Super Bear Arcade this high altitude location has games for allCLOSED FOR REMODELING - STARTING AROUND APRIL 1, 2010 - NO WORK DONE YET
Super Bear Arcade located in the "Big Bear Villiage" (Big Bear Lake, California
(4.0 miles from Sugarloaf)) When at this location the outside sign
reads "Super Bear Arcade, Home of The 25 cent Skee Ball since 1959".
Yep, every game is still at 25 cents just like in the 1980's and those same games are there
to be played - A working classic arcade museum of sorts.
Big Bear Mountain
At 7,000 feet elevation after hitting the slopes, it's time to play some
Pac-Man or Donkey Kong at the Super Bear Arcade in the local village.
Super Bear Arcade, Home of The 25 cent Skee Ball since 1959Super Bear Arcade (logo)
Die-hard fans keep handful of Inland-area arcades alive
Download story podcast
07:12 PM PDT on Monday, July 7, 2008
By SEAN NEALON
The Press-Enterprise
Video: Super Bear Arcade in Big Bear
In the 1980s, Mr. Alan Thron owned arcades.
There were two on Catalina Island. One each in Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear Lake and Idyllwild.
And one in Cathedral City.
Today, only Super Bear Arcade in Big Bear Lake remains.
"The arcade business, in general, is not healthy," said Thron, who is 71, works 15-hour days
and often sleeps in the apartment above the Arcade. "The '80s was the peak."
In the mid-1980s, there were about 11,000 arcades in the United States, said Mike Rudowicz,
president of the American Amusement Machine Association, a coin-operated amusement industry
trade group.
Today, about 3,000 are left, he said. Of those, he said only about 10 percent are classic-style
arcades such as Super Bear, where the focus is on games including Skee-Ball and Pac-Man and
not other amenities such as roller coasters, restaurants and bowling alleys.
Greg Vojtko / The Press-Enterprise
Matthew Shaw, 10, and his father, Steve, of San Diego, play an arcade game at Super Bear Arcade
in Big Bear Lake.
Mike Rudowicz and Inland arcade operators attribute the decline to the increasing popularity of home
video and computer games, a $9.5 billion industry in 2007, more than triple the amount from 1996,
according to The Entertainment Software Association, a video game industry trade group.
About 25 years ago, there were 1.4 million arcade games operating in arcades, bars, convenience
stores and pizzerias, Rudowicz said. Convenience store owner replaced them with potato chip
and soda displays. Rents increased at malls and arcades closed. Today, only 350,000 to 400,000
games remain.
Most of today's arcades are part of a larger entertainment center.
In Ontario, Dave and Buster's mixes arcade games with a restaurant and bar.
In Lake Elsinore, Trevi Entertainment Center has 150 arcade games, but also a 48-lane bowling
alley, sports bar, restaurant and meeting space that hosts everything from corporate retreats
to weddings, said Marketing and Sales Director Rene Rolander. Two smaller locations are planned
for Temecula, she said.
In Riverside, Castle Park opened in 1976 with a miniature golf course and three-story arcade,
said Director of Operations Jeff Moody. At its peak, the arcade had more than 400 games.
Today, as amusement park rides have been added and interest in arcades has waned, only about
150 games remain, Moody said.
Missing Joysticks
Story continues below
Indio siblings Arthur, left, Christopher and Margaret Acuna, with her daughter Angel Rodriguez,
play Skee-Ball at Super Bear Arcade in Big Bear Lake.
Paul Dean, 43, of Riverside, frequented Castle Park's arcade in the 1980s.
In 1985, Dean set a world record score for the game Spy Hunterat an Upland arcade. The record
still stands and Dean's name is in Guinness World Records.
He created the Web site www.spyhunter007.com, which is full of classic arcade-related material.
Dean still visits arcades with added amenities but bemoans the overpriced food and misses the
feel of the classic arcade game joysticks.
He has new ways of getting his fix.
