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41. i1 y s {f Dave Roeder, the owner of Waterloo Bowling Lanes, recreational activity. His alley, on Princess Street, is th Continued from page 32 farmers ty," he said. â€" So they _ And it‘s the friendships they‘ve made there that draw them to this sociable pastime. Over the years, Dave has noticed a slight decline in bowling‘s popularâ€" ity, however, which he attributes to the fact there‘s so many ways for people to pass their leisure time. Plus, it‘s a "destination" activity that often isn‘t at the forefront of people‘s minds. "Over the last probably five, 10 years we‘ve been trying to drill it into people that bowling‘s a great activity, it gets you out of the house and it‘s a great family activity. "But it‘s hard to do because there‘s so many things that people can do." â€" No experience required to join a bowling league That being said, the number of birthday parties being held there has spiked in recent years, and glowâ€"inâ€" theâ€"dark bowling has become a soughtâ€"after activity among the younger crowd. ~_â€"â€"_"The kids really love it," Dave said. "The lights go out, the gutters glow and the pins glow." mss ss En e Waterloo Bowling Lanes also offers a number of leagues for more avid bowlers, although you don‘t need a lot of experience to join. And with mixed, ladies‘, men‘s and children‘s leagues, there‘s someâ€" thing for everyone. The latter group, which is for kids aged four to 19, plays on Saturday mornings. o e e k 5 B "It‘s definitely a sport for all ages," Dave said. "For example, we‘ll have fourâ€" or fiveâ€"yearâ€"old kids here who are rolling a ball down the lane, and then we‘ll also have an 80â€"yearâ€" ald." The Thursday businessmen‘s league, which attracts an afterâ€"work group, is the alley‘s oldest league. Men drop by and bow! two games after work, and some stay on for dinâ€" ner in its licensed snack bar, which serves sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs and more. wal d And the "country gents" Tuesdayâ€" night men‘s league, with a roster of 72 bowlers, also dates to the alley‘s early days. "H‘s called the country gents because you used to have to come from the country. Pretty much it‘s all % * p so they can get out into the fields in early April," Dave said. Otherwise, bowling season gener ally runs for 33 weeks from Septem ber to the end of April or early May. Ruth Beisel has been bowling at Waterloo Bowling Lanes for 40 years, and she enjoys taking part in the Wednesdayâ€"afternoon ladies‘ league. It‘s the people, exercise and fact that it gets her out of the house that‘s kept her coming back. "It‘s good for keeping friends and it gives you something else to think about, an activity," she said, adding the staff are always friendly there. Waterloo Bowling Lanes has 24 fiveâ€"pin lanes in its twoâ€"storey faciliâ€" ty. PA is 24â€" |Warerioo‘s Own aciliâ€" â€" |Communiry NewspareR Game night sponSOr: DUNDEE w isking m.‘B HOCKEY CLUB vs. OWEN SOUND The Clarica A'rena, Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex Sunday, September 23 â€" 7:30 p.m. WATERLOG CHRONICLE | Management