WarZone Ax n Tag

WarZone Ax n Tag, located at 12915 US-79, just south of McKenzie, offers endless, affordable fun in a safe, friendly environment.

Owner Mark Bowlin acquired the business last year.

The previous owner operated on a limited basis, mainly on Saturdays. Bowlin wanted to expand on that when he reopened in June. He told The Banner, “My goal is to have something for everybody, for the people of McKenzie and Carroll County to have something fun to do without having to go all the way to Jackson.”

When Bowlin took over, there was only laser tag and ax throwing, but he has quickly added many new offerings and plans to add more still.

The first addition was the rage room, where customers can smash and break things. Eventually the room will be sound-proofed. “You’ll be able to scream as loud as you want.”

Another addition is jelly ball, which is less messy than paintball and less expensive than airsoft. Tiny pellets are soaked in water to expand into Orbeez, which are fired from a battery-powered gun.

Jelly ball can be played in either of the laser tag arenas, as can Nerf wars. Bowlin said, “Who wants to have to clean up Nerf darts in their yard of home? We will handle that part here.”

WarZone will start water wars for the summer time, with high-pressure water guns. There’s a large lot in the back where inflatable obstacles can be used.

Customers also have the option of jelly ball and water wars coming to their home or other venue.

Bowlin soon hopes to add a splatter room where patrons will be provided a canvas. “They can come in and splatter paint. They get messy, the whole room gets messy, and hopefully they get an art piece out of it.”

WarZone offers an after-school program for Kindergarten through sixth grade until 5:30 p.m. Kids are provided with snacks and homework help as well as an art or science activity, then enjoy another fun activity such as laser tag, hide-and-seek or playing outside.

Bowlin is currently unsure about a planned summer program because of climate control concerns.

WarZone offers special seasonal activities such as haunted laser tag for Halloween and “Stop the Grinch” laser tag for Christmas.

A free Easter egg hunt is Saturday, April 19 from 1-2 p.m. “Hopefully some will stick around and play some laser tag or throw some axes.”

Bowlin hopes to add food such as pizza, burgers and hotdogs.

Friday, March 28 was National Laser Tag Day, and early Saturday, WarZone welcomed a special guest. Internet personality Lori Britton travels the country playing laser tag and promotes the benefits of the activity while supporting various causes. She was joined at WarZone by a Bethel fraternity for a few hours of fun. Her podcast and blog can be found at tiviachickloveslasertag.com.

WarZone offers a loyalty program for customers. After five individual activities, customers will earn something free, such as 30 minutes of laser tag or ax throwing or a visit to the rage room. After ten activities, they earn something bigger, such as an hour or two rage room visits.

WarZone’s regular business hours are Wednesday through Friday from 5:30-8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 2-8 p.m.

Parties may be scheduled during or outside of regular hours and can be private or alongside walk-in customers.

Bowlin is a lifelong McKenzie resident. He graduated from McKenzie High School in 2006.

He served in the National Guard from 2005-2011 and was deployed to Iraq from 2009-2010. During that time he earned an associate and a bachelor’s degree online. He later earned a Masters in Education from Bethel University.

Besides his military service, he has worked in retail and at prisons before becoming a business owner.

He spoke about his experience so far. “It started out very slow, but since the start of the new year we’ve matched the previous half-year, so I’m taking that as a plus. I still feel like there’s people that don’t know we’re here. There are still days we have no traffic.

“Ax throwing has been the biggest for walk-in traffic. And people love our laser tag. They love our Call of Duty-style guns, different from the futuristic style other laser tag places have.”

He recalled a group that came from a senior living facility in Paris and the joy of watching people in their 70s playing laser tag and even a woman in her 90s throwing axes.

He also noted, “We’ve got guns that little hands can hold. I take pride in being able to say we have something for everybody.”

He is also mindful of prices. “I researched and compared areas similar to us. I try to keep it as cheap as possible, where the business makes a profit and the families that come in get to have fun and it not break the bank.”

Besides himself, WarZone employs his mother, Christie Maloney; Alana Morrison, a Bethel Archery student; and Sydney Donald, an education assistant at Huntingdon Primary School.

Bowlin said, “I’d love for this to be a place where people can come together and have a little bit of fun and keep kids off the streets. But it’s something for everybody; it’s not just for kids. Growing up here in McKenzie, I would have loved to have this.”

Ultimately, he said, “The goal is not to be rich, but to have enough to pay the bills and give back and hopefully help McKenzie grow. Let’s support businesses in McKenzie. I care about McKenzie, and I know a lot of other people do too. We’ve just got to get together.”