He plays the 41 games he has accumulated in his Riverside home. He attends house parties in
Orange County held by collectors who have their own games. He organizes an annual tournament
at a San Jose classic arcade. He goes to convenience stores and laundries in Mexican neighborhoods,
where he says he can still find classic games.
A Classic Arcade
Dean has heard of Super Bear Arcade, but hasn't been there.
The arcade, which opened in 1952 (not 1959 as the mural inside says), was originally known as
Palace Arcade. Thron's parents ran it. It burned down in 1976. Thron took over when it was
rebuilt next door the following year.
It hasn't changed much since then.
The brown and white linoleum floors are scarred with stepped-on gum. The arcade general manager,
Teresa Carrasco, 71, is still working. Dozens of classic arcade games such as Centipede, Pac-Man,
Donkey Kong and 16 Skee-Ball machines, including 11 from the 1940s, fill the 6,500-square-foot
game room.
"When people are in here, they say, 'I'm in heaven. I haven't seen any of these games,'" Thron
said.
Childhood Memories
The old games have a drawback: They frequently break. When not handing out prizes, Robert
Ceballos, 46, who originally came to the arcade in the 1970s to play Asteroids and Space
Invaders, is fixing them, especially the Skee-Ball machines. Eric Cook comes from Riverside
once a week to fix games that Ceballos can't fix.
Thron, who also coaches the golf team at Palm Springs High School, said Super Bear survives
because he owns the building and strictly enforces rules such as no necking among teenagers.
He said tourists provide a steady stream of new customers and multiple generations of families
come back.
The Maloneys, of Carson, are among those families. Meghan Maloney, 16, has been coming to
the arcade almost her entire life.
"It's just a nostalgic feeling," she said, standing next to the Skee-Ball machines she always
plays. "It's just that we've always been coming here. It brings back childhood memories. It's
just one of those things you can't shake."
Reach Sean Nealon at 951-368-9458 or snealon@PE.com
SAMPLING OF INLAND ARCADES
Super Bear Arcade, 40755 Village Drive, Big Bear Lake, CA 909-866-8620
Dave and Buster's, 4821 Mills Circle, Ontario, CA 909-987-1557
Trevi Entertainment Center, 32250 Mission Trail, Lake Elsinore, CA 951-674-6080
Castle Park, 3500 Polk St., Riverside, CA 951-785-3000
This Story Link:
Die-hard fans keep handful of Inland-area arcades alive – A review of the Super Bear Arcade:
http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_S_arcade08.2a83e58.html?npc
Super Bear Arcade
40755 Village Dr.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
909-866-8620
Merge onto CA-210 W via EXIT 77B toward CA-330/HIGHLAND. 4.6 mi
Merge onto CA-330 N toward MTN RESORTS. 15.5 mi
CA-330 N becomes CA-18/RIM OF THE WORLD HWY. 12.4 mi
Turn RIGHT onto CA-18/BIG BEAR BLVD. Continue to follow BIG BEAR BLVD. 4.3 mi
40755 VILLAGE DRIVE is on the RIGHT.
(2 hours from Downtown Los Angeles to Big Bear Lake)
Super Bear Arcade
This is a vintage arcade that has a 1977 building and games from 1909 till 2008.
A vintage arcade with games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Skee-Ball and much more.
Highlights:
This Location has 100+ arcade games and equipment. Close to the seven mile long Big Bear
Lake. 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Elevation 6,743 feet.
Location Description:
"Big Bear Arcade" 10,442 sq ft Commercial Building Built in 1977 also includes living
quarters of 3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms.
Type:
Commercial
Location:
40755 Village Drive Big Bear Lake, California 92315. On the main strip in Big Bear.
The Arcade is under new management and will be soon refurbished with new games. But don't
worry your old favorite classics will still be there. Allan Thron and family have owned this
arcade since 1952 when it was originally called the Palace Arcade. It was rebuilt in 1976 next
store after a fire took the original arcade and it has been open ever since.
