Extreme Fun Center opens doors to more than an acre of excitement

Steven Merritt

WASILLA — A piece of a long-term entertainment puzzle fell into place this week, as Friday marked the opening of the Extreme Fun Center, a sprawling facility that managers say will feature a one-stop shop for gaming and other attractions for kids and adults alike.

At nearly 70,000 square feet, the complex features arcade-style games, a four-level kids’ “soft play” area, a food court, laser-tag arena — and perhaps the biggest attraction — an indoor cart track.

“It’s one of a kind for Alaska, there isn’t anything else like it in the state,” said Marty Metiva, the director of Alaska operations for Coming Attractions Theaters, which owns the fun center as well as the Valley Cinema across the street.

Metiva’s wife, Cheryl, is the director of marketing for the business, and Metiva said general manager Joe Wilkerson and his family will move up from Washington once school is out for the summer.

The builder, Oregon businessman John Schwieger, owns the Coming Attractions Theaters chain, which operates Valley Cinema along with some 17 other theaters in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. The Extreme Fun Center sits on five acres that Schwieger owns adjacent to Valley Cinema, which opened in 2011. The new center employs some 65 local residents.

“This is his (Schweiger’s) first self-built fun center,” Metiva said. “The other is a refitted mall in Aberdeen, Washington.”

The $6 million facility was financed in part by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority’s loan participation program. AIDEA provided about 90 percent of the loan funding, Metiva said, while Northrim Bank provided a $600,000 loan.

The AIDEA loan program has funded other entertainment projects like the Beartooth Theaterpub and H2Oasis water park in Anchorage. In the Valley, AIDEA also has been a part of the Three Bears expansion and the Rock-On Climbing facility in Wasilla, said AIDEA external affairs officer Karsten Rodvik.

“It is a good investment for AIDEA, it is going to be a good business for the Valley and it is going to have great appeal for families,” Rodvik said of the fun center. “The most important benefit that AIDEA’s loan participation offers to businesses is the long-term, fixed interest rate.”

Along with the soft play area, custom built for the center, the facility also boasts kids’ arcade games, a laser shooting gallery, bumper cars, four lanes of mini-bowling and a food court that can hold 100 people.

The centerpiece of the building is the cart track, a half-mile circuit that Metiva said was the largest in the northwest. The center features 40 of the Belgian-made electric carts — 30 for adults and 10 for kids. Metiva said lap times and driver skills are monitored with the same electric timing system used by NASCAR.

“There’s a full safety video that everyone has to watch before getting behind the wheel,” he said, adding that leagues are already beginning to form for the carts.

The laser tag arena is 2,800-square feet on two levels, Metiva said, another entertainment milestone for the state.

“We are hoping to get some corporate team building events in place for that,” he said of the laser tag offering. “I think some business folks will love it.”

With the fun center, gone are the days of lugging around a roll of quarters or constant trips to the change machine to play games. Except for the food court, the facility is a cashless operation. The fun center offers a smartphone app that handles online registration and other features.

“Folks can download the app, and once you register with us, you are registered forever,” Metiva said. “Then, when people come in, their registration is verified at guest services and they can get an individual play card or a VIP card, which can save 20 to 30 percent off on certain packages.”

Metiva said the center was working with the state Alcoholic Beverage Control board for a beer and wine license that would apply to an upper-level lounge that overlooks the entire center.

“Parents will be able to go up and have a drink or a slice of pizza and be able to see their kids at just about any location on the floor,” he said.

Parties are also a big part of the fun center offering, Metiva said, with five party rooms available for birthday parties or corporate events.

“In the fun center industry, parties are really big,” Metiva said. “But we also cater to corporate meetings. You can schedule a meeting and schedule an individual element,” like cart racing or laser tag.

Valley Cinema has become the flagship of the Coming Attractions chain as measured by gross sales, said Metiva, who is hoping the fun center will draw upon an “entertainment district” feel in the area off Seward Meridian parkway and Old Matanuska Road.

“We average 30,000 people a month in that theater,” Metiva said. “Now, you have all the shopping in this area along with the theater and the fun center. Plus, it gives kids a great place to come and hang out with their peers.”

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com