King of “The Castle,” Brian Leentjes doesn”™t jest when he says corporate types would enjoy his new restaurant ”“ appropriately christened “Jesters Restaurant & Pub” ”“ along with its adjoining 11,000-square-foot roller skating rink on Route 17M in Chester. The amenities do, after all, include a roll-down 17-foot screen for presentations and a place to relax, eat and have fun after the meeting.
While The Castle may hop on weekends with the under-30 crowd, weekdays are a horse of a different color. The Castle Fun Center is closed to the public until 3 p.m. weekdays, but doors are open for companies looking to mix a bit of fun and team-building skills into the traditional off-site meeting. Â You might not easily picture your CEO playing dungeon laser tag, but you”™ve got an opportunity to zap each other, all in good fun.
Leentjes and his wife, Alison, opened the Chester-based mini-golf and batting cages on-site in 1993. Along with the growing influx of new residents in Orange County, the couple has adjusted the size of its Castle Fun Center. It now boasts two 9-hole miniature golf courses, indoor and outdoor go-cart racing, rock climbing walls, and a new bar and pub that have a royal feel. Leentjes’ property is now up to 11 acres of fun for all ages, and he is “always looking to expand this place as an entertainment complex.”
The Castle Fun Center”™s $2 million, 50,000-square-foot addition took a year to add to its original building and opened for business in December 2007. Leentjes said the new space is doubly insulated, not just to protect those in the skating rink from the noise of the go-karts racing on the covered track below, but to keep costs of air conditioning and heating down. It also helps insulate the noise of the crowds that fill the place on weekends so neighbors aren”™t bothered. There”™s little chance of that, since The Castle Fun Center sits along Route 17, the future I-86.
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Leentjes, a masonry worker before he switched career gears, came up with the layout and design. With the help of architect Bill Pendergast of Central Valley, he fine tuned the plans and specifications and brought his vision to fruition.
The Castle”™s new addition, with its pub-restaurant, roller rink and rock climbing walls, has been open ”“ and, said Leentjes, “very busy” ”“ since the gates opened.
“I”™ll admit, those first few weeks, we were nervous,” said the owner, who advertised a New Year”™s Eve party. “We had only 50 reservations … it was panic time. But when December 31 rolled around, we had more than 300 guests, which really pleased us, and we”™re continuing to get the word out about what we have to offer to adults. We”™re building with a view toward making this more of a recreation center for all ages, not just children.”
“We had a mixer for our new members there in April, about 50 people, and everyone had a wonderful time,” said Dan O”™Brien of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. “For companies looking for more than just a sit-down presentation, it”™s a great place to book an event. People work side-by-side each day, but don”™t get a chance to have any down time together. The Castle is a place where you can do that. The race track is great, and it”™s big enough to have an event and have some fun, too.”
If you feel like you”™re climbing the walls at a meeting, perhaps this is the place to let it out. Corporate events can accommodate 170 guests in the restaurant, while the skating rink”™s 17-foot screen guarantees you won”™t be able to miss that Power Point presentation.
“It may be the only time you”™ll get to challenge a co-worker to a race on the track,” mused Leentje. With 50,000 square feet of themed amusement to offer, companies can mix work and play under one roof.  Its rink can also accommodate a small trade show or shareholders”™ meeting. “Basically, that”™s what we”™d like to see happen with the space,” said Leentjes.
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The Castle”™s new addition has helped contribute to the county”™s bottom line, as well: “We had 30 full- and part-timers working here before we opened the new addition. Now we are over 80, and expect it to be higher once the summer comes.”
Leentjes is not just thinking of limiting The Castle Fun Center to a place for the 21-and-under crowd to play safely on weekends or for corporate get-togethers. He”™s also expanding its menu of attractions to include music for multigenerational groups. “We”™re certainly looking at options to offer things to do for everyone,” said Leentjes. “We”™re planning a ”˜battle of the bands”™ for teens, music nights for 21 and over, and nights where parents can actually go out and enjoy themselves ”“ a  place to be a kid again without the kids.” You can leave the roller skate key home these days, incidentally ”“ and if you are a boomer, you”™ll be interested to know that skating”™s coming back in vogue. The Castle has a regular team of skaters who practice each week.
O”™Brien, who said he gets the chance to take his grandchildren to The Castle on weekends, said it”™s a “can”™t miss” on the way to the Catskills. “The place has high visibility on Route 17 and is a perfect ”˜pit stop”™ on the way to Sullivan County.”
Should Louis Cappelli”™s Entertainment City rise from the Concord”™s ashes and Monticello”™s raceway move to its proposed new quarters there, Leentje would be perfectly positioned to be in the driver”™s seat for those Catskill-bound tourists.
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