Hours: Current hours are as following: Monday: 12PM-9PM Tuesday: 12PM-9PM Wednesday: 12PM-9PM
Thursday: 12PM-9PM Friday: 12PM-9PM Saturday: 11AM-9PM Sunday: 12PM-9PM On this Fourth of July
weekend we will be open until 12. As long as people are here we will stay open.
Payment: The arcade games run off of quarters, although there is available an ATM and a change
dispenser.
Die-hard fans keep handful of Inland-area arcades alive – A review of the Super Bear Arcade:
http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_S_arcade08.2a83e58.html?npc
Big Bear California
(On village Dr, Super Bear Arcade)
40755 Village Drive Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 - (909) 866-8620
Big Bear Valley, California, USA
Super Bear Arcade (Youtube):
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=6436052
Super Bear Arcade (sign)
Fun, Games, Prizes - Havin Fun Big Bear Since 1959 - Skeeball 25 Cents - Entertainment for the whole family
Super Bear Arcade in Big Bear
July 7th, 2008
The Press-Enterprise: Big Bear Arcade in California
Big Bear (Super Bear Arcade) youtube interview:
Super Bear Arcade
Owner: Allan Thron,
Well, the arcade business has been around for a long time. This arcade has been here since
1952. We own the building. This is very critical because of rents that they keep raising
if you don't own the building and can't control your overhead you have problems.
Also understanding the business -
Business is a changing business, in this location we have a lot of coupon games
And that is so people can have fun playing different types of games were you get tickets
and get prizes we have videos but the coupon business is very important.
We now only have this store but we have had five arcades running simultaneously . We ran
more skeeball alleys than anybody in California - 150 at one time.
Gas is the biggest challenge we have, where in a resort area. to get to a resort area you
have to spend money on gas.
The home business effects a lot of smaller arcades where people in the neighborhood down
below where there's an arcade will play the game at home. Here in a resort area people come
up for three days in the summer, they want to get out of the cabin.
http://www.pe.com/video/index.html?nvid=261030
The Games:
http://arcadelocations.classicgaming.gamespy.com/PlaceSearch.php3?code=cabigbig
Big Bear Lake gets 8.5 million visitors annually with four seasons to enjoy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bear_Lake
Big Bear Lake - 93 Miles from Los Angeles and a Million Miles from care... A one and a half
our drive in good traffic from Los Angeles, CA.
http://www.bigbearlake.net/factsabout/LAKE ARROWHEAD PADDLEBOAT
Arrowhead Queen - Paddle Boat Tour
Lake Arrohead Offers a 50 minute narated boat tour by Captian Bill on the Arrowhead
Queen a paddle boat in which you cruise around Lake Arrowhead learning about the homes,
residents and past history of Lake Arrowhead as well as the current going ons of the community.
Lake Arrowhead Queen Boat Tour - historic paddlewheel boats
Arrowhead Queen Tour - Leroy's Sports
Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352
(909) 336-6992
28200 Highway 189
Suite 100
Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352
(909) 336-6992
Lake Arrowhead Village
Lake Arrowhead Village, Dockside
Lake Arrowhead Queen or Princess Boat Tours
As you stroll lakeside along the water in Lake Arrowhead Village you'll see the beautiful
historic paddlewheel boats right in the center. If you're a first time visitor to the
village and area, this tour is enjoyable and informative.
Tickets are purchased at Leroy's Sports, a clothing and trinket merchant dockside across
from the boats. The boat holds approx. 15-20 people in a covered flat bed paddlewheel boat.
The seats are padded benches lining the sides and center.
