The general stigma behind small towns is that there is nothing to do in relation to having fun. 

An entertainment scene outside going to the bars downtown gets washed away with a lot of the population here at SDSU. The majority of students tend to frequent downtown for entertainment. 

Sherry Busick didn’t know exactly when bowling alley Prairie Lanes opened, however she did know it’s been standing before she came to Brookings. She now currently co-owns the alley which features a bar and restaurant with her son-in-law and daughter and has for over 12 years. 

Attendance at Prairie Lanes has sort of an ebb and flow kind of nature. 

“In the winter we’re busier,” Busick said. However in the summer, the lanes don’t see much action until the leagues pick up in September. 

The venue is also home to several charity events. Colleges Against Cancer and Relay For Life have their annual Bowling for Boobs event. Attending gets you a T-Shirt with a catchy breast related saying on it, and you get to bowl some games for a good cause. 

This venue can provide you with entertainment and drinks all in once location. And in some cases patrons can contribute to good causes. 

“We’d like to see more college kids out here,” Busick said. 

Just down Sixth Street from Prairie Lanes hidden behind a casino and diner, is Brookings Cinema 5. The two-time The Collegian Student Choice Award winning, local movie theater is part of several movie theaters across the state. 

The company has been around since 1910, and the Brookings Cinema started off as a three screen theater, moved up to five screens and in the future will have eight screens total, according to Peterson. 

Midnight premieres are a big part of film watching with today’s hit movies. 

Films like Hunger Games, Twilight and The Dark Knight Rises were all films to be featured as midnight showings here in town. 

Some movies are not featured at the movie theater however. 

Peterson described their process of how certain movies come to 

Cinema 5. An outside company based in Minneapolis screens the films 30 days before their public release date. After analyzing financial information, geography and screen size, the company recommends a 

choice for the theater on what film prints they should obtain. 

All the behind the scenes work is fun and all, but the reality is that people are there to watch a movie. 

“It’s interesting to see someone emotionally involved in a movie,” Peterson said. 

Viewing something on a big screen can be much different than watching it on a TV or laptop. You’re more emotionally invested since it’s the only thing you can tend to focus on. You’re also with similar individuals who enjoy the idea of the particular movie as well. 

“[You’re] enjoying a good time, together,” Peterson said.