Lucky Strike Entertainment is seeking to leverage its position as the world’s largest bowling center chain and the owner of the Professional Bowlers Association to “double down on the future of sports, storytelling and location-based entertainment,” according to a media release announcing the hiring of Peter Murray as the chief executive officer of the PBA […]
MRAZ IS NEW E.D. OF BBIA
Lori Mraz, who has been with Turbo 2-N-1 Grips since the company’s founding in 1991 and currently serves as its director of marketing, has been named executive director of the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America. She succeeds Barb Peltz, who served the BBIA over the last two years during its time of transition. Mraz […]
INDUSTRY VETERAN ROD HODGEN PASSES AWAY
Ron Hodgen, who spent more than 50 years in the bowling industry, has passed away. Hodgen helped develop multiple bowling centers over the course of his career, beginning at a U.S. Air Force base in England. He later spent many years in the private sector of bowling before concluding his career as the bowling program […]
LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR SAVES IDAHO CENTER
Pop’N Pins, a 12-lane center in Preston, Idaho, about an hour south of Pocatello near the Utah border, has been saved by Sawyer Hemsley of Hemsley Ventures. According to Tana Checketts, who manages the facility with her husband, Chad, Hemsley purchased the center to prevent it from closing, citing its importance to the community. According […]
BVL RAISES $1.8 MILLION FOR NEW FISCAL-YEAR RECORD
A total of $1,824,639 was raised by the Bowlers to Veterans Link in fiscal 2025 (ending July 31), the largest amount raised in a single year in the charity’s 83-year history. “This extraordinary achievement reflects the strength, generosity and unity of the entire BVL community,” said BVL Executive Director Jessica Abel. “From bowling centers and […]
LAWN LANES TO BE FEATURED ON NBC PROGRAM
It’s always fun when bowling provides the backdrop for a television sitcom or drama. It’s often dumb, but it’s still fun, not to mention great exposure. Through the years, bowling has been a “co-star” on “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Married with Children,” “Cheers,” “The Simpsons,” “Fargo,” “The Sopranos,” “Blue Bloods,” “CSI” and many other […]
BOWLING PAVILION REOPENS AFTER 9 DECADES
Some bowling centers have closed for a year or two… and sometimes a little longer… and then reopened. Now, the bowling venue at the historic French Lick Resort in French Lick, Indiana, has come back to life following a hiatus of more than 90 years. The Billiard and Bowling Pavilion opened at the resort on […]