Arrowhead Queen & Leroy's Sports
Lake Arrowhead Village, Dockside,
P. O. Box 50 Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352
Phone: 909-336-6992
The tour on the Lake Arrowhead Queen Paddleboat is a must if you ever are visiting the
area. Tickets are available at LeRoy's Sports on the waterfront at the village. The
cost is $16/person, $14 senior rate, $10 for kids 3-11. The tour lasts about an hour
and takes you around the perimeter of the lake. The cruise offers views of the beautiful
lake surrounded by beautiful homes. The best thing about the tour is the guide who is
hilarious! As he points out all the neat features of the homes that surround the lake,
many of them owned by famous celebrities, he inserts jokes here and there and has everyone
on the boat in stitches. This is definitely a fun activity that the whole family will
enjoy.
For group rates, private parties, weddings, club meetings, sunset cruises, and reservations
call (909) 336-6992
Senior $16, Adult $14
12:00?, 2:30pm and 3:30pm
LAKE ARROWHEAD HOME TOUR
Annual Lake Arrowhead September Home Tour
36th Annual Home Tour (2010)
The Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber of Commerce will be presenting their 36th Annual
Home Tour on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 9am – 5pm.
This great event is the Annual Home Tour, this year in its 36th year. The Lake
Arrowhead Communities are full of spectacular homes around the lake and in the
outlying areas. The best way to view some of the most impressive residences in
the area is thru the Annual Home Tour. For 35 years, a wide variety of homes have
been featured – from lakefront mansions to historic cabins, the annual Home Tour
shows off the best of the Lake Arrowhead communities have to offer.
Last year (2009):
The tour showcases 4 stunning homes, one available only via boat shuttle, along with a
wine and cheese reception at the private Burnt Mill Beach Club and a souvenir wine glass.
Only 1500 tickets are sold for the event. Arrowhead Chamber of Commerce Site Link
Lake Arrowhead Home Tour Flyer from year 2009 link
Ticket Pricing Info. from 2009: $30.00 before Sept. 18, $35.00 day of event. $80.00
for Friday Night VIP event and Home Tour. (PS: Volunteers get in for free!)
To Purchase Tickets Online visit www.lakearrowhead.net
Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber of Commerce at (909) 337-3715 or email at
info@lakearrowhead.net.
At 7,000 feet elevation after hitting the slopes, it's time to play some
Pac-Man or Donkey Kong at the Super Bear Arcade in the local village.
Super Bear Arcade, Home of The 25 cent Skee Ball since 1959
Super Bear Arcade (logo)
Die-hard fans keep handful of Inland-area arcades alive
Download story podcast
07:12 PM PDT on Monday, July 7, 2008
By SEAN NEALON
The Press-Enterprise
Video: Super Bear Arcade in Big Bear
In the 1980s, Mr. Alan Thron owned arcades.
There were two on Catalina Island. One each in Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear Lake and Idyllwild.
And one in Cathedral City.
Today, only Super Bear Arcade in Big Bear Lake remains.
"The arcade business, in general, is not healthy," said Thron, who is 71, works 15-hour days
and often sleeps in the apartment above the Arcade. "The '80s was the peak."
In the mid-1980s, there were about 11,000 arcades in the United States, said Mike Rudowicz,
president of the American Amusement Machine Association, a coin-operated amusement industry
trade group.
Today, about 3,000 are left, he said. Of those, he said only about 10 percent are classic-style
arcades such as Super Bear, where the focus is on games including Skee-Ball and Pac-Man and
not other amenities such as roller coasters, restaurants and bowling alleys.
Greg Vojtko / The Press-Enterprise
Matthew Shaw, 10, and his father, Steve, of San Diego, play an arcade game at Super Bear Arcade
in Big Bear Lake.
Mike Rudowicz and Inland arcade operators attribute the decline to the increasing popularity of home
video and computer games, a $9.5 billion industry in 2007, more than triple the amount from 1996,
according to The Entertainment Software Association, a video game industry trade group.
About 25 years ago, there were 1.4 million arcade games operating in arcades, bars, convenience
stores and pizzerias, Rudowicz said. Convenience store owner replaced them with potato chip
and soda displays. Rents increased at malls and arcades closed. Today, only 350,000 to 400,000
games remain.
