Ann Charron

When it comes to entertainment, many college students find themselves out of ideas and out of money.

But a night on the town in Brookings is possible and affordable.

In fact, sometimes it takes only $10 and a group of friends to make the night worthwhile.

Laura Dixon, a junior from Brandon, recommends bowling, ice skating, going to the movies or playing pool to cure those midsemester blues.

“If you go ice skating or bowling, you’re moving around,” Dixon said. “Doing something like that involves other people.

The Brookings Ice Arena offers a fun-filled night of skating for the maximum price of $4 — $2 to skate and $2 to rent ice skates.

“It’s a pretty reasonable price,” Bob Anderson, a Brookings Ice Arena employee, said. “For $2 that’s pretty cheap entertainment.”

The rink is open from the end of October to the middle of March and has open skating hours from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

“I go about five times a year,” Dixon said. “It’s a good physical activity. You learn something new if you don’t know how to skate.”

Dixon is not the only student that takes the ice for entertainment.

“There’s times that there might be 100 to 200 kids out here,” Anderson said.

Prairie Lanes Bowling, located at 722 Western Ave., also sees its share of students.

“With the special, we get around 50 to 75 students some nights,” promotional director Bob Grafing said.

The Tuesday night special, $1.90 a game and free shoes with a College ID, is not the only reason students throw a ball at 10 pins.

According to Grafing, students can be found any night of the week at Prairie Lanes Bowling. The bowling alley has a college league on Monday nights and offers a Gallaxy Light Show with music, lights, and fog on Friday and Saturday nights.

Open seven days a week, the popular college hang-out also offers a full service restaurant with daily specials under $5.

“We just try to make it fun for anybody that comes in,” Grafing said. “Bowling is a fun sport.”

Dixon said that she recommends bowling because it is an interactive sport that you can play while hanging out with friends.

“It’s kind of a thing that everyone knows how to do and likes to do,” Dixon said.

While some students may feel the need to get out and be active, others just want to spend time with friends while out on the town.

Chad Haselhorst, a junior from Cresbard, recommends Tuesday nights for hitting the streets of Brookings.

“The town of Brookings has great deals on Tuesdays — cheap bowling, cheap movies, Taco Tuesdays, cheap pizza,” Haselhorst said.

One activity that Haselhorst finds himself doing on Tuesdays is heading to the movie theatre.

Showcase Cinema 5, located in the Brookings City Plaza, offers an admission price of $4 per ticket on Tuesday evenings and Saturday and Sunday matinees on some films.

“You’re saving $2.50 per ticket,” said owner Dick Peterson. “Anytime there is a discount or you can save some money, it’s a great time to do it.”

The discount is not the only reason students go to the theatre.

Blockbusters, the night of the week and the theatre experience itself can make a difference in attendance, said Peterson.

The theatre experience is one reason both Haselhorst and Dixon attend.

Haselhorst takes his girlfriend to the movies as a way of spending time together and getting out at the same time.

“It’s easy and close to go to the movies,” Haselhorst said.

“It’s a different thing to do. It’s easier to concentrate on the movie rather than in your room or at home,” Dixon said.

No matter what the activity is, all it takes is a positive attitude and the motivation to have fun.