ThrillHouse Family Entertainment Center opens with ribbon cutting in Marion

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

MARION, Ill., (KBSI) — A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday for the new ThrillHouse Family Entertainment Center, marking the start of the venue’s grand opening weekend.

The ceremony took place at 11 a.m. March 13 outside the main entrance at The Oasis, the redevelopment of the former Marion Mall.

Speakers included Michael Absher, officials from the Marion Chamber of Commerce and leaders from ThrillHouse.

Following the ceremony, attendees and media toured the facility and captured photos and video of the new entertainment attraction.

ThrillHouse features nearly 100 arcade games, Spark Bowling, Lucky Putt mini golf, Aliens vs. Terrans laser tag and the Thrillville go-kart experience. The venue also includes a two-story restaurant and bar, along with private party rooms and event spaces.

Grand opening weekend runs March 13 through March 15, with the public invited to visit the new entertainment center.

The ThrillHouse is one piece of a project transforming Marions former Illinois Center Mall being flipped into a regional entertainment destination. The project is estimated to generate over a billion dollars in sales over 20 years and is supported by Star Bonds.  

 Illinois Senator Dale Fowler was a big advocate for the project. Roughly 150 million dollars was issued through Star Bonds for the project, Star Bonds is a public financing program used to build large tourism and entertainment developments and are paid back through sales tax and revenue, Fowler shares this is the first time the star bonds project is being used in the state of Illinois. 

“The one thing that’s really encouraging about this is the fact that this Star Bond Project was the very first in the state of southern, well in the state of Illinois, right here in southern Illinois, the very first star bond project. So that’s something to extremely be very proud of” says Fowler.