LEWISTON, Maine — The last six months have been some of the hardest for Justin and Samantha Juray.
The couple purchased Just-In-Time Recreation back in 2021. Two years later, on Oct. 25, 2023, an armed gunman enter their bowling alley and kill eight people. In total, 18 people were killed in shootings there and at Schemengees Bar and Grill, a nearby business.
Since then, Justin and Samantha have been working around the clock to reopen. They've replaced equipment hit by bullets, upgraded their systems to newer technology, and installed a number of tributes to the victims of the shootings, two of whom were staff members at the bowling alley.
Last Friday, all that hard work was finally shared with their community in Lewiston and beyond. The doors reopened at 10 a.m., and there was an official ribbon cutting ceremony with local and state officials that afternoon.
"The support is just outrageous, it's just so amazing," Justin Juray said. "All the people that can't be here that are just wishing us the best and wishing they could be here. It's the reason why we did it."
Gov. Janet Mills was among those who spoke during the ceremony.
"We will never forget October 25th, but neither will we let it define us. We are still a civil, safe, and welcoming state, with a backbone as strong as Katahdin," Mills said. "We are who we always have been — a people with a deep and abiding sense of right and wrong, determined to look out for one another, knowing how very lucky we are to live in this beautiful state."
Security cameras and a new door has been installed at the establishment. The Jurays said their goal is to make people feel as safe as possible without sacrificing personal freedoms. Other updates have been made to the lanes, monitors and entertainment system.
The couple said they felt the presence of the people who died the entire time they have been cleaning and renovating the space.
"It has changed a lot. Obviously, it's just making it better, making it new and fresh, and making them proud, by not forgetting but letting the bad go and moving forward," Samantha Juray said.