Sports Plus - Lake Grove, NY

Sports Plus was one of the few select family entertainment centers to have a New Rock-afire Explosion. Furthermore, it was unique in having one of the only custom-themed NRAE Billy Bob Adveture shows. The show and the amusement center lasted longer than many of its contemporaries, however the show itself was uninstalled and repurposed, well before the closing of the establishment itself.

History / Background

Developed by Leisure Complexes in conjunction with Alpha-Omega Amusements & Sales of New Brunswick, N.J, Sports Plus opened their 60-acre family entertainment center with attractions such as an 18-hole golf course, ice rink, bowling alley, convention center, arcade, various rides, miniature movie theater, and a New Rock-afire Explosion show. The show was there upon Sport’s Plus’ grand opening in the summer of 1996. This was just one of many Sports Plus locations; there were also locations in Ohio and Delaware, however the Lake Grove, NY location was the only one to install a NRAE.

According to records from Creative Engineering, the stage was a Billy Bob’s Adventure Show, and is the only known installation of the carnival-themed stage. It featured the three main characters, Billy Bob, Fatz, and Mitzi on center stage, along with Looney Bird and the Rabbit Ear TV on the side stages. It ran off of Show Selector and had no karaoke. The show was located in the “Kid’s Town” area of the center, including various climbing and play structures made for the younger children.

The animatronics were removed around 2002 during Kid’s Town’s remodel. In June of 2004, Looney Bird, Fatz, Billy Bob, and Mitzi were placed in the center’s dark ride attraction known as the “Thriller Coaster”, as static displays along with other halloween-related figures. Later, their cosmetics would be completely removed. Sports Plus closed on June 30th, 2007 due to insurance issues. Although an auction was held, none of the characters were sold. They were most likely trashed.

Information & Details

Sports Plus
110 New Moniches Rd
Lake Grove, NY 11755

Fate of the show: Assumed to be destroyed.