Outdoor Recreation employees Carolyn Calter and Joshua Faiai get ready to test-run two Go Karts last week at the Weasel’s Den. The grand opening of the new indoor recreation center at Misawa Air Base, Japan, will be from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (Jennifer H. Svan / S&S)
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — It’s time to shake off that cabin fever.
The much-anticipated grand opening of the Weasel’s Den is set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Everything will be free — including Go Karts and miniature golf — except for equipment rentals.
“This is going to be the first full-fledged opening to the community,” said Outdoor Recreation Director Dave Hymer.
The $1.7 million facility in Hangar 973 is Misawa’s new indoor recreation center. The aging World War II-era storage hangar was converted into a 65,000- square-foot play area to give families and young airmen and sailors another recreational outlet, especially during Misawa’s long winters, base officials have said.
“The community has been starving for something like this,” Hymer said. “This is a great opportunity to get out of the house, let the kids run around and have a great time. It’s an opportunity for all ages to have a blast.”
The first people to ride the Go Karts — which can travel up to 30 miles per hour — will be the winners of a Misawa’s American Forces Network contest that was to start Monday.
One ride will be given away daily during EDGE Radio 1575’s 6 a.m.-6 p.m. live broadcasts. “When you hear a race-car sound, whatever number caller (is) designated” gets a ride, said the station’s Staff Sgt. Stephanie Csornok. The only stipulations, Csornok said: The winner must be at least 13 and 54 inches tall — the minimum age and height requirements for driving the Go Karts.
The Weasel’s Den has 14 electric Go Karts and a 350-foot-long track with curves.
Other activities and stations include a climbing wall, inline skating area, skateboard park, nine holes of miniature golf, video games and, for kids 9 and younger, an inflatable bouncy castle and Fun Zone. Inline skates, climbing gear and other equipment is available to rent or buy.
The center will stay open until 4 p.m. Saturday. A stateside band will provide music and the base clubs will offer food and refreshments. Door prizes will be given away throughout the day following the 10 a.m. ribbon cutting.
Some base residents already have glimpsed the Weasel’s Den since Outdoor Recreation relocated its offices and equipment rental desk there earlier this winter. Thomas Lynn, 13, at Outdoor Recreation on Friday with his mom, Maj. Helen Lynn, said the base needed an indoor recreation center.
“I think, yes, because my friend he always played hockey in the middle of the road,” he said. “Now he can come down here and play every weekend.”
Lynn said he thought the Weasel’s Den also would be a cool place for birthday parties. He’s in luck: “We are also developing some party rooms where folks can come in and have birthday parties,” Hymer said. Rental cost for two hours will run about $30 to $40, depending on room size, he said.
After the grand opening, Go Karts will be $5 for a 5-minute ride; a round of miniature golf, $1.
Weasel’s Den will be open year-round from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
