Thanks for that stroll down memory lane! My family bowled there for years, both league and recreational. Not anymore, however.
What a shame the new owners care far more about the bar and restaurant than the bowling facilities, or the bowlers that come for that. The remodel they completed a couple of years ago wasn't exactly "bowler-friendly" and the place now caters to the bar crowd.
Many long time patrons who came for the bowling facilities, including many league bowlers, have left for bowling centers that still cater to their prime customer base. Park Lanes used to be a first-rate bowling center where you could get a bite to eat or a beer. Now, it's a place to drink that happens to have bowling allies. For the "atmosphere" I suppose.
It's what the new owners wanted. Too bad. It used to really be something special - a Charlotte institution - when George Pappas, a PBA Hall of Famer, owned and operated it.
I was born in January of that year, lived just across Sugar Creek (on Hassell Place) from it, and bowled there often as a kid. I used to shimmy across the creek on a sewer pipe to get there.
Thanks for that stroll down memory lane! My family bowled there for years, both league and recreational. Not anymore, however.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame the new owners care far more about the bar and restaurant than the bowling facilities, or the bowlers that come for that. The remodel they completed a couple of years ago wasn't exactly "bowler-friendly" and the place now caters to the bar crowd.
Many long time patrons who came for the bowling facilities, including many league bowlers, have left for bowling centers that still cater to their prime customer base. Park Lanes used to be a first-rate bowling center where you could get a bite to eat or a beer. Now, it's a place to drink that happens to have bowling allies. For the "atmosphere" I suppose.
It's what the new owners wanted. Too bad. It used to really be something special - a Charlotte institution - when George Pappas, a PBA Hall of Famer, owned and operated it.
I was born in January of that year, lived just across Sugar Creek (on Hassell Place) from it, and bowled there often as a kid. I used to shimmy across the creek on a sewer pipe to get there.
ReplyDeleteLex, now that is a memory!
ReplyDelete