Most of today's arcades are part of a larger entertainment center.
In Ontario, Dave and Buster's mixes arcade games with a restaurant and bar.
In Lake Elsinore, Trevi Entertainment Center has 150 arcade games, but also a 48-lane bowling
alley, sports bar, restaurant and meeting space that hosts everything from corporate retreats
to weddings, said Marketing and Sales Director Rene Rolander. Two smaller locations are planned
for Temecula, she said.
In Riverside, Castle Park opened in 1976 with a miniature golf course and three-story arcade,
said Director of Operations Jeff Moody. At its peak, the arcade had more than 400 games.
Today, as amusement park rides have been added and interest in arcades has waned, only about
150 games remain, Moody said.
Missing Joysticks
Story continues below
Indio siblings Arthur, left, Christopher and Margaret Acuna, with her daughter Angel Rodriguez,
play Skee-Ball at Super Bear Arcade in Big Bear Lake.
Paul Dean, 43, of Riverside, frequented Castle Park's arcade in the 1980s.
In 1985, Dean set a world record score for the game Spy Hunterat an Upland arcade. The record
still stands and Dean's name is in Guinness World Records.
He created the Web site www.spyhunter007.com, which is full of classic arcade-related material.
Dean still visits arcades with added amenities but bemoans the overpriced food and misses the
feel of the classic arcade game joysticks.
He has new ways of getting his fix.
He plays the 41 games he has accumulated in his Riverside home. He attends house parties in
Orange County held by collectors who have their own games. He organizes an annual tournament
at a San Jose classic arcade. He goes to convenience stores and laundries in Mexican neighborhoods,
where he says he can still find classic games.
A Classic Arcade
Dean has heard of Super Bear Arcade, but hasn't been there.
The arcade, which opened in 1952 (not 1959 as the mural inside says), was originally known as
Palace Arcade. Thron's parents ran it. It burned down in 1976. Thron took over when it was
rebuilt next door the following year.
It hasn't changed much since then.
The brown and white linoleum floors are scarred with stepped-on gum. The arcade general manager,
Teresa Carrasco, 71, is still working. Dozens of classic arcade games such as Centipede, Pac-Man,
Donkey Kong and 16 Skee-Ball machines, including 11 from the 1940s, fill the 6,500-square-foot
game room.
"When people are in here, they say, 'I'm in heaven. I haven't seen any of these games,'" Thron
said.
Childhood Memories
The old games have a drawback: They frequently break. When not handing out prizes, Robert
Ceballos, 46, who originally came to the arcade in the 1970s to play Asteroids and Space
Invaders, is fixing them, especially the Skee-Ball machines. Eric Cook comes from Riverside
once a week to fix games that Ceballos can't fix.
Thron, who also coaches the golf team at Palm Springs High School, said Super Bear survives
because he owns the building and strictly enforces rules such as no necking among teenagers.
He said tourists provide a steady stream of new customers and multiple generations of families
come back.
The Maloneys, of Carson, are among those families. Meghan Maloney, 16, has been coming to
the arcade almost her entire life.
"It's just a nostalgic feeling," she said, standing next to the Skee-Ball machines she always
plays. "It's just that we've always been coming here. It brings back childhood memories. It's
just one of those things you can't shake."
Reach Sean Nealon at 951-368-9458 or snealon@PE.com
SAMPLING OF INLAND ARCADES
Super Bear Arcade, 40755 Village Drive, Big Bear Lake, CA 909-866-8620
Dave and Buster's, 4821 Mills Circle, Ontario, CA 909-987-1557
Trevi Entertainment Center, 32250 Mission Trail, Lake Elsinore, CA 951-674-6080
Castle Park, 3500 Polk St., Riverside, CA 951-785-3000
This Story Link:
Die-hard fans keep handful of Inland-area arcades alive – A review of the Super Bear Arcade:
Super Bear Arcade in Big Bear
July 7th, 2008
The Press-Enterprise: Big Bear Arcade in California
Big Bear (Super Bear Arcade) youtube interview:
Super Bear Arcade
Owner: Allan Thron,
Well, the arcade business has been around for a long time. This arcade has been here since
1952. We own the building. This is very critical because of rents that they keep raising
if you don't own the building and can't control your overhead you have problems.
