Candlepin Advice from a Pro
Recently the Club had a great visit from Mike Walker, the owner of the Big 20 lanes in Scarborough, who loved our bowling facility.
Mike is looking forward to a great promotion this summer with the Portland Sea Dogs, who will wear uniforms with eye-catching candlepin bowling designs in a game this season. We’ve seen the designs and they look great. Slugger, the team mascot, should have fun with that.
Mike had heard about our lanes and knows Hal Madsen, one of our bowlers who also competes in a league at the Big 20. Mike was curious about our facility, so Hal arranged the visit. On the balky lane 5 Mike knocked down pins like we’ve never seen!
Mike thought our bowling balls and pins were in great shape, although noted that scores could be affected by balls that have developed chips over the years. He inspected our 1962 vintage pin-setting machinery closely and said it was newer than his, and with some maintenance should continue to work well.
Just imagine 50 years with pinboys! (Photo from Library of Congress, photo of pinboys working Trenton, New Jersey’s Arcade Bowling Alley in 1909)
Mike recommended that we tighten down some places that became loose from vibrations, clean some locations and trim worn places at the edge of belts. He thinks many of the parts might be original. The lanes were built in the building in 1914 but we think the automatic pin-setters were installed in the early 1960s.
Mike was surprised to see a 3-foot wide aisle behind the pin-setting equipment that gives good access to the complex machinery. “I envy the space,” said Mike, who sometimes has to crawl over machinery in tight spaces at the Big 20.
He recognized some of the maintenance practices, and motors, belts and parts installed by our 85-year-old mechanic Wayne McDonnell, who travels from Worcester when we need him. Wayne also has worked in Scarborough, and according to newspaper accounts, at every candlepin lane in New England.
Mike pointed to a bit of red painted lettering at the pin end of the lanes that said our lanes were resurfaced on Sept. 13, 2000 by J.E. Corporation, United Bowling Division. We didn’t know that.
Ralph Joline is still in business and has done extensive work at the Big 20, where artificial surfaces were installed in 2012 to replace wood strips, in part. Mike also advised that we should clean the lanes and gutters frequently.
Mike loved the risers and seating behind the lanes, and said our lanes would be ideal for teaching kids because of the seating. If we did use the lanes for that purpose, we should install bumpers that prevent balls from falling into the gutter.
All in all, it was a great visit and we want to extend a huge thank-you to Mike Walker for generously sharing his incredible candlepin knowledge.
From a 1988 club history:
An arms company representative was quoted… as describing the club’s indoor rifle facility as “one of the best two-target ranges in the country.” However, within the first few years the club decided to remove the range, located on the westerly wall of the basement and replace it with a fifth bowling lane.
Our intrepid bowling league!