Bowling Strikes Back

By TOM NELSON Guest Contributor

The COVID pandemic may have caused a few open frames in 2020 and early 2021, but the sport of bowling is back rolling strikes at lanes throughout Southern Minnesota in 2022. Thanks to a variety of new promotional concepts, technology enhancements, the return of leagues and diligent sanitation practices, bowling has been able to make a strong recovery from mandated shutdowns during the COVID crisis. “We are absolutely packed on Fridays and Saturdays now,” said Teri Haugh, who is the Games Manager at Spare Time Entertainment located at 333 18th Street SE in Owatonna. “You pretty much have to make a reservation to get on the lanes on those evenings.” At the Faribowl, owner Don Clayton has also experience a similar return of his customers in recent months. “As far as the number of bowlers, we are doing pretty well and almost back to pre-COVID numbers,” Clayton said of his facility that features 16 lanes and is located at 1802 Fourth St. NW in Faribault. At Flaherty’s Northfi eld Lanes (1700 MN-3 in Northfi eld), Adam Flaherty, who recently purchased the bowling center previously known as Jesse James Lanes, said, “I have nothing to compare it to since we didn’t own it last year at this time, but when I do talk with the staff, they say it is busier now than it was when they reopened after COVID.” A legacy in the bowling business, Flaherty’s family has been in the industry for more than 80 years. His great-grandfather opened the bowling center in Arden Hills and his father continues to run those lanes to this day, making it the longest family owned and operated bowling center in the United States. “We made it through World War II and other pandemics, but we’ve never seen something like this where we were forced to shutdown in the 83 years we’ve been running the business. This one is defi nitely different but we will get through this too.” Flaherty said. The one area in the industry that seems to have taken a slight hit during COVID has been business and corporate functions at the bowling centers. “We have noticed a decrease in those types of parties at our two locations and I have asked other bowling center proprietors and they all say the same thing. To make up for that loss, open bowling is up from previous years.” Flaherty said. “A lot of families felt the brunt of COVID on many levels, and I think one of the silver linings of COVID is that it may have brought families close together again and we are happy to be part of that by hosting those types of connections with bowling.” In addition to the strong interest in open bowling, participation in leagues has also been on the increase and Flaherty said numbers in the leagues in Northfi eld are comparable to where they were before the COVID shutdowns of 2020. Local bowling centers have been very diligent about following proper protocols during this time of COVID along with following

The Faribowl offers 16 lanes for bowling.

necessary state guidelines - all in an effort to insure their customers safety.

“With our Association, we are on Zoom calls about once every two weeks with the state commissioners in order to discuss how we can stay healthy…and we watch that very closely,” Haugh said. “We make sure we sanitize as much as we can and keep people a lane apart when we can.”

Flaherty added, “We prided ourselves on the cleanliness of this location and the one in Arden Hills. We do take care of our center.”

Clayton has also strives to have an open lane between bowlers when possible and continues to emphasis proper cleaning throughout the day.

“We sanitize the lanes as soon as someone is done in order to get it ready for the next group,” Clayton said. “We try to keep it safe, sanitized and clean.”

The return of the sport has also been assisted by innovative promotions and marketing efforts at area bowling center along with continued facility and equipment enhancements.

In recent years, most area bowling centers have moved away from the old pencil and paper or overhead projectors for scoring. Technology such as the QUBICA systems offer computerized scoring on overhead screens. Some of these system even allow for bowlers to download images of you face that then becomes part of

Key pads for the electronic scoring system at the Faribowl in Faribault.

the scoring animation on the overhead screens for that game. Spare Time Entertainment offers nightly promotions during the week on its 18 lanes in Owatonna. On Mondays, the center offers Buck Night with $1 per game bowling from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday night is an all ages and any abilities league and on Wednesday there is a Wine and Women League that features bowling along with food and drink specials. Thursday night is the Men’s League night at Spare Time and the weekend puts the spotlight on Cosmic Bowling.

Flaherty’s Northfield Lanes is owned by a multigenerational bowling alley family.

This popular promo includes special lighting, music and games on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Spare Time Cosmic Bowling includes an early session from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for families and a late session from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for adults.

New promotions have also helped Flaherty’s Northfield Lanes make the rebound.

“We introduced something they had not done here before and it is called All You Can Bowl,” Flaherty said. “For $8 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, you can bowl as many games as you want from 9:00 p.m. until we close at 11:00 p.m.”

Flaherty’s is also featuring a “Strike It Rich” promotion on Friday and Saturday evenings.

“It includes Cosmic Bowling, some special challenging shots that we announce during the night and you can win some prizes,” Flaherty said. “It is fun and mostly directed toward the college crowd, but it seems to be catching on.”

The bowling centers in the area also make a perfect place to host birthday parties and other celebrations, while offering a fun activity for all to participate in during the event.

To meet those party needs, Spare Time offers three different kinds of birthday party packages.

“We offer a Bowling Bash, which is on the lane, we offer Games Galore and that is a combination of laser tag and arcade games and we offer an Ultimate Birthday package that is a combination of all three of those,” Haugh said.

Arcades and laser tag are just two examples of other fun activities found at bowling centers around the area. Spare Time has a three level laser tag area along with a large arcade and regularly scheduled live music in its lounge.

“If you can’t find fun here, you are not going to find it anywhere,” Haugh said about the multitude of activities available at Spare Time Entertainment.

A new and improved arcade are also in the works at Flaherty’s Northfield Lanes along with other changes in the near future. One change already made was the addition of tap beer lines in the bar at Flaherty’s.

“Over the next few months we are remodeling the old banquet space that was used as a dinner club back in the 1990s,” Flaherty said. “We will be turning that into a sports bar and adding a patio.

“We do have an arcade and we are expanding that as part of the remodeling project. We are bumping out a wall and more than CONTINUED page 14