Lac La Biche pool hall is set to reopen today

The popular pool hall, MO’s Billiards, was forced to close its doors in March because of the coronavirus. Now that Alberta is allowing for the second phase of the relaunch, pool hall’s like MO’s are able to reopen today. Mike McArthur, the owner of MO’s Billiards is grateful he is able to open his doors. 

“I can’t wait to reopen,” said McArthur, just yesterday. “It’s been hard waiting, and I’ve really missed it. Ever since we made the announcement that we are opening up my phone has been ringing off the hook. People are really excited to get back to some level of normalcy.”

Even though people will be going back to the familiar bar they’ve always known, there will be some changes made because of the COVID-19 protocols. Hand sanitizer stations will be dispersed throughout the pool hall, a plexiglass shield is wrapped around the bar, and people are expected to social distance a minimum of six feet.

The pool hall is allowed to be at 50% capacity, which means 70 people will be their limit. 

“We have a lot of space, so it will be easy for people to social distance here. I have lots of seating room, and I have a huge deck,” said McArthur. 

Along with the changes to the pool hall because of COVID-19, McArthur has also made some decor changes to MO’s, including adding a 700-year-old animal head to his wall. 

“I’ve got a buffalo head that has petrified, and it was found in a creek 45 years ago,” said McArthur. “It’s been in the family for 30 years now and I mounted it on the wall of MO’s. It’s quite neat to look at.” 

The pool hall is set to open at 3:00 pm today, Friday, June 12, and for those asking, karaoke will be coming back sometime this month.