Sprockets gives VIP treatment in Keystone

It was a who’s who of Keystone at Sprockets Fun Foundry for its VIP ribbon cutting evening. Owner Tom Hagen invited virtually everybody and treated guests to free play, desserts, drinks, music and of course fun. Town trustees, business owners, city employees,  and local residents marveled at the Sprockets Fun Foundry experience and VIP treatment.
Labeled as a chamber of commerce mixer, the evening was really an opportunity for business owners and residents to “come out and see what great things we’re doing,” Hagen said.
And great things they are doing.
“It’s good for Keystone. It’s good for business. It gives people something to do after the lighting ceremony,” said Battle Creek Lodge’s Tammy Hunsaker who could be seen enjoying the amusement  space. 
Local resident Trinity Rapp agreed. “That’s all we want to do in Keystone.”
Rapp has been to Sprockets several times. As has local Jake Hladysz who was stoked about trying the virtual reality Hyperdeck game.
“It was crazy. I know I was standing in a room but it felt like I was flying in another dimension,” he said.
Hyperdeck has two games, both of which allow users to have multisensory  experiences including the feeling of heat and wind.
Hagen has been dialing in Sprockets since its opening in May. He has settled on a 10 p.m. closing time that allows tourists, employees of other businesses and locals to have something to do and a place to eat or drink when most places are already closed. 
Hagen has weathered supply chain issues and shipping fiascos. The much anticipated SpongeBob Virtual Reality game is finally in Keystone and expected to be installed early next week. Paradrop was shipped from Great Britain and has cleared customs. Yet a specialized truck and chassis is still needed to transport the game from Minnesota to Keystone. Some games, like Vex, won’t be installed due to manufacturing delays.
Still Hagen has been told that Sprockets has the highest concentration of virtual reality games in the country. And its new duckpin bowling is the only such game in the Black Hills outside of Rapid City.
Hagen  is generally pleased with how things have turned out. Locals not only have a place to play during rainy days but he can offer his Rush Mountain Adventure Park customers a destination if afternoon storms cut their day short.
“I’m very proud of what we did,” Hagen said of the transformed space. He echoes the sentiment of many locals in Keystone by saying “it’s something people in the community can be proud of.”

User login