Valley kids bounce, bowl, slide, skate through holiday vacation
Lauren Ross, 5, of Canfield, at top, and Olivia Truby, 2, of Texas, play on a slide that is part of an obstacle course at Austintown Bounce on Kirk Road. Many children are taking advantage of the holiday school break to play this week at the indoor facility and other kid-friendly businesses in the Mahoning Valley.
By Christine Keeling
Austintown
School break doesn’t have to be boring or bust the budget. A variety of Mahoning Valley businesses offer wallet-friendly ways for families to have fun.
Dan Torno said Tuesday was a tough day, after he threw his last ball in the 10th frame and came up a few pins short of topping the score of his wife, Monica.
The Columbus, Ind., couple knocked down only a few pins more than their family members, Blake Spurlock, 8, of Newton Falls and Carlie Boyd, 8, of Champion at Wedgewood Lanes, who were tied at 73.
The Austintown bowling alley offers $1 games Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and $1.50 games Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Shoe rentals are $2.25.
Bowling was just one of many activities the group enjoyed together this week.
The Tornos said they let the kids pick where they want to go and have so far been to the movies, the mall and an arcade.
School break “is very fun,” Blake said.
Carlie was looking forward to the group’s plans to visit Austintown Bounce on Kirk Road. The 11,000-square-foot indoor facility operates seven days a week and opens at noon when the district’s schools are closed.
“We are family friendly and affordable,” said Bruce Shepas, co-owner. “They can stay as long as they like.”
Admission is $6, and children under 24 inches get in free.
Pam Ross of Canfield planned to keep her three kids, Kate, 10; Jacob, 8; and Lauren, 5, and her niece Olivia Truby, 2, of Texas at the center until they got tired.
“The trick [during school break] is to try and keep them active,” said Ross. “They want to sit and watch TV and play video games.”
The four children ran and played Tuesday with more than 20 other kids. Jump houses, video games and a concession stand were at their disposal, as was a lounge with a plasma television for parents.
Jad Jadallah, 10, of Canfield enjoyed not having homework and having time to relax during school breaks, he said, before his brother, Zain, 4, eagerly grabbed him to go bounce with their sister, Bayann, 7.
Finding something all the kids can do together is sometimes hard and frustrating, said their mother, Rasha Jadallah.
“They think they need to be entertained [when they are out of school],” she said. “You have to be creative.”
Some businesses have expanded their hours or are offering parents a way to celebrate the new year with the kids.
The Ice Zone in Boardman has open skating from noon to 3 p.m., 3:30 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 11 p.m. through Sunday. Admission with skates is $10 for children under 17. Saturday parties are planned at the Skate Zone Fun Center in Austintown and Camelot Lanes in Boardman.