E-dition No. 1,004 • Thursday, May 24, 2018
Editor: Bob Johnson (bjibob@aol.com)
Special BPAA Honor for Buffaloe Brothers
Three brothers who have established a mini bowling empire in and around Raleigh, N.C. — John, Ricky and Bill Buffaloe — have been selected as the 2018 Proprietors of the Year by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America.
The brothers will be honored at an industry awards luncheon on June 19, during BPAA’s International Bowl Expo at the Paris Hotel and Casino resort in Las Vegas.
“The Buffaloes are great proprietors and, more importantly, great people,” said BPAA President Nancy Schenk. “They treat their employees and customers like family. Their five centers are all modern, clean, welcoming and busy. Their junior program is top notch, filled with amazing coaches and full of opportunities for their youth bowlers. What they do for them is, no doubt, creating lifetime bowlers and great stewards of our sport.”
The Buffaloe centers — South, North, Cary, Erwin and Mebane — include a total of 148 lanes. All promote bowling above all else, and enforce a strict no-drinking and no-smoking policy to maintain a family atmosphere.
The centers have developed a strong Junior Gold team concept, and this year will send 50 youth bowlers to the Junior Gold Championships in Dallas. Melissa McDaniel, who chairs the International Bowling Campus Youth Committee, is the company’s youth director.
The Buffaloe centers also are known for their annual Team Championships, free to all league champions, open to other teams for a fee, and featuring $20,000 in added money plus a catered lunch or dinner.
“The Buffaloes’ commitment to league bowling is second to none,” added Schenk. “The tournaments, awards and recognition they give to their league bowlers is the most of any proprietor I have ever met.
“It is a great honor to award the BPAA Proprietor of the Year award to the Buffaloe family for their commitment to our great sport and running not one, but five, amazing bowling centers.”
The Buffaloe brothers will be featured in the cover story of the June issue of Bowling Center Management magazine (BCM), the official publication of the BPAA.
The BPAA Proprietor of the Year award was established in 2016, when Jim Chambers of Cloverleaf Family Bowl in Fremont, Calif., was honored. The 2017 recipient was John Losito of Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln, Neb.
Veteran Proprietor, Youth Promoter Colburn Passes Away
Bob Colburn, one of the great champions of youth bowling, passed away on Sunday. Our thanks to Jim Zebehazy, Frank DeSocio and Scott Devers for letting us know.
Here are excerpts from Colburn’s obituary…
Robert “Bob” Arnold Colburn, 85, passed away on May 20 at his home. He was born Oct. 1, 1932, in Baltimore, graduated from Towson University in Maryland with a bachelor in science degree, and served in the United States Army during the Korean War.
Colburn retired in 2014 as co-owner and operator of Don Lowry Lanes in Kokomo, Ind. He helped start the Indiana Bowling Council and served as its President. He served on the BPAA Board of Directors and chaired the BPAA Youth Committee.
As an elected member of the BPAA Executive Committee and as President of the Young American Bowling Alliance, he was responsible for many changes in the YABA National Coca-Cola Tournament.
Colburn also headed the BPAA Duckpin Activities Department from 1961 to 1964, along with creating and establishing the Duckpin Pro Tour. He also helped develop and organize the Junior Olympic Gold program and its first tournament.
Colburn served as youth director in Baltimore from 1954 to 1961, a period when youth participation increased from 5,000 to 20,000.
He was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for King Louie International from 1970 to 1975, and was a member of numerous local, state and national committees.
Colburn was instrumental in bringing the Turnaround Program from Tampa, Fla., to Kokomo. It recognizes students for positive transformations and, because of his work with the program, he was asked to serve on the local substance abuse committee with the mayor.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home & Crematory, 1315 W. Lincoln Rd., Kokomo. Memorial contributions may be made in Colburn’s memory to Burt Lake Preservation Association, the Kokomo Humane Society, or to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation. Stout & Son Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.
Messages of condolence may be left online at www.stoutandson.com.
Industry Calendar
Following is a look at industry events leading up to International Bowl Expo next month. There’s always something going on in the bowling biz. For more events, check “Save the Date” each month in Bowling Center Management (BCM) magazine. Note: Web addresses shown are not hyperlinks. If you wish to access a site, you’ll need to either copy the address or cut and paste it into your browser.
