Beloved attraction to be preserved for future fun! Manitou Art Center to lead “Possibilities Project”
After 92 years of ownership by the Kerns family, the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade has changed hands. The new owner, long-time Manitou resident John Weiss, pledges to have a lot of fun while caretaking America’s largest historic arcade west of the Mississippi.
In 1933, Jack Kerns launched Bingo Jacks as a gaming hall. After the Colorado Attorney General ruled that for-profit bingo games were gambling, and thus illegal, the Kerns family pivoted to coin-operated arcade games and instant photo booths. Jack Kerns died in the early 1970s, and his wife sold the Arcade to two of their sons.
Today, the Penny Arcade features more than 450 coin-operated games and rides, providing a unique and immersive entertainment experience for kids of all ages.
Weiss graduated from Colorado College and returned to Colorado Springs in 1993 to launch the Colorado Springs Independent, a newsweekly that provided an alternative to the hard-right daily that dominated the local media.
Over the next few decades, he launched or acquired the Colorado Springs Business Journal as well as neighborhood newsweeklies that served Manitou Springs, Southeast Colorado Springs and the Fort Carson Army Base.
“I see myself more as the Arcade’s caretaker than as its ‘owner,'” Weiss added.
Current General Manager “AJ” will continue to oversee day-to-day operations, assisted by a team of 30 full- and part-time employees. “After working at the Arcade for the past eight years, what I love the most about my job is helping people have a wonderful time when they are on their vacations,” she said.
Long-time Manitou residents Maria and Alain Navaratne will help John and AJ lead the Arcade team. “If the weather is fine, more than 2,500 people will visit the Arcade over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend,” said Maria. “We will be working to ensure that we are well prepared.”
THE POSSIBILITIES PROJECT
The Manitou Art Center (MAC) has been hired to catalyze and coordinate public engagement. “The Arcade is an integral part of our community story, ” said MAC Executive Director Natalie Johnson. “The possibilities for partnerships, collaborations and workforce development are endless. We want to hear from you and work with you.”
For more information, to sign up for our newsletter or to apply for summer jobs, please visit manitouspringsarcade.com.
About the Manitou Art Center: The Manitou Art Center is a nonprofit that cultivates an inclusive and resilient creative economy of people and resources through active participation and outreach. Manitouartcenter.org
