Evans has a ‘Rush’ of entertainment and family fun

A little more than a year after breathing new life into an Evans landmark long known for go-karts, an arcade and putt-putt golf, the new owners are planning for a summer full of fun.

The name of the venue at 1112 40th St. has changed over the past 25 years. Once known as Leisure Land, the location later became Gateway Fun Center and then took on a few other names now lost to time. It was unoccupied for more than a decade until June 2022, when the Harper family elected to get their hands on it.

After countless hours of manual labor and questioning what they were doing, the Harper family opened the venue with its new name in March 2023: The Rush.

Ron Harper, co-owner, said that after driving past the vacant and barren area one too many times before acquiring the property, he’d wonder how hard it could be to renovate a place that already had a go-kart track and putt-putt course. He and his family quickly got an answer.

“The putt-putt (course) was a disaster,” said co-owner Cindy Harper.

Tyler Harper, park manager, said the course needed new turf and landscaping, as well as the removal of a cube of roots in the course water feature. But that was just the start.

The building that housed the arcade for previous businesses needed to be brought up to code, and turning the facility into an event center required a lot of elbow grease. Cindy Harper recalled seeing piles of dirt in the building from the installation of sewer and water lines, a reminder of what they were embarking on.

The family has revitalized a venue that many residents would’ve guessed had been demolished by now. Along with repairing what was left over, the family bought new go-karts, fixed the leftover batting cages, added cornhole and pickleball areas, added a beer garden and made it easy for food trucks to set up in the parking lot.

The once-forgotten venue in Evans now hosts a myriad of family fun events that spark up nostalgia for a lot of residents.

“Every single day we’re open, people come in and go, ‘I was here when I was a little kid, and now I brought my kids here,’” Cindy Harper said.

The Harpers have planned 10 concerts for this summer, as well as monthly cornhole tournaments, a car show and more. Ron Harper said their tentative winter plans may include karaoke and casino nights and fixing the water bumper-boats to have them ready for next summer.

In the beginning, the family had considered throwing in the towel, but the family now looks fondly at what their hard work has given the community. From birthdays, weddings and other events already held at The Rush, Cindy Harper said its namesake is what life should be about.

“Life should be a rush,” she said. “You should have a rush of emotions or you should have a rush of fun. You can do it all at the same time here.”

The Rush is open 4-9 p.m. Fridays and noon-9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting.

For the latest updates, to buy tickets or to book the event center, go to therusheventcenter.com, check out their Facebook, The Rush Event Center, or call 877-849-9080.