By Whitney Downard
Contributing Writer
If you’re looking for something new and exciting to do on Wednesday nights, then Good Times of Olean will be the place for you.
Opened in July of this year, the Good Times of Olean Recreation Center offers a variety of entertainment opportunities to the surrounding community. Good Times boasts an array of fun activities, including a bowling alley, 18-hole mini-golf course, beach volleyball courts, an arcade, pool tables, darts, shuffleboard and batting cages.
The center is offering a new opportunity for surrounding universities on Wednesday nights. Students are eligible to receive a 20-percent discount on games, activities, food and beverages with a valid university ID. This discount is not limited to students at St. Bonaventure University, but extends to students at other nearby colleges such as Jamestown Community College, Alfred University and Houghton College.
Sophomore physics major Arielle Balthazard lives in town and was especially pleased with this new addition to the community.
“As a local resident, Olean can get a little bit boring sometimes,” Balthazard said. “Good Times has been a definite improvement in the area. I really like the mini-golf course. I’m a very competitive person, and it gives me another opportunity to compete with friends.”
Over the summer, Rob DeFazio, director of the Center for Activities, Recreation and Leadership, and Abby Cohen, associate director of club sports, intramurals and student engagement, came together with representatives from Good Times in order to create these student discount opportunities.
“We wanted to have as much collaboration (with Good Times) as possible,” Cohen, said. “Not only does it benefit a great local business but it gives students something to do. (We’re) playing with new ideas and there’s potential for future growth.”
By working together, the university and Good Times has laid the groundwork for a lasting relationship, according to Good Times of Olean marketing executive Shannon Barie.
“We definitely expect our relationship with the school to grow,” she said.
Good Times will offer another discount to students before hockey games.
“We hope that when the students come to support their (hockey) team, they will celebrate the team’s accomplishments at our facility,” Barie said.
In addition to these student discounts, the university and Good Times will be working together to provide a bus to shuttle students to and from Good Times tomorrow and on the Saturdays of Oct. 19 and Nov. 2 as well. The bus route will run a continuous loop between the Rathskeller Circle, the townhouses and Good Times starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 1 a.m. This bus will ensure that students will be able to safely get to Good Times and back.
“I’m really looking forward to visiting after a particularly difficult organic chemistry test this year,” sophomore biology major Kayla Back said. “Sometimes, a group of us would go to a movie or dinner after a test, but now we’ve got other things to do that are just as interesting. Plus, it’ll be another place for us to have fun even when we don’t need to relax after a test.”
By collaborating with Good Times of Olean, students now have more recreational opportunities available to them and a chance for some off-campus fun at an affordable price. With plenty of options to choose from, students can’t be easily bored and will continue to enjoy all that Good Times has to offer.
For more information about prices, food, games and activities at Good Times, visitgoodtimesolean.com.