Also understanding the business -
Business is a changing business, in this location we have a lot of coupon games
And that is so people can have fun playing different types of games were you get tickets
and get prizes we have videos but the coupon business is very important.
We now only have this store but we have had five arcades running simultaneously . We ran
more skeeball alleys than anybody in California - 150 at one time.
Gas is the biggest challenge we have, where in a resort area. to get to a resort area you
have to spend money on gas.
The home business effects a lot of smaller arcades where people in the neighborhood down
below where there's an arcade will play the game at home. Here in a resort area people come
up for three days in the summer, they want to get out of the cabin.
Lake Arrohead Offers a 50 minute narated boat tour by Captian Bill on the Arrowhead
Queen a paddle boat in which you cruise around Lake Arrowhead learning about the homes,
residents and past history of Lake Arrowhead as well as the current going ons of the community.
Lake Arrowhead Queen Boat Tour - historic paddlewheel boats
Arrowhead Queen Tour - Leroy's Sports
Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352
(909) 336-6992
28200 Highway 189
Suite 100
Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352
(909) 336-6992
Lake Arrowhead Village
Lake Arrowhead Village, Dockside
Lake Arrowhead Queen or Princess Boat Tours
As you stroll lakeside along the water in Lake Arrowhead Village you'll see the beautiful
historic paddlewheel boats right in the center. If you're a first time visitor to the
village and area, this tour is enjoyable and informative.
Tickets are purchased at Leroy's Sports, a clothing and trinket merchant dockside across
from the boats. The boat holds approx. 15-20 people in a covered flat bed paddlewheel boat.
The seats are padded benches lining the sides and center.
Arrowhead Queen & Leroy's Sports
Lake Arrowhead Village, Dockside,
P. O. Box 50 Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352
Phone: 909-336-6992
The tour on the Lake Arrowhead Queen Paddleboat is a must if you ever are visiting the
area. Tickets are available at LeRoy's Sports on the waterfront at the village. The
cost is $16/person, $14 senior rate, $10 for kids 3-11. The tour lasts about an hour
and takes you around the perimeter of the lake. The cruise offers views of the beautiful
lake surrounded by beautiful homes. The best thing about the tour is the guide who is
hilarious! As he points out all the neat features of the homes that surround the lake,
many of them owned by famous celebrities, he inserts jokes here and there and has everyone
on the boat in stitches. This is definitely a fun activity that the whole family will
enjoy.
For group rates, private parties, weddings, club meetings, sunset cruises, and reservations
call (909) 336-6992
Senior $16, Adult $14
12:00?, 2:30pm and 3:30pm
LAKE ARROWHEAD HOME TOUR
The Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber of Commerce will be presenting their 36th Annual
Home Tour on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 9am – 5pm.
This great event is the Annual Home Tour, this year in its 36th year. The Lake
Arrowhead Communities are full of spectacular homes around the lake and in the
outlying areas. The best way to view some of the most impressive residences in
the area is thru the Annual Home Tour. For 35 years, a wide variety of homes have
been featured – from lakefront mansions to historic cabins, the annual Home Tour
shows off the best of the Lake Arrowhead communities have to offer.
Last year (2009):
The tour showcases 4 stunning homes, one available only via boat shuttle, along with a
wine and cheese reception at the private Burnt Mill Beach Club and a souvenir wine glass.
Only 1500 tickets are sold for the event. Arrowhead Chamber of Commerce Site