by Scott Sacry
There’s a new place to watch movies in the Bitterroot Valley, but it’s not in your traditional movie theater. It’s in a bowling alley.
The Ravalli Fun Center, 300 Skeels Avenue in Hamilton, is now showing movies. Showtimes are on Saturdays from 11-1 for mainly family movies and on Monday nights for more grown-up features, but will expand showtimes as they get closer to summer.
How does one watch a movie in a bowling alley? The answer is rather clever.
In the long rectangular area above the bowing lanes there is a large group of interconnected LCD panels that make up a LCD wall. The movies play on this wall – its similar technology to the jumbotron at a sporting event. Add in speakers from the old Pharaohplex theater, and you have a genuine, movie going experience.
The Ravalli Fun Center in Hamilton is now showing movies. The movies are played on an LCD screen system called the Neoverse, the only one of its kind in all of Montana. Photo by Scott Sacry.
The technology is called the Neoverse, and it’s not a line of poetry from the star of the Matrix, rather it’s the newest thing in bowling entertainment.
“It’s the only one of its kind in the state of Montana,” said Knut Hoelstad (Knut is Norwegian so the “k” is not silent), the owner of the Ravalli Fun Center. “We’re excited to see what everyone thinks about it.”
On Saturday, March 22, the 80’s classic “The Goonies” was playing on the Neoverse. Families sat in chairs and stretched out with blankets and pillows on the leadup to the bowling lanes, and watched as a group of Oregon teens tried to save their town from real estate developers. There is seating for up to 60 people surrounding the bowling alley.
“We’ll do it everyday in the summer if there’s a good reception,” said Hoelstad. “We’re constantly striving to give people in the valley things to do and showing movies is one of those, as there isn’t another option in the Bitterroot.”
On Saturday, March 29, “The Princess Bride” was the selection.
“We started by playing new releases like ‘Mufasa’ and ‘Wicked.’ Then we did a poll on our private facebook page and people wanted the classics,” said Hoelstad. “We’ll keep getting feedback from our viewers and play what they want.”
Because of his movie licensing agreement, Hoelstad can’t share the movies on social media, so he set up a private Facebook page, called: “Ravalli Fun Center News & Events” where people can give feedback and check out what’s playing.
For now it is a ‘by donation’ arrangement for the movies and Hoelstad will keep it this way as long as it works financially. “It’s a ‘suds and cinema’ type thing, where families can buy food and drink and enjoy a movie.”
The Neoverse makes for unique bowling as well. It weaves together engaging content, lighting and sound elements, with scoring system technology, HyperBowling and other elements to create a dynamic bowling experience.
Hoelstad has owned Ravalli Fun Center since 2019. He previously managed the place and eventually bought the business from the previous owners. The Ravalli Fun Center was named the 2021 Business of the Year by the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“We’ve invested over a half a million dollars in the center this last year,” said Hoelstad. “We want to make this place a great resource for the local community. This concept of community is important to us and we want people to have a local family option without having to travel very far.”
This experience includes a new casino, a new variety of games with prizes, made-from-scratch pizza and hand-breaded chicken strips, even authentic Norwegian Vikings. There’s also a large outdoor space where a variety of events happen in the summer. “We’ve had concerts, comedians, cornhole tournaments, dances, class and family reunions, and any number of other outdoor events,” said Hoelstad.
“The great thing about the valley is that every day I see a new face,” said Hoelstad. “We have a lot of regulars, but I’m always seeing new people. We have been in the valley for 30 plus years and people still say they didn’t know there was a bowling alley in the valley.”
And now, not only is there a bowling alley, but a bowling alley where you can go to the movies.
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