Celebration Station

Celebration Station is an American family entertainment center chain founded in 1982 by WestStarr Development Corporation.⁽¹⁾ Locations feature a sit-down restaurant, complemented by arcade games, go-karts, bumper boats, mini golf, batting cages, laser tag, and small rides for children. Formerly, animatronic shows were a main attraction, including Celebration Station's W.O.O.F. Radio by Creative Presentations, Inc. and Daniel and the Dixie Diggers with Jethro P. Hogg by Sally Corporation. Since March 2022, the chain has been a division of Five Star Parks & Attractions from Branson, Missouri.

Detailed History & Events

1982

May

• WestStarr Development Corporation, a firm based in Bettendorf, Iowa, developed a restaurant arcade concept to chase the success of Pizza Time Theatre and ShowBiz Pizza Place. Celebration Station, WestStarr’s foray into the family entertainment center industry, first opened in Rockford, Illinois on May 24, 1982. ⁽¹⁾ A trademark was filed just five days later on May 29, 1982. ⁽²⁾

September

• On September 17, 1982, the second Celebration Station opened in Merrillville, Indiana, on the site of a “Second Hand Rosa’s” pizzeria. The location, two stories tall, was built around the existing “Rosa’s” layout and owned by Dean White of Whiteco Industries. White eventually acquired the Celebration Station chain from WestStarr, becoming a division of Whiteco afterwards. ⁽³⁾

1984

• Two Celebration Stations opened in Bensalem and Springfield, Pennsylvania

1989

• The Merrillville W.O.O.F. Radio was significantly altered to adopt a western saloon theme with added characters. “Big Bear” was replaced by a orangutan named Buford, (a variation of CPI’s “Putnam” character from their Ape-Ology’s animatronic band) and a new member, Elsworth (a character also from The Ape-Ology’s), was added between Harry Hound and Major Moose on the lower stages, which had been combined into one during the renovation.
• Outdoor attractions, such as go-kart tracks, bumper boats, mini golf courses, and batting cages, were introduced to the chain starting with Merrillville, Indiana.

1990

July

Whiteco approached Sally to have a new show configuration, a condensed three-character version of Sally’s popular Daniel and the Dixie Diggers (DATDD) band, paired with Sally’s then-newest character, Jethro P. Hogg, be installed in new Celebration Station stores beginning in 1991.

Late 90

• A Celebration Station in Baton Rouge opened, the first with a “cabin” exterior.

1993

August

• Whiteco requested a retrofitted overlay of Daniel and the Dixie Diggers with Jethro P. Hogg with their original characters, the first original show exclusive to Celebration Station since the creation of W.O.O.F. Radio in 1982. The project’s working title was initially referred to as “Paw Patrol” (in no relation to the animated series of the same name).⁽⁴⁾

Late 93

• The Last Dixie Diggers and Jethro set for Celebration Station were installed at the Tulsa and Memphis stores (both “flipped” in configuration).

December

• The Rockin’ Rascals premiered with the opening of Knoxville’s Celebration Station on December 17, 1993, with character designs by Jul Kamen and soundtracks produced by Janet Sherman.⁽⁴⁾

2005

• Whiteco sells underperforming Celebration Station locations to PARC Management, all rebranded to Zuma Fun Center. Over time, the animatronics in these rebranded Zuma stores were removed by 2010.

2022

March

• Five Star Parks & Attractions, a Branson, Missouri-based family entertainment center operator, acquires all five remaining Celebration Station locations.⁽⁵⁾

2024

• Celebration Station’s original logo from 1982 is officially retired.