WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 4, 2018 19
BUZZ
An inside look at the fl ashy new Laser Bounce in Glendale
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
Parents and kids alike are going
to have a fi eld day when Laser
Bounce makes its debut in Glendale
at the Shops at Atlas Park.
Laser Bounce co-owner Ryan
D’Amico invited QNS to come and get
a behind-the-scenes look at the facility.
While an opening date has yet to be
fi nalized, it appears to be very close
to completion.
Aft er opening the doors — which
are located on the lower-level entrance
from the parking garage underneath
Regal Cinemas — the arcade floor
spreads far and wide. It is fi lled with a
variety of games that give off multicolored
fl ashing lights and fi ll the room
with the sounds of electronic theme
songs. A long counter with prizes
stuff ed inside it awaits the winners.
Toward the center of the
20,000- square-foot space is a large red
cage that holds the infl atable bounce
house and obstacle course. Next to
that is the Ballocity arena, packed
full of air cannons and a maze of
platforms. There is also a snack bar,
“Snackz,” and four party rooms which
have retractable walls between them
that, when opened, create one giant
party room.
The main attraction, tucked away in
the back of the room, is the laser tag arena.
The doors open up to a room where
the players don their armor, grab their
gun and are briefed for their mission.
Another set of doors opens to the arena,
which is completely dark other than the
neon blue, red and green lights coming
from the features inside.
One of the fi nal missing pieces is the
virtual reality game from Hologate, which
D’Amico expects to be arriving soon.
Take a look at the photos to see some
of the fun that Laser Bounce has in
store.
Photos by Ryan Kelley/QNS
Laser Bounce is fi lled with a variety of games ahead of its grand opening
in January.
Eighth-grade students sell ornaments to raise hundreds for veterans
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
A group of artistic eighth-graders
in Middle Village used their
skills to give back during the
holiday season by donating hundreds
of dollars to a nonprofi t that supports
military veterans.
The students from Our Lady of
Hope Catholic Academy's art club, led
by their art teacher Terryanne Rosenhammer,
created handmade paper ornaments
and sold them at the school's
annual fl ea market. They raised a total
of $320 and donated all of the proceeds
to Hope for the Warriors, a national
nonprofi t that assists military veterans
with transition services, clinical health
and wellness, sports and recreation
and community engagement.
The eighth-graders not only designed
and decorated the ornaments,
which cost $2 a piece, but they also
managed the sales all on their own.
"When Hope For The Warriors
started 11 years ago, we dreamed of
groups like the Our Lady of Hope
Catholic Academy eighth-grade art
club students continuing to support
our initiatives,” said Robin Kelleher,
co-founder and president of the organization.
“Terryanne Rosenhammer
Our Lady of Hope Catholic Academy eighth-grade art club students in front of their ornament fundraiser for
Hope For The Warriors.
has done a wonderful job leading this
group of youngsters and giving them
fi rst-hand insight."
Kelleher added that Rosenhammer's
son Jack is a First Lieutenant
in the Army, and the two have been
Hope for the Warriors supporters for
some time.
Since being founded in 2006, Hope
for the Warriors has served more than
Photo courtesy of Hope for the Warriors
13,000 veterans through a variety of
support services. The organization's
fi rst program, A Warrior's Wish, has
granted 170 wishes to fulfi ll a better
quality of life.
