Business venture revs up owner’s love of fun times New Egypt’s Oasis

Business venture revs up owner’s love of fun times
New Egypt’s Oasis

Above, Ron Byrne, 13, and Kate Francis, 9, race remote-controlled cars on Saturday. Below, slot-cars are ready to race on the eight-lane track at the New Egypt Recreation Oasis.

offers slot car action &

radio-controlled racing

By kathy baratta

Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY VERONICA L. YANKOWSKI Ken Francis, owner of New Egypt Recreation Oasis in the New Egypt section of Plumsted, holds a favorite car from his childhood.

So you say there’s no place for a youngster to go to have a good time at a good price?

Well has Ken Francis got just the place for you.

The New Egypt Recreation Oasis on Main Street in the New Egypt section of Plumsted is the answer to a youngster’s prayers that parents will be happy to hear.

Francis, a member of the Plumsted Township Committee, said that at prices ranging from $6 to $7 an hour — "I wanted to make it affordable so people would want to come and do it" — kids of all ages can race radio-controlled vehicles on an indoor dirt track or race slot cars around an eight-lane track at speeds of up to 25 mph.

To authenticate the "stadium" atmosphere, the dirt track race concludes at a checkered finish line canopy.

Already under construction in another room is a boat racing facility. Francis said the water tank will be 3 feet high, complete with a bridge and fans for adding wind control for the racing of pinewood boats. Adding to the charm of the Oasis is the painted scenery that, when completed, will run along all of the walls.

A wall mural surrounding the slot car racing track will feature a stadium full of cheering fans.

Francis said plans call for an expansion of the slot car racing tracks.

Racers can bring their own vehicles to the Oasis or rent the scale model toys from Francis. There are different categories of radio-controlled vehicles for different levels of racing.

For people who have been thinking about getting into slot car racing or radio-controlled racing, but didn’t know enough about those activities, the Oasis may be the place to begin. Guests can chat with the regulars and trade stories and ideas.

The Oasis is also available for parties that feature pizza and racing. Following an hour of play at the race track, the party food is eaten, and then it’s "let the names begin" — referring to the nicknames Francis reserves the right to bestow on each young racer once he has seen them race.

The youngsters sign the Oasis’ wall of honor with their nicknames written next to their signature for posterity.

Francis said it does his heart good to look around his recreation center when it is full of people who are having fun.

"You’ll see people giving each other tips on the best way to do this or that," said Francis, who said the exchange of information and ideas is freely given between the patrons who have made friends and teammates of each other.

Francis, a jolly 43-year-old, said that when he started with the concept of the Oasis he was able to envision that it would become the type of place it has — the kind of place a child (of any age) just doesn’t want to leave.

Just ask Ryan Byrne, 13. The Upper Freehold Township resident, who works at the Oasis, told a Greater Media Newspapers reporter, "Me and my friends love it here."

It must be true. It is a Saturday afternoon, Ryan’s day off from school, and there he was, hard at work happily "testing" a new radio-controlled truck, putting it through its paces on the dirt track.

Other racing enthusiasts are making the most of their "day at the races." One, a mother, races her car against her son’s, while on the other side, dad watches while the kids he brought to the Oasis compete in their own race.

Francis, who opened the New Egypt Recreation Oasis in September, is a former industrial design consultant. He said he was another two-hour commuter to a job he was slowly burning out on.

"For years I knew I wanted to open some kind of business that would not only be enjoyable for me, but for everyone, one that would provide a good family atmosphere," he said.

And Francis is always on hand to oversee the fun and to make sure it stays good and clean. He said he doesn’t tolerate "expletives," which he good-naturedly acknowledges can "pop out of mom’s mouth just as easily as any teen-ager’s when they get revved up."

Francis said a gentle reminder always works and that is what makes the Oasis the kind of place where parents can stay and play or drop their children off for an afternoon of fun.

Beaming from close by will be Francis, keeping a happy eye on all those who have traveled to his Ocean County Oasis.