It has been a long time since there were a lot of family-friendly, recreational options in downtown Harlan. The 1Up Game Room-n-Grill is now open for business, supplying downtown with a new recreational option for adults and kids alike.

Randy Saylor, one of the owners of 1Up Game Room and Grill, said he opened the establishment with his friend, Rob Cantrell.

“We’ve had the game room side of the business open about three months,” Saylor said. “Our grill is still in the works.”

Saylor said they expect the grill to open in a few weeks, but until that time they do have a selection of snacks from which to choose.

“We have things like hot dogs, popcorn and nachos,” Saylor said.

Saylor explained how the idea to open up a game room and grill came about.

“We saw a need for kids and young people in Harlan,” Saylor said. “We’ve seen them standing around on the street corners and heard about them getting in trouble.”

He remembered playing pool and video games in establishments around Harlan when he was growing up, such as the arcade that was at the Village Center Mall.

“We just wanted to try and get something going to help the young people,” Saylor said. “We wanted to give them somewhere to go and hang out and hopefully pass on a positive influence.”

The game room features five pool tables, pinball and a wide assortment of video games, including 80s classics such as Pac Man and Defender.

Hours are 11 a.m. until midnight seven nights a week.

“Most of the time, if we’ve got kids in here we wait until the last person plays,” Saylor said. “I’ve been her until 3 in the morning letting them play.”

The atmosphere is family-friendly, with no gambling, smoking, drugs, alcohol or foul language allowed.

“We ask everybody to be kind and courteous to one another,” Saylor said. “I just want a clean place…if you’re in here with your 10-year old, I don’t want them to see something they shouldn’t see.”

Saylor said the game room will be the site of a tournament every Saturday, with no age limit. He added there are plans to make the facility available to rent for parties.

“That’s something we’re working on right now,” Saylor said. “We’re willing to work with birthday parties.”

For more information, check out the 1Up Game Room-n-Grill Facebook page or call 606-505-8548.