BOWLING HISTORY

Each year, 67 million people in the U.S. bowl and, of those, 1.2 million compete regularly in league play certified by the U.S. Bowling Congress.

They bowl on a 60-foot lane, a distance that is rooted in some of the earliest history of the sport.

Stone bowling pins and a stone ball found in the tomb of a child in Egypt around 5200 B.C. was the first evidence of bowling. The recent discovery of ula malka, an ancient Polynesian game that required players to roll a stone ball at nine pieces of stone 60 feet away, is another example.

Bowling at wooden pins is likely linked to a German religious ceremony. Martin Luther is credited with settling on nine pins. Why and when the 10th pin was added to the American game remains a mystery.

Buildings for bowling started to move west from New York City by the mid-19th century — mostly to cities with large German populations. In 1895, nine bowling clubs from around New York met in what is considered the first attempt to create order out of chaos and led to the creation of the first book of rules.

On Jan. 1, 2005, various organizations were united under one governing body, the U.S. Bowling Congress.

Sources: bowling.com and Britannica.com.

Rob Inglis/Inside PA

MIDWAY LANES, DANVILLE, 1939 MONTOUR BLVD., ( ROUTE 11), DANVILLE. MIDWAY LANES IS ON FACEBOOK

Like the other bowling alleys, Midway Lanes depends upon leagues, parties, events and open bowling to fund the business. And, like the others, Midway boasts a snack bar — not a vending machine with sodas and candy — and automatic score-keeping. Of course, if you don’t have your own bowling ball or your own bowling shoes, all of the alleys rent equipment for a reasonable fee.

After visiting with a group of eight bowlers at Midway, it’s likely there are lots of interesting people who have formed their own “leagues.” One of them at Midway meets on Thursday evenings. Eight men who first met when they bowled in a league at the Elks in Danville — before it closed — get together once a week to enjoy each other’s company, laugh a lot and team up in pairs to see who can win the most games in one night. Besides bragging rights for the week, there is probably a prize, but no one would say what it is.

Also, like The Strike Zone and Best Bowl, Danville High School bowling teams call Midway its home. The pandemic certainly hit the bowling business hard, but they have persevered. Bowling is good for your health, relatively inexpensive, lots of fun and the business is an asset to any community. Why not give it a try?

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