Amid much fanfare, Kaos Fun Zone held its official ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon.

The Liberty Group CEO, Dan Klingerman, who received the key to the city for bringing the complex downtown, explained the core reason for creating Kaos: To create an environment for families to enjoy themselves.

“We recognized a need with all the siblings, families, coming here for the sporting events to create something enjoyable for them, something for them to do. We had individuals [who] were coming in, sitting around, no food, no activities, and they were sitting here for hours,” said Klingerman.

While the ribbon cutting was Thursday afternoon, the “fun zone” has been open for business since November 2018, after starting construction in April 2018.

Now, after four months of operation, Kaos Fun Zone General Manager Blake Sampson says he has noticed a steady stream of support from area families.

“It’s been received very well. All the families and kids we’re receiving on a weekend basis, it’s growing every week. One of our biggest draws right now is the bowling alley. People are waiting hours just to bowl in our new bowling lanes,” said Sampson.

According to Sampson, the “big drawing card” is the sheer number of activities and attractions offered for families.

“Nobody else offers multiple attractions like we do, with the availability for our [FlyWorld] trampoline park, laser tag, arcade, bowling, and our full sports complex as well,” said Sampson.

Klingerman echoes these sentiments, detailing the appeal of so many activities under one roof as an incentive to visit the establishment, much like a shopping mall.

“You look at the evolution of the shopping mall — a place where people didn’t just want to buy sneakers or clothes, et cetera. And the shopping mall complex is kind of similar to what you see here. Maybe you don’t want to bowl, maybe you want to laser tag, maybe you want to go to the batting cages, maybe you want to swing a golf club,” Klingerman said. “There’s something for everybody, and I think the diversity of this facility allows people to truly have a great time collectively, even if the entire family doesn’t want to do the same thing.”

While he says nothing is set in stone and the future can always change, Klingerman looks to what may come to Kaos Fun Zone later on. Early on in conceiving the complex with consulting firm Sports National, many potential attractions were discussed. Although the space of the complex did not allow for their creation, Klingerman has not ruled out these attractions coming to the complex in the future.

“We like the idea of a miniature golf complex, we like the thought of go-karts. That actually was the No. 1 for family entertainment centers, but we didn’t have the area to facilitate it. But who knows?” asked Klingerman.

For Sampson, his only expectation for the future of Kaos Fun Zone is more excitement.

“The way we’re growing now, you’re just going to see bigger and better in the future. I think you’ll see more attractions for families under this roof and more things to offer the families of Williamsport.”