- May 24 — QubicaAMF Webinar: Are Your Corporate and Group Events in Harmony? qubicaamf.com
- May 31 — BCA of Wisconsin Build a Youth Program, Ledgeview Lanes, Fond du Lac, Wis.; 262-783-4292, ext. 102
- June 1-3 — Kegel Training Center Intensive Road Show, Eastern Lanes, Middletown, Ohio; 863-734-0200
- June 3-6 — Kansas BPA Annual Meeting, Branson, Mo.; bowlkansas.com
- June 4-15 — Precision Pinsetter Service Brunswick A-2 Pinsetter Maintenance School, QC Family Entertainment, Moline, Ill.; 540-325-7684 or frankm1441@aol.com
- June 5 — QubicaAMF Webinar: What’s New in Conqueror Pro (5 Features You Don’t Want to Miss); qubicaamf.com
- June 5 — BPA of Pennsylvania Board of Directors Meeting and Seminar, Sysco Warehouse, Philadelphia; pabowling.com
- June 5-7 — 23rd annual Washington State BPA Jackpot Classic Tournament, The Orleans Bowling Center, Las Vegas, Nev.; wsbpa.org
- June 5-7 — Foundations Entertainment University 2.0 Seminar No. 45, Big Thrill Factory, Minneapolis, Minn.; fseninskyaem@gmail.com
- June 5-8 — IAAPA Asian Attractions Expo, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, China; iaapa,org
- June 6 — Louisiana BPA Board of Directors Meeting, Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown, Baton Rouge, La.; paterm@bellsouth.net
- June 6-8 — Bowl Canada Annual Meeting and BPAA Bowling University Management School, Calgary, Alberta; paul@bowlcanada.ca
- June 7-10 — Jayhawk Bowling Supply Pro Shop Training Class, Lawrence, Kan.; jayhawkbowling.com
- June 8-10 — Kegel Training Center Two-Handed Camp, Partnered With Storm, Kegel Training Center, Lake Wales, Fla.; kegeltrainingcenter.com
- June 11 — BCA of Wisconsin Scholarship Golf Tournament, Foxfire Golf Club and Waupaca Ale House, Waupaca, Wis.; bowlwi.com
- June 11-15 — Brunswick GS Series Pinsetter Maintenance School, Muskegon, Mich.; brunswickbowling.com
- June 12 — QubicaAMF Webinar: 5 Reasons Time Bowling Can Increase Revenue and Happiness at Your Center; qubicaamf.com
- June 12 — BCA of Wisconsin Board of Directors Meeting, Waupaca Ale House, Waupaca, Wis.; bowlwi.com
- June 17 — BPAA Bowling University League Development Boot Camp, Las Vegas, Nev.; bowlexpo.com
- June 17 — BPAA Bowling University Facebook Marketing Boot Camp, Las Vegas, Nev.; bowlexpo.com
- June 17 — Brunswick Pinsetter Boot Camp, Las Vegas, Nev.; bowlexpo.com
- June 17 — QubicaAMF Pinspotter Boot Camp, Las Vegas, Nev.; bowlexpo.com
- June 17-21 — BPAA International Bowl Expo, Paris Hotel and Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev.; bowlexpo.com
Briefly…
* Shannon O’Keefe now has claimed the last two majors on the PWBA Tour after winning the 2018 USBC Queens on Tuesday. The 39-year-old right-hander put the finishing touches on a dominating week at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno as she defeated Bryanna Coté in the title match, 221-189, to capture the coveted tiara awarded to the winner and $20,000 top prize. Coté, the top seed for Tuesday’s stepladder finals, earned $11,000 for the runner-up finish. Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/okeefe-wins-2018-queens/.
* Cristian Azcona became Puerto Rico’s first PBA champion Sunday when he defeated A.J. Johnson, 217-214, to win the PBA Xtra Frame Wilmington Open at Ten Pin Alley Family Fun Center in Wilmington, N.C. In a title match between two players vying for their first PBA Tour title, three pins separated the pair heading into the 10th frame when the 24-year-old Azcona threw three strikes to clinch the title and hand the 25-year-old Johnson his fourth second-place finish in PBA Tour competition. Report: http://www.bowlersjournal.com/cristian-azcona-wins-first-pba-tour-title-in-pba-xtra-frame-wilmington-open/.
* Phantom Radio this week wraps up a three-part interview with veteran lane installer Lou Trunk. To listen to the conversation, go to: https://kegel.squarespace.com/phantomblog/2018/5/22/lou-trunk-phantom-radio.
* CONTACT: Please send business news, event information, etc. to Bob Johnson at bjibob@aol.com. For breaking business news, visit bcmmag.com or bowlersjournal.com, and “Like” Bowling Center Management and Bowlers Journal International on Facebook. BJI Cyber Reports are now archived at bcmmag.com.
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