Longtime Tri-Cities club reopening for the first time in nearly a year
It’s no joke. Joker’s Comedy Club in Richland will be opening next week, a year after it was silenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
And the adjoining Atomic Bowl opened Thursday night after the Tri-Cities moved ahead to Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan along with the South Central region of Washington.
“Right now we are just trying to get things straightened out,” said promotions manager Brian Cahalan.
The first comedy show is set for Friday, Feb. 26, although co-owner, Max Faulkner, has not yet announced the headliner.
Cahalan said Max Faulkner is working on ironing out the kinks including setting up new reservation systems and lining up comedians to put on the schedule. Details will be posted on at atomicbowl.com.
The iconic facility that has been a Tri-Cities go-to entertainment spot for nearly 65 years, was shuttered just a couple of years after a major renovation for the first time in 20 years.
The center at 624 Wellsian Way is well known for its bowling and comedy, but also has a casino, night club and an arcade that’s a popular destination for children’s birthday parties.
All but the card room and bowling league practices have been closed since last March.
“We were fortunately able to get PPP loans,” Cahalan said. “But because the casino is the main driving force, we survived. (Reopening) allows us more leverage than relying on just one thing.”
Cahalan said that while the comedy club will be open, the night club will remain closed.
The arcade and birthday parties also are off-limits for now. The arcade may be able to open in a few weeks, but Cahalan said they haven’t figured out the logistics.
Bowling reservations
The bowling alley is taking reservations. Regular hours will be 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Other hours during the week will mostly attract bowling leagues.
Only two people are allowed per lane and no spectators are permitted. So for a family of four — two adjacent lanes would need to be rented.
“The last thing we want to do is open up and end up shutting down because we aren’t adhering to the rules,” Cahalan said.
The comedy club, as well as the bar and snack area, are all limited to 25% capacity.
Initially, comedy shows will be offered only on Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets that were purchased before the COVID shutdown and went unused will be honored for future shows.
Cahalan also said that reservations are recommended for bowling, and that the casino has limits on the number of players as well.
“We are practicing all the safe practices to keep people safe and separated, and so far we are doing a good job,” he said.
▪ A recorded message at Spare Time Lanes, 711 W Vineyard Drive in Kennewick, said that bowling would be reopening March 2 along with its pool tables and arcade games.
▪ Go Bowl Lanes and Arcade, 799 W Lewis St. in Pasco, posted on Facebook that it is reopening Friday, Feb. 19.