NEXT ‘VINTAGE ALLEYS TOUR’ NEARS

Of the 219 member centers of the Bowling Centers Association of Wisconsin, about 68 percent have 12 or fewer lanes. And many of those date back decades, featuring equipment and décor rarely seen in modern centers.

Three of those “retro” venues — Leaker’s Place in Glenwood City (population: 1,304), Club TEN in Durand (population: 1,843) and Gale’s Lanes in Galesville (population: 1,662) — will be featured on the next BCAW Vintage Alleys Tour on April 5 in northwestern Wisconsin. The tour will depart from the Eau Claire Park & Ride lot.

Leaker’s Place is a four-lane center that opened in 1949 with wood lanes, manual scoring and semi-automatic pinsetters. Today, it’s equipped with Brunswick A2 machines and automatic scoring, but it retains its retro vibe with above-ground ball returns and 10th-frame reset buttons. Located in the heart of downtown, Leaker’s Place is both community minded and fun focused. Over the holidays, it serves as a collection point for the West Cap Christmas Toy Drive… and holds an ugly sweater party.

Club TEN was built in 1937 and dubbed The Old Log Cabin, a nod to the use of reclaimed logging camp horse barns in its construction. It was renamed a decade later when 10 investors bought it to serve as their Sunday socializing spot. The addition of six lanes in 1954 transformed it into a cherished community hub, and the original wood lanes remain in use to this day. The venue has been modernized through the years, but it retains the nostalgic charm of traditional bowling. Locals stop by not only to bowl, but to nosh on the prime rib burger and boozy milk shakes.

Housed in what originally was a Ford automobile dealership, Gale’s Lanes became a bowling alley in 1954 when six lanes were installed. Those wood lanes remain to this day, as do the above-ground ball returns. The center’s downstairs Spare Time Lounge also provides a trip back in time with its pool table, dart board, pinball machines and board games. And like any Wisconsin bar worth its salt, its signature drink is the Old Fashioned, made with La Crosse Distillery’s Downtown Toodeloo Rock ’n Rye Whiskey, hand muddled with fresh orange slices and Luxardo cherries.