By George P. Hassett

Good Time Emporium will close its doors by June 30 to make way for “a new era in Assembly Square” or more specifically, a giant Swedish furniture store.

Commentary The people I spoke to this week about Good Time’s passing were quick to mention the generosity owner Dan Hayes had always offered the city. Ward 1 Alderman Bill Roche said, ‚ÄúDanny Hayes was the best business neighbor the city ever had or ever will have.‚Äù

Roche said Hayes was quick to sponsor Little League teams and open his space free of charge to youth and non-profit organizations since Good Times opened in 1991.

Chamber of Commerce CEO Stephen Mackey said Hayes was a leading benefactor to many East Somerville causes.

Aside from Hayes’ generosity, Good Time Emporium carved out a special place in the hearts of generations of Greater Boston children and adolescents with seemingly endless space for laser tag, bumper cars and more than 200 video games. It was once aptly described as an 11 year-old boys dream.

But for me, it will be the police incidents I miss most. And the resulting police reports. Going through each week’s reports is not always entertaining – domestic incidents, informants setting up drug dealers, drunk drivers – there are few unique police narratives from week to week.

But the good patrons of Good Times – rarely from Somerville and sometimes from as far away as Hollywood – often provided ample fodder for a good story.

On Easter this year we were given this Good Times dispatch from officers James McNally and James Slattery: ‚ÄúI observed people climbing tables and jumping on other people. I observed several out of control altercations. [Police officers] were running around trying to break up each new altercation that erupted,‚Äù and, ‚ÄúTables were being knocked over, chairs were being tossed and people were running across tables to get at one another. One of the [Good Time Emporium] staff members pulled an aluminum baseball bat out of someone’s hand who had climbed on top of a table.‚Äù

That incident, involving almost 200 people according to police, took place in the children’s play area – the seemingly preferred place to do battle at Good Times.

On June 24, 2006 two families celebrating children’s birthday parties squared off by throwing chairs and whipping belts at one another. According to a police report, one victim yelled to her attackers, ‚ÄúThere’s a baby here,‚Äù only to hear a response of ‚Äú[Expletive] the baby‚Äù and see a chair hurtled in her direction. In that incident a woman from Hollywood, California allegedly took off her leather belt and whipped it across the face of a victim – all vividly captured in a Somerville Police incident report.

Mackey said IKEA’s opening is the beginning of a new era of business development in Assembly Square. While it remains to be seen if IKEA will be as good a corporate citizen as Dan Hayes was, it is almost certain it will not provide as much entertainment for local reporters. That is, unless the Swedish meatballs are good enough to start a riot.