THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 8, 1994 TAG: 9412060167
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
BINGO AND country line dancing?
That may seem an unlikely combination, but not to Jason Bateman, general manager of the Princess Anne Recreation Center, an operation that now occupies the building that used to be a bowling alley called Princess Anne Lanes.
``My family is in the bowling and family recreation business,'' Bateman explained. ``They have several other bowling alleys in the area. They acquired another one, and Princess Anne Lanes was the smallest, so they decided to close it. . . . The lease on the building still had four years to run, so it looked like the building would sit vacant until the lease ran out.
``But my grandfather, J.T. Mitchum, and Jim Allman talked with some people from the Norfolk SPCA at an Admirals hockey game . . .and they were looking for a new hall to hold their bingo games in. So my grandfather and Jim decided to reopen it as a bingo hall.''
The center, at 5301 E. Princess Anne Road, now features a $14,000 computer verifying machine for calling up and tracking bingo numbers and eight color monitors to facilitate play.
According to Bateman, one of the hall's best features is the ventilation system. The hall has smoking and non-smoking sections, but it also has three ``smoke-eaters'' and two large ventilation fans that can turn over the air in the hall four times an hour.
``The players love it because they don't have to deal with the smoke,''
Bateman said.
The Norfolk SPCA runs the games on Thursday nights. St. Pius Catholic School and Church runs games on Friday nights. That still leaves the hall vacant and unused the majority of the time.
``Some of my family had built homes down in South Carolina where they came across a place called The Barn,'' Bateman said. ``It was a country and western place, featuring dancing but no alcohol so families could come with their children. We decided to try an operation like that here.''
So the center began scheduling Saturday night family oriented alcohol-free dances. The cover charge is $3 for adults and $2 for children. The center brought in a disc jockey and a dance instructor to teach the steps. The first month or so was ``dead,'' Bateman said, with maybe five or 10 people a night. But soon two country dance clubs, the Country Kickers and the Boots and Beaus, heard about the center, and business began to pick up. Now the center can count on about 100 people per night.
``Everyone we get in here loves it and keeps coming back,'' Bateman said. ``Families come and bring their children; it's cheaper than a baby sitter. And the kids have a good time.''
So bingo and line dancing in an alcohol-free environment can go together. But do they mix?
``A couple of people come to both,'' Bateman said with a grin. ``But actually we get very little crossover.''
Mary Manuel and Bea Filippone are two who come for both. They were at bingo one recent Friday and back again for line dancing Saturday, with three daughters, two of Mary's and one of Bea's, in tow. Nina Manuel, 14, found time to shoot a little pool between dances while her sister, Tammy Browning, 31, remained on the dance floor. Dora Filippone, 16, also was there to dance.
``I enjoy it here,'' Bea said. ``You can get together with your friends and play bingo. People here are friendly. I live three streets down. We needed something like this because we didn't have anything like it in the community.''
``My daughter, Tammy, is addicted to line dancing,'' Mary explained. ``Once a week, I try to come for bingo. My husband comes, too. It's close to home and has a comfortable feeling. We've been coming to the dancing since the beginning; we've only missed one week. It's nice because you can bring your kids with you. You don't find many places like that anymore.''
``It's a nice place,'' daughter Tammy echoed between dances. ``My husband doesn't come; he's a hunter. But my mom comes; I got her into it. I like country and western music.''
``The kids get up and dance, too,'' Mary added. ``That's what's nice about no alcohol. We've probably got them here ages 7 to 70.''
Bateman has had to overcome a few problems with the center.
``When we were getting ready to open, there was a delivery drivers' strike,'' he said. ``So my brother and I had to drive to Arkansas in a rental truck, pick up the tables and bring them back here. And we still get bowlers coming up to the door. I can spot them coming in from the parking lot with their bowling balls. I just meet them at the door and direct them to the nearest lanes.
``And Virginia Beach has a city-run recreation center with the same name as ours. We get their calls, and they get ours. We're thinking about changing our name to avoid the confusion.''
Bateman now is thinking about ways to use the building Sundays through Wednesdays.
``We're looking into starting a concert series here because of the size we have,'' he said. ``And we see potential for renting the hall out for functions. It's already been rented out a few times.''
But bingo and line dancing will remain the main attractions.
``We're trying to provide something for the community, to give people a chance to get out and not have the problems associated with drinking,'' Bateman said. ``We appeal to people who feel that there's no place for them to go, where they can bring the kids and not spend the whole night worrying.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Jason Bateman runs the Princess Anne Recreation Center, a former
bowling alley that now features bingo and country line dancing.
by CNB