and former resident of Oberlin. The general contractor was Sappa Valley Construction, owned by Kevin Brown, another DCHS grad. The community-wide project also involved the youth, who helped with the demolition of the former structure, painting in the new facility, and installation of ceiling tiles.
By November, 2009, the first two phases of the three-phase project were complete, the Golden Age Center was relocated on the south end of the project and a 110-seat 3-D theater, Sunflower Cinema, is in the center. The final phase, a 6-lane bowling alley called Sunflower Recreation Center. opened in March.
The Golden Age Center, owned and operated by Decatur County, provides daily meals for Senior Citizens, as well as a gathering place for the whole community. The senior citizens have numerous games, cards, and a pool table in their part of the facility.
The bowling alley and theater are managed by Oberlin newcomer Doug Huscher. Sunflower Cinema began showing movies in November, 2009. The theater shows second run movies every weekend, 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. According to Huscher, the theater shows films that may have been released in major markets about 4 weeks earlier, but they are still the most popular releases. For instance, last weekend's movie was "Hop", and all 110 seats were sold at Friday night's showing.
A volunteer group operates the digital projector and staffs the concession stand, which helps to keep ticket prices at a low $5 per seat, with 3-D movies costing $6 per seat. With the digital technology and high-speed wireless internet access, the facility can also project Power Point, internet, and other computer presentations, making it an ideal location for business meetings.
The technology in the theater also allows the presentation of live or delayed broadcast performances. Using Specticast, Sunflower Cinema is able to broadcast high definition performances, concerts, and speaking engagements, such as the performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra presented last fall. The community hopes to host the concerts at least quarterly.
Sunflower Recreation Center has become very popular with Oberlin area residents of all ages, offering three different bowling leagues, as well as open bowling. According to Huscher, the Friday night Red Pin Bowling, which offers the chance to win a free pizza if a strike is thrown when the red pin comes up as the head pin, has forced them to create a waiting list on Friday nights. Cosmic bowling is offered on Saturday nights. Sunflower Recreation Center has synthetic lanes and automated score keeping. Pepsi products, beer, pizza and other snacks are also available at the bowling alley.
The three-year project has been a lot of hard work, according to Connie Grafel, marketing director of the Oberlin-Decatur Area Economic Development Corporation, "But what a great community asset! When people visit Oberlin, they are amazed that a community our size could pull this off. Everyone has pulled together to make it happen, and it is great to see the kids and their parents enjoying the facilities."