by Jill Funke

The community of Larchwood has a great deal to offer its residents. A large city park, golf course, library, baseball, softball and soccer fields, places to eat and churches for worship are important to those who live in the area. Over the past few years, a group of people began to envision the addition of a facility that would offer area residents the option of holding large indoor events during the winter months and all year long. These same interested people, who were avid sports fans, also began to think about the possibility of having a nice sports lounge where they could get together to enjoy games and spend time with each other.

The more this conversation came up, the more convinced these area residents were that the project should happen. Finally, this large group of community members with different levels of ownership decided to seriously put together plans for a facility that would compliment Larchwood’s existing businesses and services while offering those living in the area additional entertainment and event options. During the planning part of the project, group members considered many different locations for the new sports lounge. They knew they would need a large area and wanted to keep the building on Main Street in Larchwood so that it would be as centrally located as possible. The land south of the car wash was available, and provided the space needed for the building so investors made the decision to locate the sports lounge on that corner. Next the group needed help with the layout of the building, and worked with Metzger Construction to design the facility.

Open seven days a week, the Sports’Center currently has about twelve part-time employees and anticipates searching for full-time staff in the near future. Monday through Thursday, the lounge opens at 2 p.m. At the end of the week, patrons can come in at noon on Friday, 10 a.m. on Saturday and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. Every night, the establishment will remain open until traffic gets slow or 2:00 a.m.

In the back portion of the facility is the large banquet room with a capacity of 200+. This area can be sectioned off by a large sliding door to keep it completely separate from the rest of the lounge. With its own bar and bar services available for events, the banquet room is the perfect place for parties, reunions, weddings and any other function or group that would like to assemble there. Owners are keeping the price at a reasonable $50 for groups of any size, and customers can bring in their own caterer to set up for their event. The banquet room can be reserved for groups of 20 or 200+ by calling Sports’ Center manager, Stan Stettnichs at 712-477-2120.

Since so many people deal with asthma and other health considerations, the owners wanted to invest in a top-of-the line air exchange system so that everyone would feel comfortable coming to the establishment. Three big screens with nine other TVs make a total of twelve options for watching a variety of sporting events in style. With other great places to eat in the area, the Sports’ Lounge will only be offering finger food.