Maine bowling alley with a VERY dark past reopens after major makeover with ... trends now
A half a year after 18 people were shot and killed in Lewiston, Maine, by a deranged gunman, one of the shooting sites reopened over the weekend to a rave reception.
Hundreds of happy residents were filmed outside Just-In-Time bowling alley Friday for the grand opening, six months after 40-year-old former military instructor Robert Card walked through its double glass doors.
Eight of Card's eventual 18 victims were then killed, but the business, closed since October 25, today lives on.
At a ceremony Friday, the governor and city leaders hit this sentiment home, with a ceremony that honored the lives lost as well as the resiliency of the small, tight-knit community.
Reminders from that day were proudly put on display, including 18 bowling pins that bore the names of the victims, as well as pictures and signs that read, 'Lewiston Strong.' Bowling alley owners Justin and Samantha Juray were also in attendance.
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Hundreds of happy residents were filmed outside Just-In-Time bowling alley Friday, six months after a former military instructor killed eight patrons there last year. The grand opening was attended by the state's governor, seen cutting the ribbon for reentry at right
The lawn at Just In Time Recreation, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. The bowling alley, where eight people were killed in last October's mass shooting
Gunman Robert Card is seen walking through the bowling alley's doors on October 25, 2023
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'It's amazing. It shows we are better than this,' Justin, 43, told attendees of the somewhat painful decision to reopen.
'I just want to thank everyone for coming here and encouraging us to open back up,' wife Samantha, 32, added.
'If we didn't have all of you, we definitely wouldn't have been able to open back up.'
'You're the reason,' Justin asserted. 'This is why we decided to reopen.'
Justin had been at the alley that day six months ago, halfway through his second frame with his dad when the shots rang out.
Both escaped unscathed, but his father, Tom Juray, told The Boston Globe how he still has other sorts of scars from the ordeal.
But on Friday, like so many others, the 71-year-old put on his bowling shoes for the first time since to mark a return to normalcy.
'I got a game to finish,' he told the paper, reportedly walking up to the once again-bustling business with outstretched arms.
As others had to go elsewhere for a game like Augusta or Portland, Tom said the trauma of the night had kept him out of a bowling alley.
Eight of Card's 18 victims were killed there, and it's been closed since October 25. Their memory, however, lives on. Pictured: Bowling pins labeled for each of the 18 victims of the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting
Among those killed were two bowling alley staff members. Most of the staff who survived are returning to work at the venue
Reminders from that day were proudly put on display, including the 18 bowling pins that bore the names of the victims, as well as pictures and signs that read, 'Lewiston Strong'
Bowlers were happy to get back in the game, after half a year after of having to go elsewhere
Justin Juray, owner of Just In Time Recreation, was there to greet customers, thanking them for their support during a difficult time
A crowd of bowlers sign up for a lane during the reopening of Just In Time Recreation, six months after the tragic event
The bowling alley was Card's first stop in his calculated attack, along with a pool hall a few miles away that also has been closed ever since
That is, until Friday, when he happily
