Lewiston, Maine, Mass Shooting Victims Businesses Move Forward – NBC Boston

In the immediate aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history, Samantha and Justin Juray thought the doors to their bowling alley, Just-In-Time Recreation, had closed for good. Soon after, they were influenced by a message from one of the victims who died there on October 25, 2023.

“At first — probably the first two weeks after that — we didn’t want to reopen,” said co-owner Samantha. “Bob kept poking (Justin) in his dreams and saying, ‘You can’t do that,’ because Bob was running the children’s program. The kids need a place to go.”

Bob Violette volunteered to lead the state’s largest youth program through Just-In-Time Recreation. The 76-year-old made Justin’s life difficult with good intentions when the Jurays first bought the property three years ago.

The last patients remaining hospitalized after a shooting in Lewiston, Maine, were released Saturday.

“He always gave me the runaround,” said co-owner Justin. “That was just Bob. “Your coffee is old.” Make new coffee!’ You know? But it was all love and care. He just loved this place so much.”

Bob, along with his wife Lucy, was also one of eight people who lost their lives at the Lewiston bowling alley last year. Somehow, Justin said Bob sent him a message in the days after the tragedy as Justin pondered doubts about his ability to protect his loved ones.

“I don’t know it was a dream. I was in such a fog for about a good month… it just took up every second of my life,” Justin said. “I just remember Bob just telling me that wasn’t an option. Not opening wasn’t an option. We had to do this. I had to do this.”

NBC10 Boston

Justin, a Lewiston native who played bowling there as a child, noted that there aren’t many places in the area that offer family-friendly activities. Their bowling leagues and youth programs have continued to grow over the years. According to Samantha, many of the victims who lost their lives that night went to the bowling alley several times a week and would have been disappointed if it had closed forever.

“That night was hell for everyone,” Justin said. “We just decided we couldn’t let this one day ruin what this place has done for the last 30-plus years.”

Now, a year after the mass shootings, Just-In-Time looks very different. Tributes such as handcrafted personalized bowling pins honor the 18 people killed that night, as well as a memorial table erected by Samantha’s father.

NBC10 Boston

“I have mixed feelings,” Justin said of the table. “I love it, but at the same time it’s heartbreaking to see it every day… Maybe we’ll just make this a reminder for every anniversary, for the month of October or something, so we can keep going.”

Almost everything inside the bowling alley has been updated or renovated, including brand new bumpers, gutters and scoring systems. The owners plan to open batting cages and golf simulators sometime in the next few months. With the support of the victims’ families, survivors and the bowling community, Just-In-Time Recreation reopened six months ago.

Six months after the tragedy in Lewiston, Maine, Just-In-Time Recreation has reopened its doors.

“When Justin came to me after it happened, one of the first questions he asked me was, ‘Should we reopen?’ and I said absolutely,” said former manager Tom Giberti. “We have to do that because we all felt he would have won otherwise.”

Giberti is credited with saving a group of children while he was working at Just-In-Time Recreation that evening. The 70-year-old ended up suffering three or four gunshot wounds and shrapnel in both legs. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to walk again.

“No one knew back then,” Giberti said. “When they pulled me out of here and I couldn’t leave, I didn’t know at the time how bad it was.”

Giberti said he was in a back room when the gunman came in and mistook the shots for the sound of bowling balls hitting the back of the machine.

“I had no idea what was going on until I opened the doors and walked out in the middle of it all. And it was just total chaos,” Giberti said. “And I saw the children coming towards me. I came up to her and stood behind her.”

He has a bullet behind his knee and some muscle fragments in his leg that are causing problems, but he is back walking and bowling with his grandson. He still sees some of the children he saved that night while working as a jack-of-all-trades at the bowling alley.

“Sometimes it’s hard, but it’s also great. I mean, I know it survives,” Giberti said. “It’s almost impossible not to think about it. It’s there every day. Try it… Some days are definitely better than others. Triggering things still happen that take you back to that day.”

NBC10 Boston

Meanwhile, Schemenges Bar and Grill, about four miles away, remains permanently closed. The building is currently being converted into a winter warming center through a partnership between Kaydenz Kitchen Food Pantry and the City of Lewiston in hopes of saving lives.

“Based on the recent tragedy, it would be a complete overview of recent events,” said Kevin Boilard, president of Kaydenz Kitchen Food Pantry. “We want to be very respectful of the events that happened here, but at the same time we want to move forward with a new opportunity, a new hope, a new vision for the site and really take the approach of triumph through tragedy.”

Kaydenz Kitchen took over the leasing rights for the building on October 1st. The emergency heating center is scheduled to open from November 15th to April 30th. Their long-term goal for the space, according to Boilard, is to convert it into an emergency warming center full-time shelter as well as a community resource center that includes a pantry, free closet, free community resources and household supplies.

Dozens of people are suing the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense and Keller Army Community Hospital in connection with the mass shooting that killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, last year.

“In Androscoggin County, there are no primary 24-hour shelters for people to stay in throughout the day,” Boilard said. “It’s a great opportunity to come here, get a hot meal, have a warm place, have the opportunity to get a smile, socialize and put your feet up so to speak.”

Although both locations are evolving in their own ways, it’s difficult when you can’t help but look back. Because of this, the bowling alley owners decided to close Just-In-Time Recreation on October 25th of this year.

“Even the people who weren’t here, this little community. They knew someone. You have lost someone. They had family. They had friends,” Justin said. “We will never forget it. We will never forget what happened here. No one in this community will ever forget what happened.”

“Hopefully at some point it will fade a little in your memory,” Giberti said, “but like I said, that’s not the case yet.”

NBC10 Boston